How many times do you get the question, what do you believe in? (Let’s talk about it, drop a comment) I get it a lot but it took me a while to realize I had to start asking it too. I remember when I told myself this one person HAD to be Christian. I encouraged her with bible verses and urged her to pray until one day she posted something on her status that was very anti-Christianity.
I thought she was disagreeing with the person, lo and behold she was in agreement, I was shaken. I felt stupid and that experience reminded me that it is important to ask questions. Yes, we were all raised to believe in the almighty but as we grow we gravitate to different beliefs. We learn more about the things they never tell us and we have questions.
Unanswered questions too. Where do I stand today? There are many things that make no sense to me anymore in Christianity, there is much that is contradictive. The more people asked me questions that I could not find answers to, that nobody else could answer I found myself in great doubt. But then you do not question God, a Christian taboo that is.
After a while of fighting with all of this, I stopped going to church altogether. I had guilt and fear dancing in my heart for a while until I realized that I had so much peace of mind after that. Things did not fall apart as we are told it would once we separate ourselves from the church. Then I slowly disconnected myself from warfare prayers and started using affirmations in place of prayer, again I found myself happier. Do I read the bible? Nope.
What am I saying? All I am saying is find your peaceful place, one where you do not feel confused or controlled. One that brings you peace and joy. One that calms you when you feel like life is becoming overbearing. Protect your mental and physical health at all times.
I also got into a conversation with Ellen Mubwanda and here is what she had to say about this topic.
My personal understanding of self-care
With so many definitions floating around, I chose one that connects with the actions and feelings I’ve associated with the term. Self-care to me is whatever practices I indulge in to preserve or spruce up my own health. Admittedly, this doesn’t always mean the healthiest habits. It could be that extra cone of ice-cream or a dozen more episodes of “Charmed”.
At some points, it means being late for some events or turning down meet-ups. Those tiny (or big) guilty-pleasures that make me feel more in touch with the core of my being is what self-care is about. I also believe that this is always a personal definition that nobody can carve out for another. It’s an intimate expression that isn’t meant to make sense to anybody else.
Self-care and spirituality
My self-care journey made me abandon my religion. I got to a point where it just felt like the beliefs, I had held on to so strongly didn’t serve me anymore. It was a big-ballsy move to make but it got me where I needed to be. I turned to spirituality. Yes, the New Age type where they talk about crystals and yoga then I mixed it up with other components of my roots. Practices I’d grown up watching my Grandmother do. Connecting to all this made me feel powerful, serene and so much more curious.
Discovering different aspects of the world, being open to change, both in myself and in the world are worth everything to me. In the mornings I do breathing exercises that ground and help me relax. This helped immensely when dealing with anxiety and my control-freak tendencies! Lots of reading, meditation, self-hypnosis, and mantras have opened doors in my existence that I never thought possible in such a short space of time.
So how is this self-care? It’s a minority “preference” that I’ve taken up and it has definitely spruced up my mental and physical health. This is how I’m taking care of myself through spirituality.
Feel free to tell us more about your spirituality, what do you believe in and how has it worked for you? Drop it in the comment section.
Meet Ellen Mubwanga
Links
Personal Blog: https://elliestrator.wordpress.com/
Food Blog: https://justforfoodieszw.food.blog/
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTAqvVl2PaF8G0bCUmewcdw/
Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenmubwanda
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellen_mubwanda/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellen_mubwanda
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ellenmubwanda/