Align your spirit and find the joy that you deserve

AJ on roller skates

We all have “spirit” regardless of our belief system. Spirit can be akin to a soul, a connection to something beyond, and it can be thought of as your energy level. Some things make us feel alive and full of energy, while others have a depleting effect on your well-being and drain your energy. To align your spirit is simply to do more of what brings you to life and less of what drains you. It’s like being present in the body to feel your way into alignment, except with your energy. It sounds easy enough, but the things we tell ourselves about what we should be doing or what we must do are often not true. We also trick ourselves into thinking that we can control things that we cannot and waste our energy trying to achieve the impossible. We are each only in control of one thing, ourselves and even that has its limits (I didn’t get to pick my body, did you?), so focusing on trying to change the behavior of others can be a waste of time and energy.

A key lesson for me when aligning my spirit was to surrender the need to control things that are out of my control, so basically everything lol! Surrendering to things outside of ourselves as uncontrollable frees up energy we can use to focus on our own growth. I don’t know about you, but I have a finite amount of energy each day and I must spend it wisely. Essentially, we only have control over our own choices. And there’s always a choice no matter how terrible or small it may be, and spending energy where you have no control will only lead to spinning your wheels. Every. Single. Time. Once you aren’t occupied by all those uncontrollable distractions, you can tune into what makes your spirit swell and have more time and energy to dedicate to those efforts.

Everyone is different and what aligns with your spirit will be different from what aligns mine, although many of us share joy in some of the same activities. Nothing brings me joy like the feeling of roller skating, I LOVE rolling. I also love less active endeavors like spending time in forests, watching a good movie, snuggling with my sweetheart. There are so many ways in which people create that feed our spirits; painting, crafting, knitting, sewing, designing, constructing, singing, dancing, music, movies, reading. And we don’t have to be the creator of such arts to enjoy those expressions of mind, body, and spirit. All these actions described require use of the body, but the purpose of the actions are for the spirit, not the body. It is possible to achieve a two-fer with a single activity aligning both your body and spirit, like roller skating for me. However, this is not necessary. It can be a helpful way to consider your choices if you are short on time (who isn’t?) or just want more bang for your buck. Knowing what fills your energy is important information and figuring out how to make time for such efforts to keep your cup full is equally important.

It is also essential to notice how you spend your energy. You don’t need to literally record anything (of course you totally can if that fills your cup!) but do spend time noticing when things take your energy. People-ing, in general, will drain me. Knowing this helps me avoid scheduling too many “people” activities in a single day or week. I also know I will need time in between to recharge. I know I need time before and after traveling to reset. I used to fill my days to the brim and wonder why I would be home at the end of the day overstimulated and in tears. I can’t change what fills me or what drains me, but I could change what I was saying yes and no to and that has made all the difference. I know we feel like we MUST do this and that, but do we really? I mean, really? Are there specific people or places that you are better off avoiding? If there is a certain coworker you are stuck being around, are there ways to minimize their effect on your energy? There are tiny choices hidden everywhere, sometimes we just have to be creative in our solutions.

In summary:

1.    Save your energy for what you have control over, your choices

2.    Choose to do more of the things that fill your cup and give you energy

3.    Choose to do less of the things that only drain your energy

AJ and Puddin at their favorite waterfall