Photo taken at Roihuvuori Cherry Tree Park, Finland
Yin and Yang
If there’s anything I’ve struggled with most of my life, it’s my natural predisposition towards either side of a spectrum. For some reason, I felt this definitive drive to choose intensity to a fault, avoiding the dreary middle that I ignorantly judged as boring and indecisive.
It wasn’t until I started to habitually apply the golden mean that I understood the importance of prioritizing a sense of balance in all things. As the timeless adage goes, too much of anything isn’t good for you, and it took me multiple mishaps of my own to become cognizant of my mistakes.
This is when I started to appreciate the value that both being and becoming bring to your lifestyle; the yin and yang principle that I’m still working toward in my pursuit of respecting both meaning and purpose. Sometimes, resilience is helpful; other times, slowing things down to a silent pause is what you might actually need most.
Either way, only you can really know what it is that your body requires of you at any given time in your life. It’s no secret that this whole experience is full of contradictions; sometimes the tools that helped you get where you are today become counterintuitive to the next part of your journey.
Thankfully, as long as we remember to tune into the moment we’re in, we can get better at figuring out the unnecessary choices that are no longer serving us in a healthy way. That said, here are four ways I’ve put together for re-centering your needs for better well-being.
1. Intimacy
One of the fastest ways we can lose our sense of groundedness is when we get disconnected from our physicality, unknowingly ignoring the obvious tinges of tension that show up in different areas. Holistically, the body functions like a sponge, constantly absorbing all sorts of impressions and energy throughout the day.
This is why it’s important to regularly put in the time to wring out what needs to be released from our system; the tension and stress we may not realize is building up moment by moment. By maintaining a weekly practice of physical self-intimacy through yoga, meditation, breathwork, and more, you can strengthen the mind-body connection and get more in sync with your needs through greater sensory awareness.
2. Intention
It goes without saying that knowing our purpose, what we stand for, and the kind of person we want to be changes the frequency at which we operate like night and day. Of course, we can expect to stumble and get confused every once in a while, but having a clear understanding of your goals, values, and aspirations will always guide you in more ways than one.
This helps you become more cognizant of the opportunities available to you, along with the habits that have the best impact on all areas of your life, including your well-being. Ultimately, practicing intention enables you to bridge your thoughts and actions, providing the underlying “why” beneath the character skills you’re building.
3. Intellect
Another way to re-center ourselves is through stimulating our cognitive abilities. We can practice intellectual wellness by consistently engaging in activities that involve continuous learning, big-picture thinking, problem-solving, and curiosity.
From puzzles to games to books and more, these activities support neuroplasticity, allowing us to rise above cognitive decline with enhanced memory and concentration. On the flip side, it’s just as critical to protect your brain health by actively noticing if you’ve been bombarding your mind with so much clutter and setting mental boundaries for cognitive rest and recovery.
4. Intuition
If there’s any part of ourselves that we should never underestimate, it would be our intuition. Personally, I think this approach to checking in on our overall health is essential to everyday living, which has a transformative effect on our level of consciousness.
We can strengthen our intuitive skills by embracing more downtime for other activities like daydreaming, journaling, creativity, and enjoying nature. In doing so, we are actively working to reverse an outcome that Albert Einstein once highlighted:
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
Falling Flat
While it’s not exactly an ideal experience, the reality is that it’s the times we fumble the hardest that give us greater insight into how we could do better next time. We learn the most when we find out what we’re doing wrong in the first place.
It’s not always a pretty sight to witness anybody fall flat on their face due to a lack of oversight for how poorly they’re taking care of themselves. Regardless, we can remember that every single one of us could be that troubled person on any given day, and hopefully enough to respond with compassion and grace.
