Daily Spiritual Practices-5 Ways on How Have a Spiritual Awakening
Do you have a daily spiritual practice? Are you searching for signs of a spiritual awakening? Do you feel lost when it comes to how to have a spiritual awakening?
Many people struggle with knowing how to be spiritually awakened. So, you are not alone. However, the difficulty lies within your definition of what it means to be spiritually awakened. Keep reading and we’ll take a look at that.
When most people look for signs of a spiritual awakening, they are expecting God or the Universe to send them this earth-shattering sign that will completely alter their lives.
Now, these are possible and do happen. However, they are rare. So, most people give up or try to accomplish an endless list of spiritual practices when searching for those signs of a spiritual awakening.
Daily Practice for Signs of a Spiritual Awakening
This post is not about the earth-shattering signs of a spiritual awakening. Instead, it is about creating a doable daily spiritual practice.
In order to do that, we need to look at the simplicity in signs of a spiritual awakening that you are missing. Keep reading and I will give you a simple list of spiritual practices that will connect you to your higher power, whatever that may be for you.
For now, let’s focus on ways you are already incorporating a daily spiritual routine. When you do that, it will open you up to go deeper into your spiritual connection. From there, you can add to your list of spiritual practices.
Think about your daily routine from the moment you wake up, until the moment you go to sleep. What does that look like for you?
I’m a morning person, but fully aware that many people are not. So, I won’t hold that against you if you don’t love mornings. I wake up really early, usually between 4:00-5:00. The first thing I do is get some caffeine and go sit outside. It is still dark outside and nature is soft and quiet.
Listening to the crickets and knowing that I have a couple of hours of peace to myself is part of my daily spiritual practice. Feeling at peace is a spiritual experience.
I learned several years ago when I was struggling with how to be spiritually awakened, that I was already there in many ways. Not having an earth-shattering message from the Universe or God, did not mean that I was not awakened spiritually.
Struggles with Consistency in a Spiritual Practice
We are really good at letting our Not Good Enough Stuff, the negative self-talk we do, prevent us from seeing the power we have in our daily spiritual lives. If you want to read more about healing that Not Good Enough Stuff, and what that entails, click here.
When we work on healing the feelings of not being good enough, we create space to learn how to be spiritually awakened. That allows us to start noticing our many signs of a spiritual awakening that we miss on a daily basis.
A spiritual awakening does not have to be one single event in your life. As a psychotherapist, I have seen many people have a major life event that they feel forced them to make changes spiritually or religiously.
Unfortunately, that typically doesn’t last for long. After some time has passed, they go right back to the same behaviors and lifestyle they were previously doing and living, that did not bring peace.
That’s because life happens and that negative self-talk that I call Not Good Enough Stuff, creeps back in when it is not healed. Subconsciously, people begin believing their spiritual awakening is not sustainable.
Then, they feel like a failure and that their major life event was a waste because it didn’t have lasting changes. The reason this happens is that they have failed to sustain a daily spiritual practice or failed to recognize “smaller” signs of a spiritual awakening.
The reason that I know all of this is that I have experienced it myself. I have had the earth-shattering message from the Universe. It also led me to feeling like the changes I was “supposed” to make were not sustainable for the rest of my life.
My Own Spiritual Awakening
Eleven years ago, I was hit by a drunk driver. I had an incredibly serious injury to my neck, on top of many other injuries. I was told I would never walk again.
The two “messages” I got from the Universe were loud and clear. The moment I knew I was about to be hit, I heard “this is it.” When I think about those words now, I think that most people would think that meant I was about to die.
At the time, dying wasn’t even a consideration. Instead, “this is it” meant this is the time for you to choose to make major life changes. I knew in that split second that I needed to choose to actually live, instead of just existing.
The second message came when the ER doctor told me that I was paralyzed from the neck down and that it would be permanent. That message came from my inner child. She said, “No, I’m not” in a very matter of fact way.
As a child, I had to do a lot to prove myself worthy to others. So, I was so thankful for that beautiful little inner child of mine for showing up to prove all of the doctors wrong. If you’re wondering what I mean about my inner-child, click here to learn about your own inner-child.
So, fast-forward through all of my surgeries and years of physical therapy. During that time, I thought I was following my signs of a spiritual awakening.
I had quit my job in pharmaceutical sales that was making me miserable. I went to graduate school to become a therapist. Now, these were wonderful and needed changes, but I was still struggling to have that spiritual connection that I swore I’d never lose after my wreck.
I searched many ways for how to have a spiritual awakening. My thoughts were that I needed another earth-shattering message from the Universe, but also was pleading not to have one as difficult as the first.
My difficulty was due to my missing the more subtle signs of a spiritual awakening. Once I began a daily spiritual routine, I was able to see that I am very connected spiritually.
Subtle Signs of a Spiritual Awakening
Noticing and being more intentional in my life showed me many signs of a spiritual awakening. Doing that showed me that I don’t need another earth-shattering event. In fact, I don’t ever want one of those again!
So, if you are begging God or the Universe to show how to have a spiritual awakening, stop it. Rainbow sparkles will not shoot out of the sky and forever leave you shining. Those earth-shattering messages are absolute hell.
Don’t think that I am not thankful for mine, but I sure wish I could’ve done it without such severe pain and years of recovery. Apparently, that’s what I needed at that time in my life though.
When I started feeling like I was slipping spiritually, I figured out that I had to find that connection on a smaller scale and much more often. That resulted in my creating a daily spiritual routine that is just part of my life now.
I’ll give you a list of spiritual practices that you can begin incorporating into you daily life. You might even be doing some of them already.
If that’s the case, then all you need to do is recognize those as signs of a spiritual awakening. After reading my list of spiritual practices, you can probably come up with a few of your own. The most important thing is to find something that works for you.
List of Spiritual Practices
- Find a 10-15 minute window of time each day to do nothing but breathe and practice gratitude.
- Write yourself one, short love note a day.
- Acknowledge the kindness you show others throughout your day.
- Acknowledge the kindness that others show you throughout your day.
- Choose one positive, motivating word for each day and repeat it throughout your day.
Now, before you tell me that your life is so busy and you can’t find a 10–15-minute window, stop it. You are full of you know what, if you say that.
I promise that the busiest person in the world can find 10-15 minutes of time each day if you commit to it. This daily spiritual practice is just simply a form of self-care.
So, if you think you don’t have time for that, click here to read my post 4 Ways of Creating Time for Self-Care. It’s best to choose a time in which you can be consistent.
If you don’t set a regular time every day, you will forget, or you’ll be “too busy” to make it happen. It can simply be 10-15 minutes when you wake up, go to bed, or on your lunch break.
The important part in this daily spiritual practice is to be intentional with it. Taking time for yourself to breathe and practice gratitude allows you to connect spiritually.
Logistics of a Spiritual Practice
That time can be spent in prayer, meditation, journaling or simply just being aware of your breath and body. There is no wrong way to do it as long as you are aware of this being your time for spiritual connection.
Daily spiritual practice number two might seem a bit cheesy. That does not mean that it doesn’t work. Giving yourself love is without a doubt a spiritual experience.
Your love notes don’t have to be long or take much time. They can simply be, “You rock,” “I love you,” “You’ve got this,” or whatever feels good for you.
As with so many of my “tips” in my other posts, you can’t screw this up. Just buy some sticky notes, write a quick love note and stick it where you’ll see it a few times during your day.
Kindness is a Spiritual Practice
Daily spiritual practice number three is something that EVERYBODY can do as are the others. I guarantee that you show others kindness multiple times a day.
You might smile at a stranger while in line at a store. If you let somebody in front of you in traffic, that is offering kindness. Walking past a co-worker and gently patting them on the back is being kind.
There are endless ways we show kindness throughout our days. Again, the point here is to be intentional and aware that this a spiritual practice. Being kind and showing love to others is the root of all religious and spiritual beliefs.
Practice number four is just as simple as number three. Just reverse it. Pay attention to when others show kindness and love to you. Allowing yourself to receive love from others is a beautiful spiritual practice.
Daily practice number five is also easy. While you are getting ready for your day, think about what you want from your day. It might be peace, love, confidence, rest or whatever else feels right for you.
In order to remember this daily spiritual practice, you can use a dry erase marker on your mirror. Write “Word of the Day,” then every morning you see a reminder and can write in your word.
Intentions and Awareness
Again, so much of a spiritual practice is about being intentional and aware. If you aren’t doing those two things, then you are missing the subtle signs of a spiritual awakening.
Now, if you are thinking none of these show you how to be spiritually awakened, then you are wrong. The more daily spiritual practices you do and the longer you do them, the more will feel that you are spiritually awake.
You will begin to feel more at peace, which is a goal of all religious and spiritual beliefs. Take it from me, you don’t want an earth-shattering spiritual awakening if you can prevent it.
Learning how to incorporate daily spiritual practices into your life can be just as “awakening” as those earth-shattering experiences I keep mentioning. In fact, the daily spiritual practices can actually be more beneficial as they are much more sustainable.
I would love to hear how it goes if you use my list of Spiritual Practices or have your own. We can always learn from others. You might even have one that I’ve never thought of that could be beneficial to me in my continued healing journey. So, leave your thoughts or questions in the comments below.
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DISCLAIMER:
This site is only intended for people who are truly willing to look at themselves with an open mind and have the ability to truly be vulnerable with themselves and others. Please understand that this site is in NO WAY THERAPEUTIC ADVICE. However, this site can be very beneficial in learning the causes of your Not Good Enough Stuff. This site is not intended to provide or replace medical or psychiatric treatment. Mary Beth HIGHLY RECOMMENDS finding a licensed therapist to help you process the information from this site and all that you learn about yourself. Visit Psychology Today to find a licensed therapist in your area.
