Stretch your Body, Mind & Soul

I believe becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable is the easiest road to growth in all ways: mental growth, emotional growth, spiritual growth, and physical growth (although I don’t necessarily mean this literally, LOL) and financial growth.

Daring to live on the edge of your comfort zone, trying out new things, ways, skills or habits are, in my eyes, amazing ways to expand your own identity. Without trying new things and stretching your body, mind and soul, you will never know in full capacity who you truly are or are meant to be. Simply by staying open and trying different things, for example, hobbies, or by learning to see things from different perspectives, you are able to discover who you are on even newer and deeper levels. Simply because you’re used to working out on regular days in the same gym, reading a certain style of book or having one solid friendship group that feels like family doesn’t mean other ways, hobbies, work-outs, books, podcasts, depths of conversations or people might not fit you better. If you don’t learn to expand and stretch yourself in all the ways you didn’t even know existed, the harder it is to realize if the comfort zone you have created for your current self is truly the best “comfort zone” for you to become the version of you that you’re destined to be.

And what comfort zone is even the best comfort zone? ’Cause I’ve experienced, in the flow of life, that each new comfort zone feels like a great new comfort zone, for the moment, until I keep growing and evolving to a new level or version of myself once again, and my soul is craving a new comfort zone, once again, which will better match this new identity I’m choosing to take on. The more I allow myself to stretch and change these comfort zones and my personality traits, and dare to listen to my soul’s (unknown) cravings on the regular, the more I continue to create new opportunities for myself, which always brings me one step closer to who I believe I was always meant to be.

I prefer to invest regularly, separately, and together, with intention, in all three areas (mind, body and soul) and not invest in only one, as I believe they truly, all three, are just as important as each other. If you don’t balance their importance out equally, I believe, you eventually will be out of balance, which then will create another out of comfort zone experience where you will feel even less aligned instead of more, and will start to feel lost or out of character in ways you didn’t even knew were possible, all while staying in your well known “comfort zone.” (Living out of comfort in your comfort zone is my worst nightmare. The moment this feeling arises, I know it’s time to stretch and expand!) 

I believe you need your body as much as your mind and as much as your soul to be in alignment with each other, to be the purest form of being yourself, to create the most comfort within.

I’ve noticed that it’s very important to stretch your mind, body and soul on the regular in ways which work for you personally. It has to happen in a way that excites you, so your growth keeps evolving with ease and doesn’t feel like hard work. This way, you’re driven and motivated to expand, and your stretching journey doesn’t become stagnant or feel like a never-ending, uphill, uncomfortable struggle.

BODY 

These days, I’m very active and have a very busy and inconsistent lifestyle because of my job and tours, which means I’m asking a lot from my body. I’m physically moving and grooving a lot, and this, in combination with my current age, makes me prioritize (read: need to) my body and its needs more and more. I am forced to listen to what my body is telling me. I am choosing on the daily now to invest way more than I ever did into my body, and plan more often moments to truly stretch my body, rest or take massages. I no longer want to neglect the needs of my body, ’cause when I really listen, it’s speaking its needs very clearly to me and telling me exactly what it needs. As long as I choose to make time to listen, and follow up on the information it’s giving me, I know my body will continue to deliver to its best ability. By truly prioritizing to listen to it more often, I am able to make time to regularly stretch and stay active, flexible and moving, which can only bring more beneficial results to my future self (if not already for my current self).

I, for example, love to move my body on the regular through dance or walking. I preferably add music (you can also move your body without music) when I dance, as I feel like it helps me connect with my soul, spirituality and creativity more. The more I (free) dance, the more in tune I become with my intuitive feelings. (Choosing to trust and follow my intuition in the movements I decide to do is actually a great spiritual practice, which always brings me closer to my inner, truest self.) The more I dance, the more I am elevating my energy and the deeper my connecting with myself becomes. Dancing helps me expand and stretch my positive energy and helps me release the heavy, negative weight I didn’t know I was carrying with me, all while connecting more and deeper with my truest self. This is the self which is not connected to any (old) beliefs or conditioning but is simply a free spirit flowing through life and moving with the waves of life. It helps me stretch my soul (through connecting to the soul), while releasing the ego, all while I dance from the purest place within my being through becoming the truest version of myself, the one where my soul simply feels free to be me.

Oh, how funny! Did you see how I started with the body but ended up with soul stretching? It’s the perfect example which shows how all parts are connected, always.

MIND

During walks, I like to stimulate and stretch my mind at the same time as my body. I am a big fan of listening to podcasts while I’m walking, in preferably new areas and locations. This way, all my senses are being stimulated. I discover new ways of experiencing, observing or taking in this thing called life through my senses, and my mind learns how to keep expanding due to the new information that’s being delivered and received at the same time: new information which is coming in through my eyes, ears, skin, noise, energy, by smelling, experiencing, feeling, seeing and hearing new things. Yet, you can choose to receive the new information from around you alone. But I prefer to add on a podcast, as while listening, my mind is stretching, expanding and evolving even more. Two of my favorite podcasts I currently listen to often are “Know Thyself” and “The Diary of a CEO” (game-changer alert!).

Another way I keep my mind expanded is through staying creative, writing, building my business, and talking to friends and strangers about knowledgeable topics just as much as new ones. This all helps me create a different kind of awareness from inside out as well as from outside in. It keeps my mind active, as it’s daily triggered with receiving new bits of information, which forces me to experience and digest all these new “aha moments,” which eventually bring me more in alignment with who I believe I am destined to be. Continuing to be open to having these moments, inputs, conversations and ways to receive this information is one thing, yet choosing to explore if this new information is beneficial to me or if it fits (feels in alignment) with my current character is step number 2. Not all information you receive is a match, but, either way, it’s beneficial, ’cause it makes you more secure about who you are (by listening to what feels in alignment), what you stand for, believe in or what to aim for. Through finding out who you’re not, you are also figuring out who you truly are or are meant to be.

SOUL

Through traveling, taking new routes, exploring new places, putting myself in different circles and groups of people, my soul evolves in ways I never knew were possible. I get to know myself in ways I didn’t even know were a possibility. Through putting myself in unknown or new places, around new people, new food or drinks, new cultures, new religions, new environments, new jobs, new countries, new lifestyles, etc., I learn to figure out different ways which continue to match with me even more deeply or find out what I actually, totally do or do not enjoy. I believe the more you know yourself, the more confident you feel, the more secure you become about choosing your life path and walking your journey in alignment, as every experience brings you a lil closer to your higher self. The more you’re able to strip away what no longer is a match or serves you, the closer you get to who I believe you were always meant to be. The more I explore, the deeper and the closer I feel in connection with myself and the more I feel my soul expanding, as I feel more solid and whole through each experience.

Each experience shows me my scars, mirrors my behavior, highlights where I need healing, points out my strengths and weaknesses, triggers my pain points and shines light on where I am already whole.

I’m not dirty from a lil boogie or party, and, let me tell you, partying is actually an amazing stretch for my soul. By being in new environments, meeting new people or simply having a deep connection with myself while listening to (live) music and dancing the night away helps me explore myself in ways I enjoy so much. Sometimes, I can simply stretch my soul to new levels of life by simply choosing to dance the night away on my own (or with friends) while connecting to the purest part of myself, my soul, for hours. Partying is my way of meditating. (I know it sounds crazy but it truly works like this for me!)

I’ve learned that, in life, it’s very important to keep your body, mind and soul moving, flowing, growing and expanding. You can multitask and do this all at the same time or you can choose to take one part at once. One morning you start, for example, with stretching your body, then move over to stretching your mind in the afternoon by listening to a podcast, and you can end the day with stretching your soul in ways which match you and your personality, which would mean, for me, going for a dance.

What if you have no idea how you can stretch your mind, body and soul in ways which match who you currently are? Then this is definitely a sign to step outside of your comfort zone and discover new ways to get closer to your soul or to the expansion of your capability to become the most stretched version of yourself.

Your current personality is based on your current personal reality. So, if you want to stretch your personality to newer, higher levels of yourself, you simply have to find new ways to stretch your personal reality in the same way. This all starts as simply as choosing to stretch your mind, body and soul on the regular.

Food for thought: What can you change about your daily routine to intentionally stretch your body, mind, soul and current comfort zone, more often?