The Path to Better Health and Happiness
Life is meant to be enjoyed. If you're feeling constantly depleted, disengaged, or unfulfilled in life, it could be a clear sign that something needs to change. Such changes could be related to your mental or physical well-being—but either way, proper health and happiness often require transformation. The path to enhanced vitality, pleasure, and enjoyment may not be instantaneous, but it is perfectly possible with enough practice. Today, we'll dive into mindfulness and sensual fulfillment's roles in our happiness and how to embrace them for a healthier life.
What Are Mindfulness And Sensual Fulfilment?
Mindfulness is the spiritual art of being fully present. It is about detaching yourself from the chaos of mental clutter and practicing high intention and awareness. Sensual fulfillment is finding deep joy, pleasure, and satisfaction through the physical and, sometimes, spiritual senses. This can help us find more connection to the world around us and ourselves while appreciating all the variety and abundance life offers.
Bringing More Mindfulness And Sensual Fulfilment Into Your Life: A Guide
If your life lacks vitality and focus, you could benefit from introducing mindful activities into your self-care routine. Below, we've outlined six simple yet impactful ways to enhance your health and happiness by embracing the practices of mindfulness and sensuality.
- Try sensual eating
Sensual eating is consuming delicious, fresh foods with a high degree of meditation, intention, and sensory sensitivity. Some people refer to it as "making love" to food, but the practice itself is not explicitly equated to eroticism or sexuality; it's mostly about simple, sensory pleasure. If you love complex flavors and textures in food, sensual eating can be a fun way to bring more mindfulness and happiness into your life. Next time you're hungry and have some time to yourself, prepare a spread of healthy, nutrient-dense snacks with varied textures and flavors, and indulge in the pleasure of consuming nourishing food.
- Put your energy into growing herbs, flowers, or fruits
Feeling connected to the earth around you is one of the most potent ways to bring more health, vitality, and happiness into your life. Not only does home gardening require a fair amount of physical mobility and exercise, but it also exposes you to incredible soil nutrients and much-needed sunshine. Some studies even indicate that growing plants or food can alleviate the symptoms of depression. This is due to the combined effects of vitamin D, fresh air, vitamin B from the soil, and spending time in nature. On top of all those fantastic benefits, growing fruits, veggies, or flowers at home means you are constantly surrounded by organic produce. The perks are endless!
- Engage in loving physical affection with those you trust
Being physically intimate with the people that you love can have a profound effect on your mental and physical health. Naturally, and in the appropriate circumstances, it can also be a powerful vessel for experiencing deep sensual fulfillment and pleasure. However, it's important to note that loving physical intimacy is not strictly bound to sexual or romantic energy. We can experience it platonically or as a sense of family connection. Spending time hugging, holding, petting, and massaging the special people in your life sends volumes of oxytocin, the love hormone, to our brains and a range of other feel-good hormones such as serotonin and dopamine. Make time for the people you love—you'll get an instant lift!
- Wake up earlier in the morning
If you're looking for a simple yet impactful way to add value and fulfillment to your day, rise alongside the natural solar cycle. Waking up earlier in the morning helps to stabilize your circadian rhythm, gives you more energy during the day, and can increase longevity. Furthermore, the added time you get in your day by rising earlier means you can spend it doing other healthy, sensual, or mindful activities. Those extra hours (or even minutes) can make a difference when you use them for a quick meditation, exercise, or nature-time session.
- Meditate
Most people are familiar with meditation as a tool for cultivating presence and focus and purging the mind of restless, unhelpful thoughts. But while meditation might not be a new concept, it remains one of the most influential and accessible ways to find internal peace. As such, this list wouldn't be complete without it. Meditation has been scientifically proven to be an incredible tool for calming down the nervous system and regulating emotional health – among many other things. It aids a more mindful approach to life, supports both mental and physical health, and, in the proper contexts, can even contribute to sensual fulfillment.
- Make mindfulness and sensual fulfillment a way of life
A big part of what makes these mindfulness and fulfillment practices effective is consistency and intention. The best way to ensure they impart their gifts to us is to weave them into the fabric of our everyday livelihood. Instead of thinking about meditation, physical intimacy, or sensual eating as once-off experiments for your health, try to find the ones that work best for you. Then, incorporate them into your self-care routines and whole attitude toward life. Hold yourself with more intention, and live as though every day is special. Because it is!
The Secret To Health & Happiness
It's not a secret; it's a fact. Practicing mindfulness and sensuality are potent mechanisms for leading a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life. We all need to take care of our spiritual, mental, and physical well-being, and these habits can help us achieve that. Anyone can find deeper fulfillment and happiness by spending more time in nature, meditating, eating with more intention, growing fruits or vegetables, and actively practicing loving affection.
The article was contributed by Ellen M. Klein.
