African American Spiritual Health and Healing

African-American people are natural caretakers. We do a great job of assisting and loving those around us. However, many of us fall short when it comes to taking good care of ourselves. We expend our energies giving to our kids, our jobs, our partners and others. Then, at the end of the day, we have nothing left for us. If this goes on for too long, we can begin to experience our lives as less than fulfilling.

Recently, more and more of us are becoming dedicated to the idea of putting ourselves first through radical self-care and self-love. If this sounds selfish, it's only because we've been conditioned to value the needs of others over our own. But, consider for a moment that being run-down, exhausted andstressed-out lessens our ability to take care of other people. So taking good care of our selves is actually very unselfish.

Following are some great ways to care for your spirit:

Meditation is an important form of self-knowing and self-loving. It allows us to make contact with the spirit within by listening to our own truth.

Hiking and spending time in nature is another powerful way to connect to your spirit. Breathing fresh air while taking in the beauty of our natural world does a great deal to heal the soul. The physical exercise is an additional bonus.

Reading great books or listening to audio on the issues of spirituality and personal growth is yet another way to get stronger and move more consistently toward the life your desire.

African-Americans can take advantage of other health and healing techniques such as, Yoga, Acupuncture, Spiritual Bodywork, Journal Keeping and more?

Join-in on this journey toward more peace and true happiness. As you move forward on this path, you will notice that you have more patience for others, and that the constant chatter in your head has quieted down. You will begin putting yourself first in an unapologetic way, with the understanding that the healthier you are, the more positively you affect the people around you.

Delano Garner writes for "Shades and Reflections," a resource site for African-American Spiritual Health. http://www.shadesandreflections.com Contact Delano Garner at delano@shadesandreflections.com