Your Mind, Your Body, Your Soul (Motivation)

The mind, the body and soul are 3 interlinked parts. One does not function without the other. When all 3 are cared for, we live a more fulfilling life and are happier. See, out of your mind is where everything starts – whether good or bad. And your body is the carrier of all things that comes from your mind and then your soul is the receiver of what your mind and body say.

Today, on motivation for Monday, I am writing to encourage you on the importance of caring for the mind, the body and the soul. Let’s check it out……….

The Soul or psyche is defined by the dictionary as “the mental abilities of a living being”. When talking about the soul, you can use words like, reason, character, feeling, consciousness, memory, perception, thinking.

The Dictionary defines the Mind as “the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought” . When talking about the Mind, you can describe it with words like,  intellect, perception, mentality, judgement and reasoning etc.

The Body is defined as “the physical structure, including the bones, flesh, and organs, of a person or an animal”. You can use words like figure, frame, form, shape, build, physique and framework to describe the body or you use those words when talking about the body. 

I wanted to be sure to give an extensive definition of all 3 subject matter so as for us to understand the importance of caring for all 3 parts of the body. Although the mind, the body and soul are 3 entities, they are all housed in the part of our system called the body.

I am not a Psychologist and neither am I a Psychic but I read the scriptures and it is amazing that many of the things I have come across in some psychological researches, for example in the book Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck are found in the scriptures. For example, the scripture that says, “out of the abundance of the mouth, the mouth speaks” while Psychology says, it is whatever you are thinking that you become – that line also happens to be from the bible. This simply convinced me that I could write this blog to inspire you on how to care for your mind, body and soul and these are some of the things I personally do….

I was away at the weekend on what you can call a “working holiday”. Anytime I get away like this, I take the time to REST as much. Once I finish a session of my engagement, I retire to my room and rest, meditate and read. I ensure to put my mind to rest and disengage from getting involved in so many things, giving myself the chance to rest, revitalise and rejuvenate. I also bring with me my active wear or sport wear to go for a walk or use a gym and then eat healthy and drink lots of water etc. This is just me and the way I try to balance the body, the mind and the soul.

The Mind

You see, whether we like it or not, all 3 entities function together. The one who made us, God knows that without one, the others can not function. This is what I mean: it is from the mind that some of the most amazing things in the world was conceived before they were made in the physical. For example, before I wrote the book, Use What You Have, I thought about it first and then I wrote it – it didn’t become a physical product without me thinking about it first.

Your mind is where all things starts, be it good or bad, so, it is important to ensure that you put your mind to rest by sleeping well, resting well, taking necessary breaks and doing your best to think positively. As hard as things may be around you, do your best to meditate and focus on the right things.

If I may, Psychologist would say, focus on things that are POSITIVE or only receive POSITIVE vibes and the scripture says in Philippians 4 vs 8 that,  “brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”. You see if we can focus on things that are positive, our minds stay sound and we live better.

How to Care for the Mind

Rest – by resting, you clear your head. Take a break from time to time. It is recommended in many work force to take a break every now and again. A walk to grab a glass of water in the office kitchenette is a break or a walk down the hall to grab the paper work is a break etc.

Meditation – this is when you turn off and rest your mind, focusing on good things or positive things.  You do not have to sit in a certain position to meditate. You just have to “keep your mind quiet”

Reading or Listening – reading good books help you to care for your mind. Whatever it is you consume is what you believe and then live by or act like. Read something good – good books, scriptures, motivational and inspirational books like – Use What You Have or Create the Life You Want etc.

Gratitude – this one may not seem obvious but a research shows that a grateful heart attracts more. When you are grateful for what you have, you are happier. On the other hand, when you can’t take a moment to show gratitude, you would be unhappy all the time about the things you do not have. A grateful heart helps the mind keep settled, undisturbed and stay positive.

The Body

The body houses all 3 entities that make us human. It is where the effect of the mind comes to play. You can not just focus on the mind alone but not care for the body. And I will tell you this, if you can cater to the mind very effectively, you are likely to be able to successfully cater to the body. This is what I mean: if you are in a positive state of mind, you are likely to think right, eat right, want to go out for a walk or exercise and do other physical activities that can help you stay fit, strong and healthy.

On the other hand, did you also know that when you feel overwhelmed, if you can get out and go for a walk or run or any other physical activities, your mind or head becomes clearer and you function better. In fact, research shows that people who are active are more productive. Can I tell you the truth, this is true. Anytime I am active physically, I am more mentally productive.

See, you can not take care of the body by itself and not care for the mind. They are interlinked. One can not work without the other.

How to Care for the Body

Eat healthy meals – balanced diet if you like. Eat fruits, vegetables, fish and settle for healthier options as much as you can

Drink lots of water – 2 litres is the daily recommendation. Start small and build on it

Exercise – take walks, jog, run, yoga etc

Sleep – many of us think this is not important. It is really-really important because without good sleep, the brain does not function well. We are wired to rest through sleep.

The Soul

Now the soul spiritually is what many religion believe is connected to a higher power. For example, as a Christian myself, I believe my soul is tied to God. In the physical however, the soul is what carries the impact of what the mind does. What we think in the mind becomes how we react, behave and reason, it is what drives our feelings and it is from our soul that we form memories. It is important to care for the mind and the body so our soul can have a memory of good feelings.

How to Care for the Soul – “Soul Food”

Food – good food brings back good memories and makes us lively and want to try again. For example, good food shared with a loved one can help keep a memory of a life time or good food eaten on a vacation can bring back good memory.

Meditation – when we focus on good things, we build positive energy. As above in Mind.

Music – good music moves us, inspires us and helps keep good memories. Good music can help you fall in love or love more.

Read: reading can drive us to good feelings and can help us keep good memories. When I read good promises from the book of life (the bible),  I feel reassured that all things will be well with me, my future is bright and I can fulfil my purpose etc.

This is a very broad subject or topic but allow me stop here today. I will say this though that, the mind, the body and the soul work together. One does not function without the other. For example, you can not take care of the body without feeling good on the inside first (the mind) and you can not feel good on the inside even if you live in the gym, exercising 24hours without the mind being at peace. All the 3 entities (mind, body and soul) must be cared for effectively. As we start a new month, start working on how to work on all 3 and not just one as one does not function without the other.

Sincerely, I want to thank you so much for stopping by and for reading. I do hope you were inspired by this post but most importantly, I truly hope you focus on using some or all of the tips you learnt here.

Wishing you an awesome month and a great week ahead.

Much Love, Mojisola