Good day Sojourner!
Today I want to share with you a book I created - Journaling Guide to Wholeness
The main reason I think this book is unique is that besides the three topics you might be familiar with - Mindfulness, Habits, and Resilience - the new topic is Elemental Wellness.
In the realm of mental health, we cannot underestimate how connected our bodies are to our brains and the soup of chemicals that make up our “health”. Furthermore, I believe that nature drives a direct path to our mental health by helping to regulate those chemicals that call the shots in “how we are doing.”
Don’t worry, I have no evidence to back this up - only a trust in a primal instinct that nature is the best medicine and path to wellness, ultimately helping us “have a good day.”
The main idea with EleMental Wellness is that our mental health goodness is linked to how much of the four elements we have in our life - earth, wind, water, and fire. The more I look into the patterns of life, I keep seeing the number 4, over and over and over again in relationship to life. I think we should pay attention to these elements.
Here are a few ways that I have increased my connection to these elements in order to go from mental health to mental wellness.
Earth - I play in the dirt a lot - in fact, I have a garden and it is quite common that I have dirt under my fingernails. Also, I started collecting rocks and place them on my nightstand as a shrine to the element of earth.
Wind - I chase the wind. When it starts to pick up outside, I go outside, and breathe deep. Also, I started to learn about breathing exercises such as Boxed Breath.
Water - I made myself a homemade gourd water bottle. It has a funny taste - like drinking from a squash, but this helps me drink more water. And in fact, gain residual minerals from the gourd and wash through my body.
Fire - Candles Candles Candles. When I’m on a zoom call, I have a little candle behind me just to keep my eyes on my one true love. Also, I’m a big believer that the sun is not trying to kill us and therefore, spend a lot of time soaking up the rays, especially sunrise and sunset.
I would love to hear how you are already practicing eleMental wellness in your life. Check out my book and start documenting your journey!
And as always, - may your story continue
!