As a little girl growing up in the 70s, kids teased me about my name.
There weren’t many little Zoes running around back then like there are today.
I often imagined that if I changed it to something that sounded “pretty” – like Angela or Tiffany, maybe the teasing would stop.
But the teasing didn’t stop because my parents wouldn’t change my name no matter how much I begged. They’d beam with pride whenever they talked about how they found Zoe in the dictionary as teen parents. My name was special to them as was becoming teen parents in the 60s.
Thank goodness, as I got older and formed my identity, I fell in love with my name, especially after I found out what it means.
Zoe is a Greek word for life.
It’s one of three interconnected layers of life and here’s how I break down them down:
- Bios – life in physical form
- Psyche – life as it is in your soul; your mind, thoughts, emotions, morality, will, and conscience
- Zoe – life in absolute fullness; the core of your being involving your spirit, purpose, beliefs, and values
Understanding the three forms of life helped me to put the adage “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” into perspective.
If all three forms comprised my whole being, my body, mind, and spirit must be energized for me to gain a greater sense of well-being.
Beliefs about the body, mind, connection have prevailed in religion and science. And many of us innately subscribe to the belief when we say things like “I have a gut feeling or I feel it in my soul.”
Unfortunately, consistently keeping my whole self energized hasn’t been altogether an easy feat for me. On more than one occasion, I admit to totally ignoring one (Has anyone ever fell off the workout wagon and struggled to get back on? Me: <raises hand>)
I need to keep my body, mind, and spirit energized if I matter to myself. It’s the ultimate commitment to self-care.
I’m so glad Karen Bush shared the body, mind, and spirit connection in her recent post, 10 Healthy Habits to Level Up Your Life.
She prompted me to share 13 simple ways you can energize your body, mind, and spirit for a greater sense of well-being.
- Replace a bad habit with a good one.
- Focus on what you can control.
- Dance every morning.
- Laugh often.
- Read 10 pages of a book daily.
- Pray and meditate throughout the day.
- Keep a gratitude journal.
- Tell a loved one what you appreciate about them.
- Eat more fruits and veggies and less processed foods.
- Stand up (literally and figuratively).
- Create a bucket list and check one thing off of it next year.
- Practice positive self talk.
- Spend more time outdoors.
I’m sure there are more ways to energize your body, mind, and spirit. I’m touching the tip of the iceberg. Can you think of other ways to energize your body, mind, and spirit? What benefits do you hope to manifest when you do? Write in your journal to reflect on your own body, mind, and spirit. Another easy way to start is to complete this exercise. And make sure to comment below.
