.png)
How often do you take a step back and reflect on what’s important to you? For most of us, the answer is probably not often enough. And it’s not as hard as you might think.
By connecting with your heart daily, you can change how you see. Most people are running around in a ’cause and effect’ state of being. Someone or something does something, and we react.
Subtly and slowly, we eventually become disconnected from what we truly want in this reactive state and chase empty and unfilling dreams. We become part of the cultural drift, chasing material, status and money, leaving the heart’s call unanswered.
Out heart is a gateway back into freedom and choice. When you take time each day to focus on your heart, you connect to the essential things; rather than simply reacting to whatever comes your way, you open the door to many benefits.
It can be challenging when life gets hectic — we all experience stressors that prevent us from centring ourselves. However, there are simple things we can do every day that will make a world of difference in our lives.
Each time we take a moment to connect with our hearts, it is like dropping a pebble into a lake. The first time we do it, the ripples quickly disappear, but if we do it again, the ripples build and grow and eventually reach the outer reaches of the body of water. This is how connecting to your heart works as a practice, and here are five benefits of doing it daily.
You Cultivate Self-Awareness
What are your values? What are your passions? What are your beliefs? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you’re unlikely to live according to your heart.
You can’t fully engage in life if you don’t know what is most important to you. A lack of self-awareness will prevent you from identifying the steps you need to take to achieve more purpose and fulfillment. That’s why it’s essential to understand yourself on a deeper level.
How can you make the most of your time, energy, and resources if you don’t know what you value? You’d be surprised at how much your emotions fluctuate throughout the day. As the day progresses, you might feel great in the morning, only to find your mood change as the day goes on.
If you don’t understand why your emotions change, you’re unlikely to stay in touch with what’s most important to you. When you know how you tick, it’s easier to keep your emotions regulated and remain true to yourself, and you can do this by connecting with your heart.
Remember Who You Are
You are unique; always remember that. What rejuvenates you may deplete someone else and vice versa. You owe it to yourself to explore who you are.
When you take time each day to reflect on who you are and the qualities that connect to your heart, you see yourself at your core. You maintain a connection with your most essential qualities, and as a result, you begin to feel more like yourself again, which can significantly impact your mental health.
When you connect to your heart, you can navigate the lower points in life with grace and poise. You’re also more likely to work towards your goals and to feel motivated to complete tasks even when times are challenging.
After all, you are resilient by nature, and it is easy to forget that. Your heart will help you remember.
Help you treat yourself with more kindness
You will notice a different inner conversation by connecting with your heart daily. This conversation is full of kindness and appreciation.
Moments, when you would have been critical or judging of yourself will be replaced with a softer and more understanding voice, which can make a big difference in your mental health.
There are many reasons why people struggle with self-compassion. Some people grew up in households where they weren’t given the tools they needed to be kind to themselves. Others may have experienced trauma or significant stressors that prevent them from being compassionate towards themselves.
While it’s not always easy to be kind to yourself, it’s an integral part of living connected to your heart.
Strengthen your relationships
When you’re connected to your heart, you also become better at interacting with others. You’re less likely to be drawn into arguments, and you’re more likely to be able to understand where other people are coming from when they share ideas that are different than yours.
When you become practiced at heart connecting, you can express yourself much more easily. You’re less likely to say things that are inappropriate or that don’t align with what’s important to you. It’s also easier to say “no” to things that don’t align with your values.
When you’re more in touch with your core values, you’re also more likely to be present in your relationships. This connected place can significantly impact your romantic relationships and relationships with friends and family members. Stronger relationships can help you reduce feelings of loneliness, improve your mental health, and help you achieve more in your life.
Commit to Mastery
Your heart is a portal to mastery, and you’ll likely notice that you have more energy to pursue your passions. You also have the opportunity to re-evaluate things you’re currently doing and decide whether they align with who you are as a person.
This commitment to mastery can help you avoid wasting time on things that don’t matter, and it can help you stay committed to your goals and learning.
In this heart-connected place, you’re also more likely to identify activities and relationships that aren’t a good fit for you and be empowered to make the choices that align with your wants.
Bottom line: Daily heart-connecting exercises are a worthwhile investment
It may seem like taking time to connect with your heart is a waste of time. However, science tells us differently.
When you consciously connect with your heart, your physiology changes and adapts, evolving you into a more resilient person.
This deceptively simple practice can help you achieve more in your life, and it can help you lead a more satisfying life. Doesn’t that sound amazing?
Dave is a Leadership and Life Coach living in Steveston, B.C., Canada.
Dave’s expertise is with individuals and teams who feel stressed out and exhausted and know that they want something different.
In 2017, Dave left a career as a Senior Manager at a large Local Government organization to start Small Pause Coaching & Consulting. His philosophy about taking a pause and inviting in a new conversation, a deeper conversation, has supported hundreds of individuals and organizational clients.
He is a Certified HeartMath® Coach & Mentor, a Certified Trauma-sensitive HeartMath® Practitioner, a trained Equine Guided Learning Facilitator and a Certified Coach with the International Coaches Federation (ICF). Dave took his coaches training at the Newfield Network in Boulder, Colorado.
You can learn more about his work at www.smallpausecoach.com or look him up on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook.
Dave also expresses his creativity through the Small Pause Shop, where he designs apparel that supports living life ‘inside the pause.’