8 Ways to Maintain Your Spirituality in Times of Stress
Being spiritual around the clock isn’t easy.
In between time commitments, children, making dinner and hustling in and out of the house, it can be easy to lose your spiritually cultivated mindset at the exact moment when you need it most. Not to mention the stress from whatever’s going on in the world. Stress can cause anyone to lose their balance – spiritually, emotionally and mentally. But you don’t have to.
Here are eight tips to keep you centered even during the most stressful times.
- Ground out with nature
Take your shoes off in some grass, walk outside and stare into a patch of forest for a few minutes. Even better, take some time to yourself and go on a 10-day nature retreat. Any amount of connection to nature – large or small – can provide you with a much-needed check into what is really important.
Just five minutes under a tree with your phone turned off can work like a miracle. And often, this is all it takes to bring you back into the moment.
- Get a higher perspective
One of the best things you can do in a time of stress is to give yourself the opportunity to see the bigger picture. To do this, find the highest natural point nearest you and go there. Stand over the vista and look out on the landscape before you — and just breathe. See, you feel better already.
- Connect with your higher self
Each and every one of us has a physical body that houses our soul. It is within your soul where there is a wellspring of higher, inner wisdom. You can tap into this wellspring of wisdom for guidance at any time.
The easiest way to access your soul’s highest wisdom is to separate yourself from modern society —temporarily. Get some alone time. Meditate. Go for a hike. Be you with just you and ask yourself the important questions.
- Quality time with animals
Animals always seem to know what is important. They are never stressing over deadlines, conflicting schedules or wondering what some dog three houses down thinks of them. To reconnect with what is truly important, head to the pet store, a local zoo, hang out with your own pets or go out into nature. Birds, squirrels and small animals often abound, and simply by observing them you can reunite with some of the most basic, yet essential, truths.
- Unplug it all for an hour
Stressful situations often don’t originate from within. Their origins are usually found on all the external pressures that are placed upon us. Disconnect the cause of the stress. Turn off the computer, shut down your phone and unplug the television for at least one hour before you go to bed. In doing so, you’ll calm your nerves, disconnect from other people’s stress and have an easier time falling asleep. Doing this will make it easier for you to face the next day with a present state of mind.
- Grab a book
Books can be incredibly relaxing and grounding, especially books of a spiritual nature. To reconnect with your spiritual nature in times of stress, re-read through the spiritual virtues you follow and refresh yourself. Simply revisiting what you value most can have a profound effect on your ability to cultivate resilience through the storm.
Rumi, Khalil Gibran, and Rainer Maria Rilke are excellent go-to authors for revisiting and reconnecting with your own ancient and timeless spiritual wisdom.
- Walk it out
There is nothing like going for a long walk, run or bike ride to soothe your soul. Moving your body can help you mentally move and process the emotions and thoughts you have that are ready to be released.
As you move, you’ll naturally give movement to your mind for welcoming new concepts, ideas and ways of being. Creating a space of active movement will cultivate new thoughts that will both empower and motivate you through stressful times.
- Lie Down
And finally, there is nothing better you can do in a time of stress than to simply relax. Give yourself a five minute time out and find a place to lie completely on your back. Whether it is on a bed, on the ground outside or on your living room floor, lie down. Stretch, look up at the ceiling and breathe. You’re alive. Everything is going to be OK.
About the Author
Soul Contracts: Do We Plan Our Lives Before Birth?
Have you ever felt that the most important events in your life are guided by a higher purpose? The theory of soul contracts suggests that, before birth, our souls design the experiences and lessons we will live for our spiritual growth. This article explores how soul contracts are created, their characteristics, and whether it’s possible to know what we planned before being born.
Table of Contents
- The Concept of Prenatal Planning
- 7 Aspects of Our Lives That We Plan Before Birth
- How Soul Contracts Are Created
- The Role of Spiritual Guides
- Methods to Discover Our Soul Contracts
- Can We Modify a Soul Contract?
- Why Would We Change Our Soul Contract?
- What Happens If We Don’t Fulfill Our Soul Contract?
- The Best Books on Prenatal Planning
The Concept of Prenatal Planning
Prenatal planning is the idea that, before birth, souls choose the circumstances and lessons they wish to experience in their next life. This process takes place in a higher state of consciousness, where they have a clear vision of their spiritual purposes and goals. Souls select specific challenges, important relationships, and crucial experiences that will contribute to their spiritual evolution.
This theory suggests that nothing in our lives is random. Painful experiences and moments of happiness are all part of a greater plan that we have agreed to live to learn and grow. This concept can offer a sense of purpose and meaning, especially during difficult times, as it implies that there is a reason behind our trials and challenges.
In the series The Arc of Time, available on Gaia, there is an episode that delves deeply into the subject of prenatal planning and soul contracts. This series offers a detailed view of how our souls prepare these agreements before birth and how they influence our lives.
7 Aspects of Our Lives That We Plan Before Birth
Our soul contracts are carefully crafted to guide us on a path of growth and learning. Every experience, relationship, and challenge we encounter has a specific purpose, helping us evolve and connect more deeply with our inner self.
These unique characteristics of soul contracts are reflected in several key aspects of our lives:
- Life lessons: We plan important lessons that we need to learn, such as patience, compassion, or forgiveness. These lessons help us grow and better understand our interactions with others.
- Significant relationships: We choose relationships with family, friends, and partners that will be crucial in our lives. Through these connections, we experience love, support, and opportunities for personal growth.
- Personal challenges: We select certain obstacles and difficulties that will strengthen us and develop our skills. These challenges push us beyond our limits and help us discover our true strength.
- Gifts and talents: We decide to bring innate abilities into this life to fulfill our purpose and help others. By recognizing and developing these gifts, we contribute to the well-being of the community and our own personal fulfillment.
- Time and place of birth: We choose the environment and historical period that will provide the necessary conditions for our lessons. This context influences our opportunities and challenges, shaping our life experience.
- Career path: We select professional paths that allow us to express our gifts and talents and learn through work. Our careers can serve as vehicles for personal fulfillment and service to others.
- Significant events: We plan key events that will serve as major turning points in our lives. These events offer opportunities for growth, realignment with our purpose, and reflection on our goals and values.
How Soul Contracts Are Created
Soul contracts are created in a higher state of consciousness, where our soul works in collaboration with spiritual guides and other beings of light to plan our lives. This process includes a detailed review of our past lives and an evaluation of the lessons we still need to learn for our spiritual evolution.
During this planning, our soul is never alone. We coordinate our experiences with other souls that also play important roles in our lives, and we, in turn, play roles in their lives. This collaboration ensures that each lesson and challenge aligns with our spiritual growth and that of the other souls involved.
The choice of experiences is not based on unnecessary suffering but on the potential for growth that each situation offers. We consciously select both challenges and joys to achieve a deeper understanding and spiritual balance. This meticulous planning prepares us for a life filled with meaningful learning and opportunities to evolve.
The Role of Spiritual Guides
Spiritual guides are essential in the creation and fulfillment of our soul contracts. They help us identify the lessons and experiences necessary for our growth. During prenatal planning, they provide advice and guidance, ensuring that our choices align with our spiritual purpose.
Throughout our lives, spiritual guides continue to support us. They offer guidance, protection, and comfort, especially during difficult moments. Through signs and synchronicities, they remind us of our purpose and the agreements we made before birth, helping us stay on the right path and better understand our life experiences.
Methods to Discover Our Soul Contracts
It’s not necessary to know every detail of our soul plan to live a fulfilling life, but exploring these contracts can offer us a greater understanding and connection with our purpose. Various spiritual techniques and practices help us uncover the agreements we made before birth, facilitating a deeper connection with our higher self and spiritual guides.
- Akashic Records: The Akashic Records gather information about the experiences, lessons, and agreements of the soul throughout its various incarnations.
- Meditation: Deep and regular meditation helps us connect with our higher self and spiritual guides. Through this practice, we can receive messages and guidance about our life purpose and prenatal agreements.
- Channeling: A medium or channeler can communicate with our spiritual guides and convey specific information about our soul contracts and the path we’ve chosen.
- Numerology: Numerology studies the numbers associated with our lives, such as our birthdate and full name. These numbers can offer clues about the life lessons and soul contracts we chose.
- Lucid Dreams: Lucid dreaming allows us to consciously explore the dream world. During these dreams, we can access information about our soul contracts and receive direct guidance from our spiritual guides.
Can We Modify a Soul Contract?
It is possible to modify a soul contract, although this is not very common and usually requires exceptional circumstances. Our soul contracts are flexible to some extent, and spiritual guides can intervene to adjust the path if the planned experiences become too overwhelming or are no longer contributing to our spiritual growth as expected. This intervention is always based on our well-being and continuous evolution.
Modifying a soul contract generally involves active collaboration with our spiritual guides, although this collaboration isn’t always conscious and may occur in other states of awareness, such as dreams.
Why Would We Change Our Soul Contract?
We may feel the need to change our soul contract for various reasons, such as facing unexpected challenges that are too difficult to manage or realizing that we’re ready to learn a different lesson that will help us advance more quickly on our spiritual journey.
It’s important to understand that any change in the soul contract is made with the purpose of facilitating our learning and evolution. The challenges and lessons we face in life are essential for our spiritual growth, and adjustments to the contract ensure that these experiences remain beneficial and manageable.
What Happens If We Don’t Fulfill Our Soul Contract?
If we don’t fulfill our soul contract, we may experience a sense of misalignment and lack of purpose in our life. This feeling of disconnection can manifest as dissatisfaction, depression, or a persistent sense that something is missing. Soul contracts are designed to guide us toward our highest good and spiritual growth, so ignoring them can lead to a less fulfilling life.
When we don’t fulfill our soul contracts, our spiritual guides and the universe often send us signs and opportunities to redirect us toward our path. These signs may include synchronicities, unexpected challenges, or encounters with people who remind us of our mission. Ignoring these signs can result in the lessons becoming more difficult or frequent until we pay attention and realign our life with our spiritual purpose.
In extreme cases, failing to fulfill a soul contract may require us to repeat the experience in another life. Unlearned lessons in one life will carry over to the next, as spiritual evolution is a continuous process. However, it’s important to remember that we always have the support of our spiritual guides to help us fulfill our purpose and make adjustments when necessary.
The Best Books on Prenatal Planning
For those interested in delving deeper into prenatal planning, several books offer valuable information and different perspectives. These texts can provide greater insight into how souls plan their lives and how we can connect with our spiritual purpose.
- Your Soul’s Plan by Robert Schwartz: This book explores how we plan our life experiences before birth, including challenges and tragedies. It features real stories and interviews with people who have discovered their soul contracts.
- On Life After Death by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: A classic that addresses life after death and prenatal planning, based on research and testimonies of near-death experiences.
- Journey of Souls by Michael Newton: Based on the author’s research through hypnotherapy, this book reveals details about the soul’s planning process between incarnations.
- Between Death and Life by Dolores Cannon: Using regression techniques, Dolores Cannon explores the soul’s memories before birth, offering a detailed view of the prenatal planning process.
- Destiny of Souls by Michael Newton: A follow-up to Journey of Souls, this book delves deeper into the experiences and decisions souls make before birth, based on hypnosis sessions with his patients.
