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When we think of renewals, we usually think in one direction and it is mostly our body. There are countless ads and resources on why we need to stay constantly renewed and how. However, human beings aren’t just bodies, Man is a spiritual being in a physical body having a soul, and the soul, in turn, comprises the will, mind, and emotions so if we want to experience renewal in the truest sense of the word, a renewal that truly refreshes our being, we need to renew ourselves beyond our bodies. We need to renew our spirits, our souls, and our minds alongside our bodies

I could go on and on about why this is important but in addition to what I have shared already, I’ll just say that strength and balance happen when every part of your being is in sync. If your spirit is exhausted, your body might be teeming with strength but you will just feel unmotivated

Ever felt that way?

Or your soul is tired?

You will feel clogged and unable to move forward. If you force yourself to, it will feel like you’re dragging a heavy part of yourself behind you.

No. That should not be.

Deep renewals release the feel-good hormones (Dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin) across the four aspects of our being, and being intentional with deep renewals is very important

So having shared this, I’ll just go ahead to share with you the different types of renewals and how you can start the journey to deep renewals starting now.

Physical Renewal

Physical renewals focus on your physical body and the elements of physical renewals include sleep, healthy eating, exercise, and rest.

• Sleep – Experts recommend between 6-8 hours of sleep for adults. And depending on the kind of job you do, you might need more. Experiment and find what works for you and when you do, work your schedule to make it possible to have the hours of sleep you need. Sleep deprivation does no good and you’re not likely to be able to produce great work when you are sleep-deprived so prioritize sleep. Sleep can be made easier by creating conducive environments for sleep like dark rooms, avoiding screens at least an hour before bed, and eating our last meals at least 3 hours before bed. Naps are also a good way to get some energy mid-day but naps should not be longer than 20 minutes or else they cross over into a shortened sleep which will leave you groggy and would probably affect your bedtime
• Exercise: Exercise builds your body muscles and helps you build strength. Getting some form of exercise is very crucial to capacity and longevity and for a start, you don’t have to do a lot. A daily cardio exercise with Leslie Sansone on YouTube can be a good start. Start small but don’t remain there. Experiment along the way with what fits in with you and grow. Stretches are also important and you can schedule some stretches when you wake up, mid-day through work, and at night
• Healthy eating – Various weight loss research has suggested that beyond exercise, food plays a major role in weight loss. That shows how important it is to ensure we eat healthy food that heals and renews our body. A wise man once said that if you ate food and you felt exhausted, it wasn’t food you ate, it was junk. So apt. Make the effort to eat foods that nourish your body. Cook your meals as much as possible, that way you can control exactly what you are eating. And drink lots of water too
• Rest – it is very important that we regularly schedule time for rest into our days, weeks, months, and years. Time when we get to do nothing but play or just relax. There doesn’t have to be an agenda for your rest time if you don’t want one but if you want one, ensure that it makes you truly feel rested, not something that will drain you such as endless social media scrolling
• Other forms of renewal include massages and using ergonomic working chairs and desks

Emotional Renewal

Emotional renewals focus on your feelings and emotions and in this category, we have elements like journaling, spending time in nature, playing, being intentional with our ambiance, getting therapy, and spending time with people we love. Let’s unpack each

• Journaling – journaling is a way to unpack your soul and release held-up thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Journaling is a powerful tool for self-healing and renewal so scheduling regular journaling times can help you detox your soul from all the cache you pick up in your daily interactions with people, situations, and circumstances. To start journaling, you can use journaling prompts. The simplest way to start is to get a nice journal, and a biro, sit down, and set a timer for 5 minutes. or even 2 minutes and ask yourself, ‘How did my day go?’ And proceed to answer that. Other questions you can ask include ‘What happened today that I was happy/sad about and why?’
• Spending time in nature – nature has a way of recentering us. it releases the feel-good hormone in us which of course makes us feel good and renews our emotions. It has even been discovered that you don’t need to be out in the woods or nature to feel the effect of nature. Staring at pictures of nature can create an almost similar effect as well as watching nature scenarios on media. Couple that with soothing background music and you create a nice ambiance that calms your soul.
• Playing: Playing is another element that releases the feel-good hormones. I know some of us left playing in childhood but playing wasn’t meant to end in childhood. Yes, some forms of playing will end in childhood but play should continue in adulthood. Play elements such as drawing, being on the beach, playing your favorite games in a competition-free atmosphere where you are just out to have fun and even playing hide and seek can be great ways to energize your emotions and renew your soul
• Create refreshing ambiances: Your spaces matter. How you arrange and design, where you live, refreshes you or drains you. You don’t have to have a big budget, you just need to be intentional. Create a truly spacious and simply beautiful space. Clutter will make you feel cluttered inside and will affect your clarity. And as you earn more, invest in making your spaces reflect the calm and beauty you desire. After a tired day, when you come back home to a space that you love, a fresh burst of energy erupts you. But if your space is scattered, any little strength you had vanishes the moment you see all the things that need to be done
• Get therapy: If you have been a victim of abuse or trauma, you might want to consider therapy as an agent of healing and renewal because if your soul needs deep-rooted healing from trauma, you can do any of the methods listed above and it will yield little or no help because there is an emotional wound deep down that needs to be healed
• Spend time with people you love and people who energize you: People carry energy and energy is contagious. Spend time with the people who refresh you and rejuvenate you. And spend less time around those who drain your energy. If you have to live with them, find a way to guard your heart so you don’t suck in their energy otherwise you will live constantly drained
• If you are an introvert, block out time for being alone.

Mental Renewal

Mental renewal focuses on the mind and elements of mental renewal include meditation, reading (even fiction), deep breathing, social media detox, and purposeful work.

• Meditation: Meditation renews your mind by helping you focus on the things that matter to you. In a world filled with distractions, it is easy for your mind to wander. Meditation is an element of renewal that relaxes you and helps you stay focused.
• Reading especially a material you enjoy or fiction, is an element of renewal because when you enjoy what you’re reading genuinely, it releases the feel-good hormones so creating time to read as little as 20 mins a day, for example before bedtime, can be very helpful to renewing you mentally
• Deep breathing: This also works like meditation and has a very calming effect on your mind, In the middle of a busy day, take a moment to catch your breath by taking slow deep breathes in and out and you will feel energy surge through you. Just take in your breathe slowly in and out about
• Take regular social media breaks – Social media was designed to make us stay hooked and it does that by releasing a cheap version of the feel-good hormone – dopamine when we see someone like, comment, or acknowledge us via social media. However this gets us hooked and when we don’t get the acknowledgment we crave, it tampers with our joy. Social media also works us up. Taking regular social media breaks and controlling how we allow social media to affect our moods will help us preserve our emotional energy. It is okay to stay off social media for a few hours, a day, and even a week. Nothing will go wrong. If social media is a huge part of your work, schedule it, do your work, and exit. Take regular social media breaks.
• Purposeful work: When you are doing work you enjoy, it gives you a level of energy because you enjoy what you’re doing. That energy is very refreshing and you must take the time to find and do work that you enjoy. Now I know that is not the reality for a lot of people so if that is not where you are, assess your work and find something in your work that connects to your value and let that be a lifeline for putting some purpose into your work even as you work to transition to a place where you are working in your purpose-filled role.

Spiritual Renewal

Spiritual renewals affect our spirits and this is the most important aspect because a strong spirit can sustain your being, even when your soul, mind, and body is weak, There are seasons in life that will take a lot from you, leaving you physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted but as long as you remain spiritually renewed, you will be able to power through. Elements of spiritual renewal include prayer and fellowship, reading your Bible, worship, giving, and regular retreats.

• Prayer and fellowship rejuvenates your spirit. Prayer is how we communicate with God and it’s done in the spirit. Prayer and fellowship rejuvenate your spirit because it’s a time when your spirit communicates with God.
• Reading your Bible- The Word of God is to your spirit what food is to your body and as with food, the Word rejuvenates your spirit. So make time daily to read your Bible. If you don’t skip your daily physical meals, you shouldn’t skip your spiritual meals. You can also get the Word of God into your heart through listening to audio Bibles, messages, and sermons by men of God you resonate with who teach the truth of God’s Word
• Worship – Worship is a posture, a lifestyle, and an act. As a posture, it is how we relate with God in our hearts. As a lifestyle, it is how we live our lives. As an act, it’s how we reverence Him whether in words or music. Worship powerfully rejuvenates our soul
• Giving – There is something about giving that makes us feel good. Research has proven that the act of giving can make people feel happier. It’s often said that we make a living by giving. Make giving a key part of your life. And the beautiful thing is that it doesn’t always have to involve money. A smile is a gift. A helping hand is a gift. A listening ear is a gift. Your time is a gift
• Regular retreats: A retreat is a time out with God, a time to come away from the noise and bustle of life and an opportunity for your spirit to rest and be rejuvenated. Retreats can take hours or days. Find what works for you and schedule it. As time goes on, yield to the leading of God in your spirit and grow. You will always come away from a well-done retreat feeling refreshed, renewed and rejuvenated

In conclusion, creating a system of deep renewals offers a framework for nurturing various aspects of our being. The benefits of incorporating these systems of renewals into our everyday lives are immeasurable – from inner peace and emotional well-being to a greater sense of purpose and connection with others.

Praying for you and rooting for you.

You definitely can be all you were born to be

Love, Light & Lots of Laughter