When you feel empty and exhausted, your soul might need some serious attention. Our minds and bodies get rest every single night when we go to sleep, but our spirits only get rejuvenated by going deep within for answers. Unfortunately, we are each trained to look everywhere but within for comfort and peace, which might explain why our world looks the way it does today.
From an early age, we’ve all been indoctrinated into a system that seems to place money and achievements above everything else. We go to school, get jobs, buy houses, and work our butts off for retirement. But many people feel unfulfilled following this outdated, one-size-fits-all model. Perhaps our modern ways of living don’t address what our souls need. Maybe placing our value in consumer products and incomes can explain the chronic emptiness most of us feel.
What can we do about this problem plaguing modern society? How can we fill our souls instead of just our wallets and egos? We have a few tips for you below, so don’t worry if you’ve been feeling lackluster these days. Every problem comes with a solution, even those that seem impossibly complicated.
Here are ten ways to feed your soul when you’re running on empty:
1 – Get rid of negativity in your life.
Whether that means cutting certain people out of your life or turning off the daily news, too much negativity can take a toll on your spirit.
If you feel exhausted and empty, look at what you expose yourself to each day and adjust it accordingly. Instead of waking up to your social media and news programs, have a technology-free morning where you enjoy a cup of coffee while listening to the birds outside. Simplicity can remind us that we often create problems that never should’ve existed in the first place. It starts with the quality of what we put in our minds and who we surround ourselves with, so by keeping our mental state balanced and positive, we can positively influence the world.
2 – Clean your home.
More people have turned to minimalism to live a simpler, more peaceful life. The things we own often end up owning us after a while with the debt we accumulate from them. Plus, items can only bring us temporary satisfaction; once we’ve filled them, we often throw them in the back of our closet to collect dust. Then, we need our next fix, and the cycle continues.
Once you clean out your possessions and only keep the things you need, you’ll realize how little you require to feel content. Plus, cleaning your space will have positive impacts on your mental health as well, as messiness can increase stress levels.
3 – Simplify your life.
This process doesn’t just mean cleaning out your possessions. Indeed, it means taking a long, hard look at your life and figuring out what activities you need to engage in. We place so much value in doing rather than just being; this obsession with always needing stimulation takes a toll on our mental health. Ironically, filling our lives with activities and chores only leaves us feeling more empty.
People will call you lazy if you don’t want to work the standard 40 hours a week, but our “always-on” society just doesn’t serve our mental and emotional needs. If you’re going to work from home and start your own business, go for it. If you want a quiet life out in the countryside away from all the noise in the city, do it. No one has a manual on how we should live, so if you crave simplicity, create a life that permits you the freedom to have that.
4 – Give your body the fuel it needs to thrive.
When we consume unhealthy foods, they don’t just affect our bodies; they compromise our spirits, too. Toxic foods lower our vibration and leave us feeling exhausted because our bodies can’t process all the unnatural ingredients. Here’s a small list of healthy foods to include in your diet if you want to feel your best:
- Brazil nuts
- Lentils
- Oatmeal
- Broccoli
- Apples
- Kale
- Blueberries
- Avocado
- Leafy green veggies
- Sweet potatoes
- Eggs
- Salmon
- Chicken
5 – Meditate
Scientists praise meditation for its ability to affect the mind and body in tangible ways. For example, it can lower blood pressure and heart rate, improve concentration, create mental clarity, decrease anxiety and depression, and reduce stress levels. Some types of meditation help increase love and compassion for yourself and others. Meditation allows you to disconnect from the senses and get to know your soul.
If you’ve been feeling empty and exhausted from the constant stressors of daily life, we can’t suggest meditation enough. It will allow you to expand your consciousness so that you don’t just identify with your mind and body. Instead, you’ll begin to see yourself as one with everything else in existence, which will help dissolve the ego.
Maybe the key to society’s ills lies in this ancient practice.
6 – Treat yourself to self-care
In our fast-paced lives, we don’t spend sufficient time on self-care and self-love. With all of our responsibilities, we barely have enough time left in the day to sit down for a meal. However, to give the best of ourselves to others, we have first to fill our cups. Make sure you take enough time each day to attend to your mental and physical well-being.
7 – Get away from technology.
While modern technology does have its advantages, we overuse it and isolate ourselves from others by spending too many hours per day in the virtual world. We don’t spend as much time talking to each other, instead of giving into mindless distractions and neglecting our loved ones. Scientists have linked the overuse of technology to many health problems, including insomnia, anxiety, depression, and even addiction.
Instead of going outside to play, kids today choose tablets and video games. Families go to the park together and get on their phones instead of interacting with each other. We’ve lost a lot of our communication skills because of technology. Many people check their phones throughout the day because of the dopamine hits they get from notifications, which takes a toll on our mental health.
Make sure you put down your phone throughout the day to give your brain a break. Get outside, talk to friends in person, and enjoy the world without looking through a screen every once in a while.
8 – Exercise.
We don’t need to list the benefits of exercise, because scientists have been talking about them for decades. Unfortunately, we don’t need to move as much with our modern lifestyles, and a lack of movement might be the culprit behind the explosion of disease we’ve seen in recent years. If you’ve been feeling empty and exhausted, try moving your body in ways you enjoy. Getting your body moving will lift your spirits as well.
9 – Create a job you love.
Most people don’t like their jobs, and simply stay to pay bills and keep up their lifestyles. Perhaps this unhappiness with modern work environments explains the rise in entrepreneurship and people working at home. While we all have to take on adult responsibilities, we shouldn’t have to work like drones throughout our lives doing jobs that make us feel empty.
If you don’t enjoy your job, do a little research about the hobbies that bring you happiness. Perhaps you can turn your interests into a full-time job that feeds your soul and doesn’t leave you drained at the end of each workday.
10 – Get back to nature.
We have created our lives around nature, not taking into consideration our place in the greater picture. We’ve destroyed a lot of our natural environment, and maybe this explains why so many of us feel discontent in modern life. We’ve cut ourselves off from the very things we need to sustain our lives. So, of course, many of us feel empty and disconnected.
If you’ve been feeling exhausted and defeated by life, make sure you take time to connect with nature as often as you can. Even a 30-minute walk through a forest can do wonders for your spirit.
Final thoughts on ways to feed your soul when you feel empty
If you always wake up feeling tired and depleted, it might not be your body or mind that’s tired – your soul may just need some attention. Simple ways to feed your soul include getting back to nature, taking care of your mind and body with healthy living, and reducing clutter in your home.
If you want to go even deeper with cleansing your soul, look at your job satisfaction and the people you surround yourself with. Sometimes, a deep detox is necessary to feel like your best self again.
Community
