If you've been going through a rough patch in your life, or if you've been feeling purposeless and aimless, then it might be time to take a step back and change things up. You may even want to consider connecting with your spiritual side – by going on a spiritual journey.
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But don't be mistaken; a spiritual journey does not need to be related to religion (although some may find religion. As a matter of fact, a spiritual journey is about looking past the physical world and gaining a deeper insight into yourself and your life.
Everyone has a different purpose behind their spiritual journey, but the ultimate goal is to become at peace with yourself and the world; to let go of the past and look into the future. It will also help you become at peace with yourself and with the challenges you face in your life.
So, if you're interested in embarking on your spiritual journey for a happier life, consider following these 7 tips.
7 Tips For Starting Your Spiritual Journey
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Remember, everyone undertakes their own unique spiritual journey, and therefore there are no hard and fast rules as to how your spiritual journey should look like. However, if you're feeling overwhelmed and unsure about where to start, we have some guiding tips that will make the process easier.
1. Identify a purpose
As mentioned earlier, everyone embarks on a spiritual journey for different reasons. So, before you begin, you have to establish why you've decided to embark on this journey, and what you want to get out of it.
Here are some examples that you can take inspiration from:
- You want to find more ways to improve yourself
- You want to find some answers to life and its happenings
- You've been through a difficult time, and now you want to have a thorough reset
- You want to get to know yourself and your goals better
When you know what you're working towards, it'll much easier for you to plan out your spiritual journey map and stick to your goals.
2. Make a spiritual roadmap
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When you go on a road trip or a hike, you need to plan out your destinations and your schedule. The same goes for your spiritual journey! Once you've figured out the purpose behind your spiritual journey, you'll need to think about how you'll reach your goal.
For example, do you intend to join a yoga class? Or take a vacation from work and travel? Or maybe you're planning to spend more time in nature and pick up gardening. Whatever it is, it's important to make some general plans on what you would like to do or focus on.
3. Start small
Starting a spiritual journey can be a new and overwhelming process for many of us, which is why it's important to start small. If you start out with vague and ambitious goals like "start a garden" or "do yoga everyday after work", it can be difficult to stick to your plans and you may end up giving up.
Instead, take things small and slow. Give yourself small and realistic goals to begin with. Instead of starting with "start a garden", you could say, "start with a succulent". Instead of "do yoga everyday after work", say "do yoga thrice a week for 10 mins before bed".
Remember, this is your journey and yours only. There's no need to rush yourself and give yourself a deadline. Go with the flow!
4. Find or create a safe space for reflection
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Being able to find a quiet place to relax your body, mind and soul and reflect on the day is a key part of every spiritual journey. This should be, mostly importantly, a place that you feel the most safe in. You might even want to create a place of your own — making a blanket fort in your room, or finding a private spot on the nearby beach, for example.
No matter where it is, this should be a sacred and private place where you can safely and comfortably meditate and reflect. You may even want to consider adding essential oils, scented candles, blankets and pillows to make the place as comfy as possible.
5. Meditate
Now that you've found your sacred reflective space, it's time to pick up meditation. It's not an easy skill to pick up, but it's extremely beneficial for both your mental wellbeing and your spirituality! Meditation allows you to get in touch with your inner self and your emotions. That is why meditation is almost always a key part of spiritual journeys, regardless of the goal.
If you're new to meditation, there are tons of resources available on the Internet for your choosing. There are numerous YouTube videos and meditation apps like Calm or Headspace that can guide beginners through meditation.
6. Be open to new experiences
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And perhaps the most important tip of all is to keep an open mind! As you embark upon your spiritual journey, you may encounter activities that you've never tried before. It's important to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and try new things.
For example, if you've been skeptical about meditation and yoga, there's no better time to shelve those judgments away and just give it a shot. Or, if you've always been a homebody, it's time to shake the dust off those walking shoes and step out for a walk in the nearby park.
It's time to suspend your disbelief and approach everything new with childlike wonder and openness.
7. Pick up journaling
If you aren't already in the habit of journaling, you should consider picking up journaling throughout your spiritual journey.
Journaling is a great way to reflect on your life experiences and rediscover yourself. There are many deep prompts and questions online that you can answer in your journal, and you'll be surprised at how insightful your answers can be! Journaling can play a huge part in your spiritual journey and in learning more about yourself.
Plus, it's easy to pick up. All you have to do is download a digital journaling app like Journey and get started! On Journey, creating and writing journal entries is as easy as pie, and you can even upload pictures, videos and audio to supplement your writing.
Journey also comes with Journey Coach, where you'll have access to numerous Coach programs of various topics, from practicing gratitude to self-discovery, and even relationships! When you enroll for a program, you will be sent daily prompts to your Journey timeline under the Stories feature, where you can input your answers to these prompts. These programs and prompts can also help you on your spiritual journey!
Furthermore, journaling is also a great way to track the progress you've made in your spiritual journey. All you have to do is journal every day — preferably at night — and reflect on the day that has passed.
This way, you can always look back on these entries and take a look at how far you've come. Journey has a Throwback feature, which allows you to look back on your past entries and look at the course of your spiritual journey.
We hope that this article has been able to give you a better idea of what a spiritual journey is, and how you can embark on your own. We wish you the very best on your spiritual journey!