Part 4 - New Year, New You - Spiritual Wellness & Developing a Faith Foundation

I identify as a Christian and my faith is an important part of my life. I'm not here to debate over the existence of God, Jesus, or to persuade you one way or another on your personal beliefs. However, please note, that this post will skew towards Christian believers, but you may be able to take parts of it and apply it to your personal belief system. Spiritual wellness is part of a person's overall well-being. For me, that means deepening and practicing my Christian faith. I'm certainly far from the perfect Christian. For me, my walk with God provides unconditional love, strength, guidance in times of uncertainty, and a life-long connection and relationship. There's so much more that I can list about God, and will in the coming posts. As we enter a new year, many Christians may use this as a time for prayer, fasting, and self reflection to uncover what they should focus on in the coming months. There are many approaches that one can take when trying to get grounded.

Consider doing a fast

How you conduct the fast, the length, and what you focus on are entirely up to you. Fasting is a time of deep prayer and connection with God, so these periods tend to provide a lot of clarity. If you're not sure where to start, then consider what you would like to "fast" from - certain types of foods, entertainment, spending behavior, etc. Next, consider the period of time. Regardless of what you choose, select a time-frame that will really challenge you to go deeper with God. What you give up and for how long has less to do with the sacrifice and moreso what you're doing during that time.

Try completing a Bible App plan or devotional book

There are so many free devotionals on the YouVersion Bible app that cover the full spectrum of life. If there's an area that you want to anchor in, then consider searching for that on the app and find a plan that resonates with you. Alternatively, you can find a devotional book that you can work on for a certain time frame. Find a plan or a book that really speaks to you. I cannot stress how important this is. There are people who may abandon the faith because of how others choose to approach it, but there are so many approaches to consider!

Find community

This could be a church, Bible study group, or friends who share your faith. Find a group where you can discuss insights of the Bible, challenges with your faith, and how you've seen God move in your life. This should be a safe space. Continuing on my comments above: there are too many communities and resources available to you for you to align yourself with one that makes you feel awful or do not help you strengthen your relationship with God. Find a community that aligns with YOUR needs because this is ultimately about YOUR relationship with God.

Make room on your calendar

Figure out how much time you can dedicate to God each day and commit to it. Is it 10 minutes first thing in the morning? The second half of your lunch break? Your last stop before bed? Whatever time you may have, even if it's just a few minutes, dedicate that time to deepening your faith. The only way this works is if you make time for it. Like any other goals you may be working towards, you must be intentional. Knowing God is all about relationship and good relationships require time and intention!

While there is lots more that can (and will) be said on this topic, I sincerely hope that this gives you some guidance when trying to set a strong spiritual foundation to nurture your spiritual wellness and help you navigate the new year. I've found that spiritual well-being is one of the most powerful if not the most powerful tool in my wellness toolkit. I hope that it can be one of yours too.

Cheers to keeping the faith!

xo Kiara