Stretch yourself, mind, body and spirit. In other words, stretch all of you.
We need to look after every part of ourselves if we are to live long, peaceful and happy lives. When we take care of ourselves, we can better tend to others in their time of need.
Tend Your Body
If you want to live a long and mobile life, you must look after your body. Gentle stretches, a healthy lifestyle and some type of daily exercise will go a long way towards aiding in that endeavour.
While it is true that there are other factors for living a long life, neglecting our physical bodies is not one of them. We can’t control everything, but we can control how we treat our bodies.
Your body is a temple, housing your spirit. Or, perhaps, your spirit is housing your body. Either way, once you hit your teen years, it becomes your responsibility to look after it and treat it well if it is to carry you into your golden years.
Tend Your Mind
Our brain is a unique and complicated thing. It requires nurturing as much as our body. It requires oxygen and healthy blood just as much as our body.
Like our bodies, if we don’t use it and stretch it like a muscle, it will stagnate. Never stop learning and growing. You don’t have to stay in school your whole life, but you can continue learning new things and adopting new, and sometimes better, ideas.
Puzzles, books and hobbies keep the mind active and thinking. It helps us tap into a critical, logical part of the brain. There are other parts, though, that are stimulated through emotion.
Happiness is also known to stimulate the brain. Find moments of joy every day. Be grateful and happy for even the smallest of things in your life.
Tend Your Spirit
Like the others, our spirit is with us throughout our journey. The difference is that it stays with us much longer and requires looking after just like anything else.
When you do things that are in tune with your spirit, you are happier and more at peace. Doing things that go against the nature of your spirit will leave you feeling anxious, depressed and even angry. You will be uncomfortable in your skin.
Meditation and prayer are good ways to connect with your spirit. When we meditate, we can focus on our own light and bring that light to flow throughout our bodies. It is healing and calming.
Prayer is a spiritual connection, a homecoming, reaching out to hug God. When we pray, our light strengthens, even when we are tired and weak. We have eternal hope, for we know in the end there is everlasting peace to be found.
Being at peace does not mean things won’t go wrong, or you won’t be sad, but you understand that they are fleeting in the long run. There is a peace that lets you endure and outlast these events.
Each of these could be (and have been) a stand-alone topic for a post. The key in the message is that you must tend them all. Take care of yourself. You are worth it.
Every day make a conscious effort to stretch all of you.
Free inspirational or motivational posts can be found on the inspirational page of my website.