For those of you who attended the Mother’s Day Tea this year at St. Therese, our theme for the event was the connection between body, mind and soul and why it is essential we take care of ourselves. Mother’s Day is a good time for all women to stop and think about all of the people we care for in our lives, which often leaves little time for ourselves. But, if we wish to remain healthy and find balance and well-being in our life, it is important we take care of our mind, body and soul. The mind-body-soul connection refers to the relationship between these three aspects of ourselves that makes us a whole person.
Mind. Your mind is your thinking mind (both conscious and unconscious) that is responsible for your beliefs, thoughts, and actions. A healthy mind gives us clarity. Our minds are responsible for making decisions, emotional stability, helps with memory and concentration, and helps us focus. Ways to strengthen your mind include:
- Meditate. Meditating helps reduce stress and increases awareness of negative thoughts. It can help you feel calmer and react more mindfully to stressful situations. Prayer is another means to reduce stress and help you feel calm and peaceful.
- Learn something new. Just like a muscle, your brain needs exercise in order to stay fit. Learning helps to create and strengthen new neural connections that keep your brain active and healthy.
- Get enough sleep. Sleep is essential for the mind, body, and soul. The quality and quantity of sleep can affect mood, as well as metabolism. The average person needs between 7-9 hours of sleep each night, but the right amount depends on the person.
- Find your passion. Making time for the things you enjoy can help regulate your mood and emotions and contribute to greater energy, vitality, and overall health and well-being.
- Take time off. Rest, relaxation, and allowing yourself to have fun can help you stay healthy. Find ways to build rest into your schedule. Spend time with loved ones.
- Having a growth mindset will help you become more resilient to unexpected bumps in the road and help you overcome challenges by seeing them as opportunities to grow.
Body. Your body is the physical aspect of yourself that carries you through life and allows you to experience the world through your five senses. A healthy body gives us strength, vitality, and energy and helps us face life’s challenges. Our physical health influences mood and mental and emotional well-being. Ways to strengthen your body include:
- Exercise is essential for a healthy body by elevating mood, relieving stress and maintaining brain health. Do activities that bring you joy. Find ways to be more active in your daily life.
- Eat a balanced diet. What you eat influences your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Eat healthier foods including vegetables and fruits, limit your consumption of meat, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar and drink at least two liters of water per day.
- Try yoga. Yoga can help relieve emotional tension stored in the muscles and fibers of the body and calms the mind by focusing on the present moment. Utilize breathing techniques which have many benefits including reducing stress, increasing energy, and elevating mood and concentration.
Soul. Your soul or spirit is that intangible part of you that one might refer to as your essence. Our faith helps us connect with our soul. A healthy soul helps us experience positive emotions such as peace, joy, gratitude, emotional resilience, kindness, and compassion towards others. It gives us sense of purpose of being connected to something greater than ourselves, God. Ways to strengthen our soul include:
- Prayer is a spiritual practice and provides comfort and peace to those who pray and also for those of whom prayers are said. It connects us with God and provides us with peace, comfort, and strength.
- Connect with something greater than yourself. Research shows that helping others is good for you, so look for ways to give back. This may be through your religious community, activism, or volunteering
- Practice gratitude. Gratitude trains the brain to let go of negative thoughts and look for things to be grateful for instead. This improves mood and overall mind-body-soul well-being.
- Be compassionate to yourself and others. Self-compassion is more useful than self-confidence when it comes to accepting and living with your mistakes and failures. Cultivating self-compassion also helps develop greater compassion for others, leading to a loving and more peaceful life.
So women, take the opportunity this Mother’s Day focus on taking care of your body, mind and soul. Having a healthy mind, body and soul will impact the way you feel about yourself and transform you into the happiest, healthiest, and most vibrant version of you.