4 Key Cornerstones Of Wellness

So you want to take care of your mind and spirit without sitting cross legged and chanting mantras in a public space; or you spend a lot of time at home and want to create the perfect environment to promote positive energy?

Well, there is good news – caring for your mind and spirit at home is easy if you are willing to commit a little time.

Using the four key cornerstones, detailed in this article, you can look after your mind and spirit at home, without the potential for getting arrested or the embarrassment of looking like that crazy person who sits on the bus humming!

• Four key cornerstones essential for a balanced mind and joyful spirit.
• Understanding where you are in life and what you want in order to make a change.
• How to implement the four key cornerstones into your life.
• A plethora of tips and ideas on how to use your time at home as a catalyst for a well nurtured mind and soulful spirit.
• Resources galore – links to a variety of other articles and information that will help you on your mission to total mental and spiritual wellness.

If you want to enhance the joy in your life, feel relaxed, experience new opportunities, increase your esteem and feel a greater sense of mental and spiritual wellness, all you need to do is to start practicing the following four virtues right now:

1. Joy
2. Time Out
3. Self Care
4. Growth

Your mind and spirit, just like your home, sometimes needs a spring clean. There comes a time where you just have to take stock of your life and gauge what (if anything) requires change.

• What needs an upgrade?
• What needs refreshing?
• What do you need to let go of?
• What do you want to do?

As you start to address these questions, you will become aware of imbalances in your Wheel of Wellbeing, prompting you to seek out a resolution.

But don’t just think about it… Take action!  When you make a physical change, the energy your body generates will impact upon your mind and spirit.

This is why many mentors advise you to clean out a drawer or cupboard if you want to clear your head, or change your posture if your want to increase your energy or confidence. There’s method in their madness.

Everything that you do, every day, should fall into one of the four cornerstones (“virtues”). Taking stock of your life will help to determine what does, what doesn’t and what’s missing.

If you find that you are missing out on one (or more) of the virtues, you should either change your habits to incorporate it (or them) or change your mindset…

For example; if you can’t find one of the four virtues in a mundane but necessary task, ask yourself, ‘have you tried?’  Can you turn a mundane chore at home into one that you can enjoy or grow from? Use your imagination and have fun – you can be as creative as you like!

Adding some music or a sing-along to mundane tasks seems to be a favourite of the @MHV team!

If it’s good enough for Alice it’s good enough for us…

Here are a few more ideas for working with the virtues:

• Notice which virtues are absent from your daily life and work to incorporate a healthy dose of the missing virtues every day.

• Focus on balance – an unbalanced dose of these virtues will cause an unbalanced mind and spirit. There might be something you are avoiding that you need to address to accomplish equilibrium.

• Keep a journal to track your progress and to help you develop a mindful attitude around these topics.

• Some tasks will overlap into more than one virtue; for example, hobbies can often be joyful and lead to growth.

• Involve your family and friends – do it together.

If you are not joyful occasionally, how can your mind and spirit be restored and rejuvenated? How can you experience hope, excitement, satisfaction, happiness and vibrancy?

Without joy life becomes cold, monotonous and eventually stagnant. We feel empty, as though something is missing.

Joy can transform our lives from mediocre to outstanding and the best thing is – it’s free!

An important aspect of joy is connecting with others; and by this we mean “really connecting” with others – not posting a selfie on Snapchat or a picture of your dinner on Instagram – actually asking friends and family round for a coffee or dinner!

Don’t miss out on “real connections” which create “real feelings.”

Now, we are realists and understand that you can’t prance around like Louis Spence all day long (unless you have buckets of energy and/or some strong stimulants) but the point is – joy can be created. It is something that can found in the smallest of tasks or situations, you just have to develop the skill of recognising your state (mindfulness practice) and changing it by creating situations that you en-JOY!

• Make it a priority to connect with others – invite them into your home and enjoy their company.

• Create your own traditions that you can enjoy with your family or friends – have a “games night” or cook for each other monthly.

• Eat with your family and share stories on a daily basis.

• Be mindful about seeking the joy in even the most mundane task – washing, ironing, cleaning, painting; enjoy, just like Alice and the cards (above).

• Listen to, watch or read a comedy.

• Be silly, dance, sing – there is nothing to worry about at home where nobody is watching.

• Go out into your garden and appreciate the beauty that is exclusive to you – be it the sunrise, sunset, flowers, sounds, smells and/or wildlife. Just watering the plants barefoot is extremely relaxing and is considered to increase the amount of antioxidants and electrons in your body, improving your overall health. This is a practice called ‘grounding’ or ‘earthing.’

• Record your joyful moments in a journal or create your own jar of joy – revisit these joyful moments when you feel down.

• Create a gratitude list or routine – Be thankful for even the small things in life!

• Create a joyful hobby from home such as reading, writing, painting, drawing or gardening.

• Be giving and charitable to all who visit your home – make it a happy place.

Everybody needs to take some time away from the hustle of daily life. What better place to do that than at home?

Even if you are a busy parent, finding time when the kids are asleep will help you refocus your mind and keep you connected to your spirit.

If you are somebody who finds it difficult to slow down, now is the time to start practicing! Even if it’s for just ten minutes per day – you have to sharpen the saw!

• Prioritise your time so that you can fit in rest and relaxation techniques.

• Make it a priority to learn how to rest and relax properly at home.

• Make bath time (or shower time) a peaceful ritual – incorporate candles, music, scents, a good book/audio book and salts into your cleansing routine.

• Create a ‘man cave’ or ‘she shed’ – somewhere where you can relax and just be you!

• If you don’t have enough space to dedicate a whole room to yourself, create a sacred “you space” – use cushions, candles, beanbags, wind chimes, aroma diffusers and other peaceful tools for your ‘time-out’ sessions.

• Go for a peaceful walk around your neighbourhood. Clear your mind, appreciate your surroundings and wind-down.

• Meditate.

• Reduce stress by practising breathing and other techniques.

• Unplug from technology.

• Be still.

• Reflect on your personal goals, mission and purpose.

• Check in with your thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions. Notice how you feel and assess ways in which you can make your mind and spirit more peaceful.

No! Self care is not the same as time out!

Self care is exactly what it says on the tin – it’s looking after yourself!

This can be physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, aesthetically and even financially.

We often neglect this cornerstone because we get caught up in day to day life, the usual excuse being “I don’t have the time.”

If you think this is true, take a look at our Time Saving series – there is no such excuse as “I don’t have time!”

“A lack of time is a lack of priorities” – Tim Ferriss

Self care sometimes involves addressing parts of your life (and habits) that you may not want to address. Not everyone enjoys exercise or drinking water but the fact is these things are necessary if you want to live a long, vibrant life.

• Cook tasty, nutritious meals for yourself.

• Take up a home-based exercise programme that involves flexibility, mobility, endurance and strength training.

• Develop beneficial sleep routines.

• Develop a cleansing/grooming routine to improve your appearance and boost your confidence.

• Hydrate.

• Indulge in something – read a good novel; sleep for longer than normal; stay in your “comfies” (comfy clothes) for longer; watch a movie or a box set; eat tasty, nutritious foods.

• Simplify your schedule and take time to do tasks – don’t put pressure on yourself.

• Change any habits that you know don’t serve you.

• Take care of your environment (home and garden) – clean, clear, let in light, apply fragrance, etc.

• Make your home a pleasant place to be.

• Grow your own food – consider a herb garden, a greenhouse, a propagator or hydroponics.

• Quit any negative self talk.

• Build your relationships – spend quality time with quality people.

• Express and assert yourself appropriately. Be truthful with those you live with – it will only improve the quality of your relationship and the understanding in your home.

There is nothing more rewarding than growing as a person and leaving a legacy that you’re truly proud of.

When people think of legacies, they often presume this means having buildings named after them and statues of themselves erected in the town square but a legacy does not need to be so grandiose. It just needs to be important to you!

Whether you leave the world with a beautiful painting or raise your children to become honourable adults, a legacy is a legacy.

To leave a legacy, you must grow as a human. You cannot paint a picture or teach your children if you have not first learned the skills needed.

You must keep moving.

You must keep growing.

Our minds and our spirits essentially run on energy and energy needs to flow.

Without growth you become stagnant, just like those dirty pots and pans in the sink or that pile of washing in the corner.

You can support your practice of growth by turning your home into learning and development hub as well as keeping it (and your spirit) free from stagnant energy – the rest is down to pure effort and dedication!

• Use our article ‘How To Turn Your Home Into A Learning And Development Hub’ to transform your home into a place that nurtures growth.

• Consume information in a constructive environment – read, listen, watch in a quiet place where you can concentrate on your learning.

• Develop a learning schedule – prioritise you development by sticking to a growth plan.

• Learn a new skill – there are so many online courses that you can do right from your kitchen table.

• Create an area to practice and study in the home – this may be your ‘man cave’ or ‘she shed.’

• Take stock (above) and be mindful of your strengths and weaknesses – enhance your strengths and address your weaknesses.

• Explore Feng Shui which is said to harmonies your surroundings with the energy of nature – if you arrange your environment in a way that circulates natural energy in a positive way, your thoughts and feelings will improve – energy needs to flow!

The challenge is for you to apply these four cornerstones to your home life.

1. Take stock of your life to determine what you can incorporate, delegate or eliminate!
2. Once you have taken stock, use examples in our lists, as well as your own ideas, to take action!
3. Use your imagination and have fun – you can be as creative as you like!

Please share your ideas and development with us using the comments box below!

We always love to hear your thoughts!