How are you?
We often ask this question to people & so have we been asked the same question. None of us are probably always honest while answering. Because this forces us to really check in our souls -which often leads to admitting that we may not be always well as we want others to think. We are reluctant to confess our true feelings.
How about if we change our question to
“How is your soul doing?”
What are you doing for your soul today?
Far deeper a question. Isn’t it?
Secondly, before asking others, we should predominantly ask this question first to ourselves .
We never fail to forget checking the progress of all the external activities happening in lives like:
the fuel indicator of vehicle to ensure we get smoother ride/ drive.
our mobile battery percentage for continuous functioning of mobile phone
Our professional score/ ratings to check our performance level at our work place. / sales turnover in our business.
Our exam scores for our academic performance.
Taste food while cooking in kitchen to ensure it tastes appropriate for us and our family members
Notifications on social media in form of likes, comments, followers.
However how often do we check within ourselves ?
When was the last time we consciously check in with our inner selves?
Do we actually check in with our soul?
Perhaps not so very often or most of us, not at all..
The fact is that we get lost in the demands of busy life and rat race that we forget to check in our soul.
Why do we need to check in our soul ?
The ultimate goal of soul check is to check our happiness level and if we are aligned to our true selves. The idea is to achieve inner peace, joy and happiness and betterment of our mental wellbeing.
Few years ago while watching one of the international summit on television, I came to know that that Bhutan is the only nation that has an index to measure the happiness level and wellbeing of their population. This philosophy is called Gross National Happiness aka GNH. GNH is the development philosophy that guides the development efforts of Bhutan. Isn’t this a phenomenal concept.
Well, the least we can do is to make attempt to check the level of our own happiness on a personal level.
Happiness may essentially not have perfect definition as its subjective. But it can simply mean genuinely feeling good about ourselves and not just appearing happy. Happiness makes us become better version of ourselves. So, checking our soul can let us know our happiness level and contentment in life.
Sometimes when we are emotionally and socially low, not feeling inspired to do any task, experience negative thoughts, it is a clear indication of our soul becoming lifeless.
It’s important to check which of our engagements make our soul lifeless.
Lifeless soul can be by product of the following situation:
We are no longer our authentic self.
We feel lonely in the crowd.
We fake a smile and not feel the smile
We give but we don’t receive
We are forced to do or we choose to do things we dislike
We are surrounded by toxic and negative people.
We say YES even when we wish to say NO.
We overthink every small little thing
While there are different methods, approaches needed to tackle and deal each of the above-mentioned situations and must be dealt appropriately under guidance. But feeding our soul with positive energy is definitely in our hands and our responsibility.
What makes our soul shine and flourish ?
There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled. There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled. You feel it, don’t you? - Rumi
A nourished soul finds abundance and joy in every moment. It is so important to check what makes our soul shine and flourish. Like breathing is critical for body, we should remind ourselves of things which brings life to our soul. To make sure our soul is breathing, it is perfectly fine:
To Pray: Prayers are powerful. It brings peace and clarity. There are times we need help and guidance and we should pray to God specifically for things which worries us. When we pray to God, universe or supreme power, our prayers do get answered. They may not always get answer as expected by us but they will get answered for sure.
To Laugh: When we see kids playing, they laugh just for pure joy without any reason. We should never be in 2 minds when it comes to unleashing the child in side us. We all need our regular dose of our Lol moment. Indulge in watching comedy movies, reliving old funny memories or even sharing a simple funny meme with closed ones can do wonders.
To Cry: Nobody likes to cry as its wrongly associated with weakness. Unfortunately, it’s challenging for all us to deal with this particular emotion. But sometimes crying has its own benefits as it helps to let things go & gives clarity. It reminds us what is important in our lives, helps us to grow and make us feel light and feel good.
To Day Dream: We have been advised from our childhood to stop daydreaming and be attentive in class. But daydreaming actually helps us to shift into a happier, more connected, and excited state of being. It actually helps us to wake up to our deepest desire and can contribute in making our dream come true and create our reality. Sometimes its alright to keep doors of day dreaming open, they are sunshine to garden of our lives.
To Dance: Dancing is a mood booster. The moment we indulge in this activity we experience sense of release because dance can make us leave whatever happened during the day behind, stop worrying about future and we live that moment. So, whenever we feel low, the best is thing is to get up and dance to our favourite music. It will surely connect our heart to our soul, lift our mood and nourish our spirits.
To Go For Solo Date: Our soul has battery life with a finite limit and one of the best recharging process is just chilling alone which means just me, myself, and I. The idea is to treat ourselves in the same way we would do for someone we care about. Going solo for a movie, dinner, Sunday brunch, shopping or just exploring a new place within our city can work like a magic
To Do an Act Of Kindness: For a moment it’s okay to forget about our problems and focussing on making others happy can result into soul nourishing. Helping less privilege emotionally or financially without expectations can give us different level of happiness and peace of mind
To Pause: Sometimes we need to stop in order to go ahead in life. Just pause and be with the moment is the mantra. It may involve a short break from professional life, social media, or social life. It can help us to look within ourselves and feel connected. Sometimes it’s perfectly alright if we pause a little, to not to be productive and enjoy the benefits of slow. So even if our life is paused by forced and not by choice then its better to take it as sign of taking some rest and reinvent ourselves.
To Write: Writing down our thoughts can really help us to let go off those negative emotions. It can be in form of our feelings, favourite quotes or by blogging on subject we love. Blogging helps us to be 100% ourselves and feel exactly how we wanted to feel.
To Express Gratitude: As it is said, gratitude is the best form of attitude. Gratitude is simply taking time to thank about all the positive things in our lives and be thankful to God for all the various things and people in our lives. Gratitude strengthens our positive emotions and makes us happier and healthier.
A nourished soul creates a sense of wholeness that improves our well-being and well-being of those around us. So let’s ensure we make a practice of checking and nourishing our soul on regular basis. The first and foremost step is to start asking ourselves
“How is your soul doing? “
“What are you doing for your soul today? “
Why should I be unhappy? Every parcel of my being is in full bloom.
-Rumy
Written By - Mittal Dawda
#soul #soulcheck #soulsearching #selflove #happiness #mood #feelings #emotions #mentalhealth #mentalwellbeing #soul #dance #god #gratitude #sadness #hope #stress #cry #laughter #smile #loveyourself #negativity #positivity #love #life