What does it mean to strengthen your sense of self? This is an open-ended question with many possibilities. Here are a few thoughts. When I spend time discovering and developing what I believe, what I value, and the principles I want to live by, I am nurturing my inner self and also gaining greater awareness of it. I come to better know what I think and feel and what I cherish and hope for. There are many activities that can help us do this, including reading and journaling/ writing to explore our ideas, creating and engaging art and music, clubs, online communities, discussion groups, and connecting with family. Meditation and prayer, religious community and volunteer work and our studies can also support this. Discovering what you feel and believe, and what you are open and closed to can be healing and thrilling.聽 It can also feel overwhelming and lonely at moments.
The challenges and benefits of developing a more solid inner self are among reasons conversations about life's big questions like those we create space and community for at MORSL matter. As we explore and ponder pertinent questions and practice expressing ourselves and listening, this helps us gradually develop a more fully articulated and adaptable inner self. The progress we make may not be obvious, and being in the spiritual growth zone can be uncomfortable, but we can trust that as we tend to our spiritual selves and to spiritual community, every effort makes a difference.
Having a stronger inner self means greater resilience. For example, it's normal to feel anxiety in our extended families and friendships. We think聽Does this person really accept me? Are they okay with my decisions and beliefs?聽But when we honestly and respectfully share our beliefs and values as opportunities to do so come up rather than pretending to agree with others or avoiding sharing about ourselves, this often calms tensions. Others may not completely understand our personalized beliefs, but showing up having intentionally developed a clearer knowledge of our own thinking and convictions can help create peace and stability in our relationships as well as our own minds and hearts.
Inspired by聽Everything Isn't Terrible聽by Kathleen Smith
