For many people, the idea of self-development means exercising, eating right and getting enough rest. But not enough of us have heard of, or practice, spiritual self-care. For those who have, it’s easy to think that it is related to reading biblical texts, participating in worship services and observing rituals.

Spiritual self-care, however, encompasses all that. It is the practice of connecting to whatever is meaningful and holy to you. Spirituality can be found everywhere and with anyone and once you start embracing spiritual self-care as part of self-development, you’ll be able to enjoy these benefits in your life:

Re-Discover your Purpose and Meaning

We are all trying to keep up with this fast-paced world that we live in, don’t we? It’s so easy to get caught up in the middle of taking care of the family, doing well in a job and living up to other people’s expectations that you lose sight of what’s your purpose and meaning.

Spiritual self-care brings you back to that state of awareness and let you channel your energy towards things that matter most to you and not what the world is telling you to be.

Improve your Relationships

Do you often find yourself fighting with your spouse? Are you becoming more reluctant to spend time with friends? Stress and exhaustion can easily affect your relationships, but you can always turn things around by practicing spiritual self-care.

Taking the time to practice meditation can already do a lot to reduce your stress while doing yoga regularly aligns you with your inner self again, which can help you improve your relationships in the long run.

Identify the Things that Make you Genuinely Happy

You may be living in a huge house, driving a nice car and wearing the most expensive bag, but none of that will make you genuinely happy. Take time out of your day to go for a walk or spend the weekend outdoors.

Research shows that walking is beneficial to your mental health because it allows you to slow down and be present. You’ll also gain a sense of clarity on what makes you happy so you can focus your energy on them and not on material things that will only provide you fleeting joy.

Clear your Space

You meet a lot of people every day and you share conversations that can affect your energy at some point.

If you were to achieve self-development, you need to maintain a clear space around you through meditation and smudging, which uses cedar, incense or sage to clear your space.

Life is beautiful if you just let it be. While you’re surrounded by so many stressors and you’re living in a world that’s more fast-paced than ever before, you can still find that inner peace and good mental health by practicing spiritual self-care and taking the time to love yourself more.

By investing in self-development, you can also radiate your happiness to others and be able to love others better.