Spiritual Wellness Tips

Take a quiet moment each day for reflection, gratitude, or mindfulness. Even just a few minutes of a meditation practice can help you feel less stressed and more focused. New to meditation? Try a guided session with Meditation Mondays and start the week feeling grounded and purposeful.

Spiritual wellness means different things to different people, and often focuses on practices that foster inner peace, self-reflection, and a connection to something larger than oneself. This can include activities like meditation, volunteering, practicing gratitude, spending time in nature, and connecting with a community that shares your values and beliefs. Incorporating these activities into your daily life can help you cultivate a stronger sense of meaning and purpose and guide you with the power to make decisions with greater ease. 

Spiritual wellness involves finding meaning, purpose, and inner peace—whether through religion, nature, meditation, or personal values. It’s about aligning your life with what truly matters to you. Practices like journaling, quiet contemplation, or spending time in nature can help you feel grounded and connected to something greater than yourself. Find out more information about spiritual wellness.

Taking some time to notice. It may only be a minute or even a few seconds, but each time you slow down to be present with the moment, it reduces stress and increases clarity. There are so many ways to slow down. Try meditation, journaling, deep breathing, or simply sitting in silence to reconnect with yourself and your inner calm. For more information, visit mindful.org.

We are constantly looking for a better way. Stoics practice something called negative thinking or negative visualization. This is a process by which we imagine ourselves with a fraction of what we have, be it material possessions, financial wealth, or a supportive community. By dwelling on what we don’t have or may not have, we create a new perspective and can focus and put more attention on what we do have. We need to give thanks to ourselves every day. We all strive to grow, and unfortunately, it can be easy to focus on the negative. In fact, we tend to remember the negative. Instead, give yourself grace and reflect on what you do have, and the strides you made to meet your needs and goals. 

Practice deep breathing.  All of us are busy with responsibilities, work, and just life. This can produce feelings of stress. Stress and anxiety can impact your breathing without you even realizing it. Your heart rate may increase in response to stress, and this can cause, you to take shallow breaths, or you might even hold your breath for a period of time, causing your body to tense up. It is important to get into the habit of practicing deep breathing techniques, concentrating on breathing from your diaphragm. Breathing techniques for stress relief can make a big difference in how you cope with stress during life’s challenging moments.

Next chance you get, take a look, a real “look” at what you are seeing. You could be on a bus, walking around the neighborhood, in your home, or at school. It does not matter where you are, but look closely and with intention. When we shift to view reality as it is, we get a better sense of the detail of individual things and how they fit together as a whole. 

Marcus Aurelius, a Roman philosopher king, was known for his ability to see reality; the good and bad, without judgment. In one of his famous passages he stated: “In the process of baking bread, the loaf breaks open in some places, and although these cracks in a sense represent a failure of the baker’s art, they do somehow catch the eye and, in their own way, stimulate the desire to eat the bread. Or again: when figs are fully ripe, they split open, and in the case of ripe olives the very fact that they are on the verge of rotting gives the fruit a special kind of beauty. The same goes for ears of wheat bowing down to the ground, a lion’s wrinkled brow, a boar foaming at the mouth, and many other things. They are hardly lovely if viewed in isolation, but they enhance the appeal of the natural phenomena of which they are concomitants, and so we find them attractive.”

Gratitude journaling (being gracious to yourself in your writing) can improve your overall well-being helping you to be more appreciative of your life and the people who you interact with. Write it down. By putting pen to paper it helps the brain recognize the information in a conscious and deliberate way. As you engage in positive writing, you will find that you will recognize and take notice of the wonderful things around you and in your life (e.g., family, friends, etc.) So, focus on the things in life you are most grateful for, no matter how big or small, and make a list every day. See how your happiness and satisfaction grow over time.

You may or may not have much control over where your office is located and how it’s set up, but workplace wellness begins with how you set up your workplace environment. We’re best able to set ourselves up for healthy practices at work when our office environment supports positive working conditions that help us stay inspired, focused and productive. 

Think about how you work best: Do you need a quiet space? Plenty of light? Do you need desk space to write on, a place to easily access paper files or documents? Are you most focused if you’re facing a wall, or most inspired if your desk positions you to look out a window? Though it seems simple, intentionally setting up your workspace to increase focus and productivity can significantly reduce workplace stress down the road. Apply these practical tips even if you are working remotely. 

Eyes become easily strained when you’re constantly focused on your computer screen. Reduce the risk of tired eyes by looking away from your computer for at least 20 seconds in 20-minute intervals. 

While doing this feel free to focus on your breathing. Although allowing your eyes to rest makes for a nice break during the day, the focus on breathing adds another layer of focus. While your eyes are closed, take three deep breaths, focus on the inhale and exhale of each breath. Then take a moment to notice anything you are feeling (e.g., is it hot or cold in the room? Are you feeling anxious in any way? What does it feel like to be sitting or standing while you are closing your eyes). 

Take this time not only to take a break from the screen, but also to replenish yourself spiritually if you feel the need to do so.

First, take a normal breath. Then breathe deep: Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your chest and lower belly to rise as you fill your lungs. Let your abdomen expand fully. Now breathe out slowly through your mouth (or your nose, if that feels more natural). Repeat 3 x’s every hour or as you feel it is necessary. 

February 2024 marks the 60th consecutive American Heart Month. Cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease and strokes, kills about 2,300 people each day and contributes to the death of more people than all forms of cancer combined. Though 83% of people believe that heart attacks can be prevented, many are not willing to take the necessary steps to improve their health. The result is that heart disease is being diagnosed earlier than ever. The good news is that heart disease is preventable in most cases with healthy choices, including: 

• Choosing not to smoke, or quit smoking

• Maintaining a healthy weight

• Treating high blood pressure

• Getting and staying active

• Establishing healthy eating patterns

• Schedule regular check-ups 

Keep your heart healthy and it will work to keep you healthy.

It is healthy and natural to talk about mental health struggles. In today’s fast paced and demanding world we all have them and experience times in our lives when help  is needed. Talk with a friend or family member, or with your doctor or a counselor. It’s OK to not always feel OK. But if it becomes too much it’s time to seek help. 

For more information about our EAP Program please visit resourcesforliving.com. Use the ID: MCCCD and the Password: EAP to find more resources on mental health. 

It’s a new year, a perfect time to change things up a bit about your health. But with busy lives it is hard to stay motivated. The following are some tips to do just that on your way to becoming a healthier you.

• Have a clear vision and understand your “why.” It is one thing to achieve a goal, but it is quite another to have a clear understanding of why you are striving toward that goal. Be it weight loss, better health, or increasing your social output, write down your why and make a clear plan of how you will get there.

• Take action toward your goal. Make sure that you are an active participant in what you are trying to achieve. Don’t just talk about it. For example, save time, money, and mental energy by meal planning to change the way you eat. In the long run, an organized effort will help you stick to your goal.

• Set milestones to make sure you are on track. Whether short-term (4 weeks) or long-term (12 weeks or longer), set multiple points in time where you can track your progress. Use a calendar or your phone (otherwise, you might forget!). 

• Take in new information and become an educated consumer about your own healthcare. Whether general health, nutrition, or fitness — staying educated will feed your desire and keep you motivated.

• Take a buddy. Your significant other, family member or friend can give you just the kind of support you need. Make sure you and your buddy are on the same page as to what the goal is and how to get there.

What causes you stress? Take an inventory and make changes in your life to help limit or completely eliminate that stress. Maybe your work-life balance is out of whack or it might be that you are spread too thin; you have too many commitments. No matter what's causing you anxiety and stress, it's important to remember that there's no shame in taking a mental health day and asking for help. It is okay to not be okay. Please check out our “Checking In” page on the Wellness Maricopa website.

Try gathering up the whole crew to help make dinner at least once per week instead of the frozen standby or a quick drive-thru meal.  I promise your food will be healthier, and you will get some quality time to boot.  A group family effort to prepare a meal can:

• Help family members bond with one another and have fun, and perhaps offer the opportunity to discuss important things without having to sit down and 'have a talk.'

• Teach kids culinary skills they can use to feed themselves and their future families and friends.

• Help kids discover the nutritional properties of foods and how those ingredients help them grow, learn and focus.

• Allow you and your family to explore new flavors, tastes, and recipes.

• Improve health outcome - research indicates that family meals can improve mental and physical health and reduce risky adolescent behaviors such as substance abuse.

• Build confidence in children and adults.

 If you are cooking with your kids, a great way to get them involved is to teach them the math and/or science behind the process of cooking.  If the meal does not come out how you want, then you can order a pizza.  But give the cooking a try first.  Remember that cooking with a group, partner, or kids may take a little longer and require more patience, so plan to do so on those nights when you are not coming home late from work or having to run off to another activity.  Here are some cooking-together tips and family-friendly recipes.