The pursuit of wholeness. The word wholeness or whole comes from the middle English word Hool which means healthy, unharmed or unbroken, which is derived from the old English word Hal, which is the same root word for Holy (which means sacred and divine). So the Pursuit of Wholeness is the pursuit of our whole health, a journey back to a whole sacred divine self. What a beautiful Idea.
And what a beautiful way to view health and self-care, not as an obligation but as a liberation from what harms to our own intrinsic completeness. We truth is we are whole and complete, we have just forgotten that true and are living separated from our true nature.
We as people are constantly inventing, reinventing, learning and unlearning. We are constantly in a state of growth and change. But in order to grow and make your dreams a reality, you must first learn to love yourself (wholly) and change your mindset and attitude. There are so many ways to begin transforming, but here are some basic principles of self-love and care to help you to live a happier, fuller life.
Your Body is Your Temple
Your body is your primary sacred space. And it is the axis point and the place to start along the path to wholeness and contentment is learning to care for the body you have. The mind and body cannot be separated, and so
you cannot nurture one while neglecting the other. Start by making small changes to your daily habits; walk and move your body often during the day, set aside time to plan and prepare your meals, set aside time to unwind and unplug from electronics to support healthy nourishing sleep. Focus on nourishing whole foods by planning healthy, well-balanced meals that will feed your body and your brain with the fuel it needs. Aside from adequate exercise and a healthy diet, it is also important to take care of the other parts of your body too, prevention(like preventative dental care through Ideal Dentistry) is the key to long-lasting full health. The ritual and mindset of caring for your body on a daily basis will change how you feel about yourself, your body and your life.
Forgiveness and Compassion
We are all only human and are only doing all of this, for the first time, every time, but it’s amazing how often people can forget this. Social media and media have given us a false perception of what our lives should be like. We see the highlights of someone else’s life and compare those highlights to the messiness of our own. You must learn to accept that you are a human being; you will have missteps, but this is all a learning experience. It’s important to acknowledge your missteps and learn from them, and move on. Instead of dwelling on what has gone wrong, strive each day to do better than the day before tomorrow is a new day. These little setbacks and struggles are part of life, and you should accept them. Your mistakes do not define you, so do not let them consume you.
Be your own champion
We are your own worst critic. While this may be true, you should try to change your mindset so that you can become your own champion. It’s easy to find yourself thinking negative thoughts and being overly critical. Whenever you find yourself doing that, stop. Instead think about something positive, whether that be turning that criticism into praise, or simply noting something else you have done well. Take the time to look at yourself in the mirror each morning and tell yourself that you are worthwhile, strong, beautiful, and intelligent. Say it out loud and mean it. You may feel silly at first, but the words will sink in sooner than you think. If you are feeling down about your appearance, pick out your favorite features. Even the little flaws that you don’t like can be the thing that someone else loves most about you. It all makes you who you are, and you are an amazing, wonderful creature who deserves success, love, and happiness. Let positivity fill your thoughts, and it will seep into your life.
Put yourself at the top of your priority list
You may have children; you may have a demanding job; you may have both. It’s very easy to find yourself overwhelmed and constantly busy. Your boss asked you to stay late even though you have a whole week left to finish the project you are working on, or you have overcommitted yourself once again (I am raising my hand here!). Caring for the people in your life is a noble and kind thing to do, doing it too much can leave you feeling run-down and deflated. Take some time for yourself. Even if it’s something as simple as taking a nice long hot bath. You cannot look after everyone else if you do not look after yourself, so remember your needs as well as those of others. You can only care for others as well as you care for yourself.
Grow.
Sometimes we feel like we are going through the motions our of life and we feel like we are standing still, but really we and our life is always changing. So it’s up to us to decide which direction our life changes. Remember, you always get to decide your next right step. What have you been dreaming about doing? Changing careers or getting a new degree? Running a 10K or even a marathon? Sometimes we can set barriers and obstacles for ourselves without even realizing it, stopping ourselves from being who we truly want to be and doing what we want to do. Allow yourself the opportunities to grow and evolve in the direction you want instead of letting life decide. Take every day as an opportunity to learn more about yourself and what you are capable of. You may find that every day you are surprised at your own amazingness.
Live in the pursuit of wholeness every day through self-care and self-love. It will change your life!
Be well,
Sally
P.S. Are you in the pursuit of wholeness? I want to help support you on your journey! I am starting the 30 day Reset program again in a few weeks and I hope you join me. If you are interested, get on my 30 Day Reset Interest List!
**This is a collaborative post, that contains affiliate links.**
