Choosing carefully what you consider most valuable to yourself can really make a difference.
Last update: 05 November 2019
Cultivating your inner world is critical to overall physical health and well-being. Thoughts, emotions, values ​​and attitudes have a huge influence on how one experiences the world. That is why more and more people are starting to pay attention to this fundamental aspect of life.
However, finding ways to cultivate your inner world can sometimes be tricky. After all, at birth, we are not given an instruction manual on how to be happy. In light of this, in this article we share 3 ways to start working effectively on this side.
Cultivating your inner world: the most important aspects
To take care of your physical health, you can start with three basic pillars: nutrition, exercise and rest. Similarly, mentally you can focus your work on:
- Thoughts and beliefs.
- Attitudes and values.
- The recurring emotions.
In the next few lines we will analyze each of these aspects in depth.
1- Thoughts and beliefs
The most important component of the inner world is the way of thinking, the inner dialogue. We have known for millennia that what we feel depends a lot on what we think about ourselves and what we focus our attention on mental. To start being happier, it is therefore necessary to consciously change the way we talk to each other.
Perhaps you think you are among those who never speak to themselves. Well, actually you do, even if you don't realize it. Even if you are not aware of your thoughts, they still have a very powerful effect on your mood. For this reason, the first thing to do is to identify the type of thoughts that engage the mind.
Once identified, the next step is to change them with more useful ones. To do this, the best thing to do is to recognize irrational beliefs and try to turn them into realistic and supportive ideas.
For example, you may find yourself thinking that you are useless people. However, as soon as you think about it you realize that this is an exaggeration. In what fields are you really good? What can you do if you work hard? These kinds of reflections can help you increase your self-esteem and gain a more realistic view of the world.
"Whether you think you can or you can't, you'll still be right."
-Henry Ford-
2- Attitudes and values
The second most important aspect of cultivating one's inner world is to change one's attitudes and values; that is the importance that is given to every aspect of one's life and to what is considered most important. Choosing carefully what you consider most valuable to yourself can really make a difference.
Below you will find a list of empowering and limiting values. Use them to realize what you are prioritizing in your life and whether that is doing you good or bad.
- Always be right. For some people, the need to always be right is the most important thing of all. For them, therefore, it is normal to argue with their loved ones or do everything possible for others to listen to them and therefore be able to prove that they are right. Usually, all of this causes frustration and is also a hindrance to general well-being.
- Avoid the risks. Many live their lives paralyzed by fear. Safety and lack of risk are essential; as soon as they can, they avoid facing any form of uncertainty. Most of the time, this leads them not to take advantage of a large part of the opportunities that are offered to them.
- Strive to the maximum. For some, the most important aspect of their life is giving 100% in everything they do. This usually leads them to try in every situation, to face fears and to reach the goals they have set for themselves; although obviously the road is never free from difficulties.
- Freedom. For some, the ability not to depend on anyone and to choose what to do at all times is the most important aspect. This can have both positive and negative consequences. The truth is that those who choose this value over others tend to have a much more rewarding life.
3- Cultivating one's inner world: the emotions
The last fundamental aspect to consider in order to cultivate your inner world is the way you feel. However, the best way to work with it is the indirect one. In other words, instead of trying to change emotions directly, it is much more effective to change one's thoughts, values ​​and one's life in such a way that everything is more satisfying.
Of course, if our feelings are out of control, we can learn to use tools to better manage them. This is mainly dealt with by psychological therapies. Nonetheless, and except in extreme cases, you can only deal with emotions once you are in control of the other two elements of your inner world.
