Spirituality, like any other practice or belief, can look different for anyone, which is part of the reason why it can be a bit overwhelming to start implementing spiritual practices into your life. However, by narrowing down what your main convictions are, what you’d like to see progress in your life, and overall (and most importantly) what feels right to you, implementing spirituality into your life can be an incredibly rewarding and peaceful experience. Below are 10 ways to start incorporating spirituality into your daily life.
1. Gratitude journal
One of the easiest ways to implement spirituality into your life is by having a gratitude journal. Though not explicitly spiritual and more an act of thanks, writing down the things that you are grateful for is a great exercise to do that will elevate your mindset and make you appreciate the little things in life. I personally like to physically write down the things that I am grateful for in my own journal during my morning routine to set the mood for the rest of the day. There are a lot of directions you can go when writing about the things that you are grateful for, but overall, it should come naturally to you! Whenever I write, I typically write about the things that I am grateful for in the moment, such as a good meal that I had recently, the opportunity to learn what I love, or something similar. If you have trouble finding things to write about, you can follow a prompt that can get you started. Spiritually, when you open yourself to expressing gratefulness for the things in your life, you are allowing more good to come to you as well. Because the little things don’t go unnoticed by you, more great things will come to you and elevate your life, and circularly, it will make you be more grateful for those things as well!
2. Setting daily intentions / nightly reflections
Similar to a gratitude journal, setting daily intentions and reflecting nightly through writing can be extremely beneficial for one’s mental and spiritual health. In the mornings I like to take time to write four emotions and attitudes I want to put into the world, four feelings and experiences that I want to receive, and four goals for myself. Although these journal entries aren’t inherently spiritual, setting an intention helps set your personal energy for the day, it also helps you to energetically attract the kind of day that you want. At night time I have a similar ritual where I list four experiences I had for that day, four emotions/feelings that the day brought up, four moments of gratitude, and four things that I wish to release (whether that be bad habits, negative energy or embarrassing moments that occurred throughout the day. This journaling practice of setting intentions and reflecting nightly aids my spiritual and mental health– with the form of lists that can make the task of journaling less daunting.
3. Smells and Scents
One of my personal favorite spirituality hacks is using my personal favorite smells and scents to elevate my day and steer me down a direction that I want to follow. For example, having an oil diffuser or lighting incense in your room can produce a very calming environment for you in which you are able to feel the most comfortable, which will allow you to protect your energy and overall let you feel yourself! Specific scents are also known to produce certain effects as well, which can greatly contribute to your day-to-day life and help you feel more spiritually grounded. For example, lavender can be used for calming the senses, jasmine can lower stress, and peppermint can invigorate you and make you more alert and focused. Furthermore, there are also spiritual properties for specific herbs and scents, which allow for a great variety of almost anything that you could think of. Overall, slowly incorporating smells and scents into your life can not only be great for your sense of smell but can also spiritually help and guide you.
4. Cleaning rituals
One of the most efficient and low-maintenance ways to practice spirituality is through cleaning. Cleaning may seem mundane, however, by simply setting an intention for your cleaning session, you are able to cultivate your own ritual. Personally, I like to pick one day a week where I deep clean my kitchen. During this time, I set the intention to create a clean and nourishing space that inspires me to fuel my body and start my days off right. Even if you do not have a specific intention while cleaning, the task itself is inherently meditative– allowing your mind to be calm as you complete a habitual task. To level up your spiritual cleaning, I recommend making your own cleaning supplies that are free from harsh chemicals. My go-to recipe is equal parts white vinegar and hot water. You can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oil into the mix; my favorites are eucalyptus and lavender.
5. Self-Care and Owning your Body
Stepping into my spirituality has been one of the biggest factors in how I’ve grown to love myself and my body. I found that when I detach my body from its physical beauty (i.e., if it’s too big, too small, too this, too that) and instead focus on my body as a vessel for allowing myself to use my sensors, nurture myself, and give/receive love, my love for myself and my body skyrocketed. When you begin to focus on yourself as a medium to connect to the natural and spiritual world, you will find yourself immensely grateful for the things you’ve probably taken for granted, such as smelling nice scents, eating savory food, and overall feeling good! In this sense, self-care of your physical body is essentially that – caring for yourself. Taking a relaxing bath, meditation, or even taking your time to do your skincare and nighttime routine will make you more appreciative of your body and foster a greater mind/body connection, greatly improving your spiritual life. By taking care of yourself this way, you’ll become more attuned with what you like, dislike, and over sensations, and what is needed to properly take care of yourself and make you feel better!
6. Listing down your goals
Writing down the goals you would like to achieve is an overall great habit to have, but it is especially beneficial to your spirituality. When it comes to goals, there is no guideline you need to follow, as long as the items on your list are things you’d like to achieve. For example, having a professional or academic list of the goals you’d like to achieve is great for visualizing and stepping into the version of yourself that you’d like to become in that aspect. Furthermore, the same can be said for your personal growth goals – you can write down healthy food habits, self-care, or habit-forming goals that you’d like to achieve. Slowly and surely (or perhaps even quicker), you’ll find that many of the goals that you’ve listed will come to fruition. It’s also best to keep a physical list of your goals written down somewhere because the physicality of having a list makes it easier to visualize yourself completing your goals over having them floating around in your mind. Overall, listing down your goals, whether they’re professional or personal, is a great way of stepping into the energy you desire and actually accomplishing the goals you have set out for yourself.
7. Creating an abundant mindset
One of the most impactful things you can do in your life is to create an abundant mindset. This concept may be tricky to grasp, but it will change your life. The book Creating Money, helped me discover new ways to incorporate thoughts of abundance into my daily life. The premise of the book is to attract wealth and abundance through your consciousness. This idea stems from the law of attraction; which is the universal law that the energy that one projects into the world is the energy that they will receive. One of the ways that I am able to achieve this is through acting and feeling as if I have already obtained my goal in mind. For example, think about a time in your life when you felt truly abundant; this could either be after achieving a goal, receiving a large paycheck, etc. If you can cultivate that energy you once felt and think of it as you are manifesting your new goal, this will bring your energetic wavelength closer to the goal. The idea is to feel as if you already have achieved what you want. The book Creating Money is extremely powerful but can be overwhelming. One way that I like to use the book is by flipping to a random page, reading that page, and taking it as a message. Most pages also have abundance-related affirmations that I like to read out loud to myself or write down. Examples of these affirmations are “I allow myself to have more than I ever dreamed possible,” or “Everything I do brings me aliveness and growth.” Although this book is an amazing tool, there are other ways that you can incorporate an abundant mindset into your life. One thing I like to do is imagine that every dollar I spend comes back to me tenfold. Or I simply donate my money from time to time with the belief that money is energy and all energy that you put into the world, comes back to you.
8. Vision Boarding
Vision boarding is one of my personal spiritual favorites because it is so fun and pleasing to do! Vision boarding is when you create a collage (mood board) of images and texts that you want to implement into your life in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, you can get as creative and high reaching as you want! The easiest way to get started is using a Pinterest account to make a board of images (either already uploaded or of your own) that you would want your life to mirror. For example, if you would like to be working on a film set or rubbing elbows with certain celebrities, you can add images of film stock, production sets, and images of said celebrities to your board. Being exact isn’t necessary, since it is the meaning that you associate with your chosen images that is what’s important. As a form of manifesting, I find vision boards to be extremely helpful because they are a passive way of manifesting your desired life – after creating a board, I usually find myself forgetting the images that I put together in the first place. Since your mind is not worried about the outcomes of the board, I find that manifesting comes much easier! Vision boards are also a great thing to look back upon in your spiritual journey, as you can revisit them throughout the months or years and be amazed at the things that came into fruition!
9. Oracle Cards
Practicing tarot cards can be overwhelming and time-consuming for those just entering their spiritual journey. For those interested in getting started, reference the article, A Beginners Guide to Tarot. For a more laid-back spiritual practice, I recommend investing in an oracle deck. Oracle decks come in many forms– no one is the same. However, they all typically have around 30-90 cards that display beautiful artwork and spiritual messages, typically written in an accompanying booklet. Oracle cards are one of my favorite ways to practice spirituality because you can simply shuffle your deck, pull however many cards that you desire, and read the attached meanings. To take your oracle reading to the next level you can reflect and journal on the meanings of the cards and how they relate to you. Some of my favorites are The Light Worker deck and the Spellcasting oracle deck.
10. Energetic protections
We often think about protecting our physical bodies on a day-to-day basis; we wear helmets when biking, seat belts while driving, and lock our doors at night. Although energies cannot be seen, every person has energy, and that energy can be transferred from person to person. Energy can be transferred through conversation, touch, and can even be transferred willingly. Some people are more energetically sensitive than others, becoming easy targets for energy vampires. There are many things one can do to protect their energy, however, my favorites include using crystals, smoke cleansing, and using the power of my own mind. Crystals like obsidian, black tourmaline, and carnelian are all great protective crystals for beginners– although there are many options. You can keep crystals in your car, bag, or even pockets! I personally like to sport them as jewelry, particularly in necklaces and rings. I recommend visiting your local metaphysical shop or upcoming art show to purchase crystal jewelry. Although I typically don’t use smoke to cleanse myself daily, it can be an excellent way to rid your body and energy field of negative and lingering energies from your day. I use incense to cleanse myself and my crystals. Do not use medicine or plants that are sacred to indigenous people. Common things used for smoke cleansing are sage and palo santo and are often sold in metaphysical shops and other stores. Avoid purchasing and using these items if you are not indigenous. Other plant alternatives are eucalyptus, lavender, and rose. Lastly, your mind is your biggest superpower. Oftentimes when I am in an energetically chaotic or even dangerous situation I like to envision my body surrounded by white protective light.
Whether you can’t wait to start implementing spirituality into your life or nervous about the next steps, this list is a good start to seeing what works for your schedule, your vibe, and most importantly, your wellness. These tips are overall meant to be relaxing and incrementally help you, while also being fun and exciting! We hope these practices are helpful to launching your spiritual journey, and we hope that you customize your own spiritual routine as time goes on.