The Step Before Self-Help

Do you need help maintaining your self-help practices or keeping your commitments to yourself when seeking mental or physical change?

Before starting a practice involving change, it’s helpful to understand that we consist of four elements: body, mind, soul and individual spirit. Beyond that is universal spirit, or the collective unconscious, as proposed by Carl Jung.

Without fully knowing the difference between these various parts of ourselves, we tend to give up on our self-help practices, mainly because we are primarily educated in ways of the body and mind. Some work is done on the soul in conventional talk therapies, but few to no practices are offered to nurture our individual spirit.

Defining ourselves from these limiting perspectives, we develop an equally limiting perception of ourselves, others and the world. We resent physical ailments and ageing, despite these states being a natural part of life.

From this constricted reference point, we struggle to honour our growth commitments, reverting to old habits that don’t serve us. Without a connection to our spirit, we operate from a lower state of self, which sees us becoming fearful, anxious or depressed instead of flowing through life.

Over time, we absorb input from our parental and societal narratives and typically become over-focused on body, mind and soul, losing our connection to our Individual Spirit, an essential part of our Being.

When fully integrated, we include our individual spirit in all that we do (body), think (mind) and say (soul), feeling a sense of inspiration (in spirit) along the way.

Imagine a baby learning to walk - a skill we learn before talking. Connected in body and spirit, the child does not fear multiple attempts in learning to walk until it succeeds, as its perspective of the world is one of flow, seeking growth and joy. The mindset of perfection is not present, bringing no fear or anxiety in the next attempt. No matter how often the child falls joyfully or in a pool of tears, there is no interpretation of failure. Further attempts are made repeatedly through the lens of inspiration and flow.

The step before self-help is finding a way to meet your spirit as separate from your body, mind and soul to ensure that it is present and integrated in all your practices. Deeply embedded, limiting beliefs that do not serve us can only change when examined with our individual spirit present and integrated. This level of integration allows us access to universal wisdom / the collective unconscious when dealing with challenges and change.

An integrated approach with equal time spent nurturing all four elements of being human affords us discipline, flow, joy and sustainable change.

Practices for the Body

• Strengthening exercise
• Mindful, calming movement
• Sound nutrition
• Conscious rest
• Quality sleep

Practices for the Mind

• Reading, listening and watching positive, inspiring material
• Positive affirmations

Practices for the Soul

• Psychotherapy and coaching
• Journalling
• Gratitude
• Connecting with nature
• Creative activities
• Time with loved ones
• Guided meditation

Practices for the Spirit

• Silent meditation
• Prayer
• Accessing universal wisdom

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacqui Burnett is an author, speaker and coach passionate about helping people from all walks of life to meet their spirit. Visit www.jacquiburnett.com for more.