Cleansing/Repairing the Soul

Sometimes, I just need to cleanse myself. I am grateful for the tools that I have amassed to accomplish this "cleanse."

We all face difficulties, unpleasant experiences, traumas and sometimes the only way to lift up your soul, and step away from the deep dark hole that your soul sought refuge in, is to cleanse it.  

It is no secret that my posts harbor a negative side to them, but drizzled with the hopes of possibility and positivity.  I was operating in what I call “survival mode” – until now.

I am more optimistic about the future and as a result, my soul can step out of the cellar it was hiding in that shielded it from the passing tornado.  That cellar was dark, damp, and well, dirty.  My soul needs to be cleansed.

I wish I could say that my recent trauma was the first I’ve experienced in my life.  It wasn’t.  Here are the steps that I usually use to emerge from the darkness.

First step is a nice, long, hot shower.  Well, several nice long, hot showers.    

Second, eliminate the tense muscles and stress.  I usually opt for a massage. But, it could be any stress reliever - exercise, dancing around your living room to great music, anything.

Third, do something for myself, to feed my soul.  I write.  I wrote.  I am writing now about writing.

Fourth, pay mind to the food that I ingest and clean up my diet.  When my soul is in hiding, my mind and intestinal desires wander.  I tend to care less what I eat and whether or not it’s healthy.

Fifth, do something, anything, to make someone else happy.  This one requires some more thought.  But, helping someone else can easily help to repair your own soul. 

Last, when you are faced with difficulty, your mind tends to wander and it settles on the “what ifs” and “why’s.”  For me, the most important step in my healing process is to ground myself in each moment.  Be present.  Live in the now.

Life happens only once.  Don’t spend it in a dark, damp cellar pondering how you can change things.