Nurturing my mind and soul

2020 was taxing for the best of us. The constant bombardment of COVID news, divided politics, dwindling economy, scarce resources – it was rough. Like many others, I felt the fear, paranoia, and stress at a personal level. So as I bid adieu to the nightmare of a year, I vowed to take a much overdue pledge – to nurture my mind and soul.

This year I resolve to focus mostly on mental and spiritual fitness. These are the things I plan to do in 2021:

Practice Gratitude

Being grateful for the simple things in life is so easy. Yet, in our everyday bustle, we forget to stop and appreciate the little treasures of life. I, for one, am often guilty of this. But this year is going to be different. Every morning after I wake up and every night before falling asleep, I plan to purposefully make an effort to list three things I am grateful for.

Today, I am thankful for:

my loving family

my warm apartment

sunshine.

Gratitude effortlessly shifts the focus from the stressors of what we don’t have to the beauty of things that we do. I am so ready to reap the grossly underrated benefits of this beautiful practice of giving thanks.

Make time to meditate

I have been aware sort of vaguely about the benefits of meditation for a while now. I have even dabbled in the practice time and again but never been consistent at it. More recently, I have invested more time researching and reading about mindfulness and meditation, which has blown my mind.

Research shows that meditation can literally change your brain. Not only does it help in improving focus and performance, but it also helps in physical healing. For example, meditating regularly can reduce inflammation in our bodies, which often contributes to a whole range of ailments.

Having learned these specifics, I am definitely eager to follow a more consistent meditation routine. So, my resolution for the year is to find at least 15 minutes each day to meditate – No excuses.

Be kind to myself

Be kind. Whenever I heard this phrase, I automatically thought that the “to others” part was implied. I never really stopped and thought that it was more accurately “to everyone,”; which included myself. It took me dozens of self-help books to realize this. And now that I have realized it, I want to make sure I never FORGET.

Much reading and reflection have taught me that no one would get away with the kind of unkind things I’ve said to myself. And that has to change. So I’ve made a promise to myself that I am going to be kind to myself. I deserve nothing less. If I accidentally find that I’m mean to myself, I will apologize. While I’m at it, I’ve also decided to compliment myself often and remind myself that I love myself. And that is powerful.

Find playtime

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” The age-old proverb is absolutely true. The day in day out grind can burn you out. All the stressful things that are going on in the world, is all the more reason to find nuggets of joy wherever you can.

My resolution this year is to do things that fuel my soul. Jam out to the top 40, paint, write a poem, go for long walks, binge-watch on Netflix – I leave this list open.

I’m excited to welcome the new year with open arms, and embrace my resolutions with a joyful heart. I have no doubt that my resolutions this time will not only stick but help me thrive, raise my spirits and nurture my mind and soul.