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At The Stress Less Company, we talk a lot about our Stress Less journeys (of course!), but what we don't always focus on in specific is our spiritual Stress Less journey. For a lot of us, we may feel a bit lost when it comes to connecting to that spiritual side of ourselves, but deep down, we might find ourselves noticing that there's something there that we need to connect to. That is why I invited Ilia Stranko, founder of Spiritually Curious, on the show to help us start our spiritual Stress Management Journey.
Ilia’s own journey first began when she was working as a social worker. Already being a healer, Ilia enjoyed helping others and, over time, began moving away from the “socially acceptable” healing role in social work to incorporate more spiritual methods into her personal healing and later with others that she works with.
“The beginning was all about self-discovery. And then I started sneaking that work in with my clients. And I could not believe what was happening. And so slowly over time, it just evolved”
Now Ilia is a personal growth and healing specialist, Reiki master, somatic therapist, workshop leader and more, helping countless people through her signature Soul Sessions. Through her work, she has come up with three tips for us to reconnect to our spiritual self.
Tip #1: Connect with your body
Ilia’s first tip starts with the body. Many of us often go through our days feeling disconnected. We go through the motions, but often feel as if we are out of balance. Ilia mentions that in order to connect with ourselves, it is important to recognize what is truly going on inside of us.
“We have a physical body. We're here, we're earthbound, but we also have an energetic body...The two play together and they really impact each other.”
A great way to begin reconnecting to our physical and energetic bodies is by using the breath. Taking even just a few breaths through our day is enough to make a difference.
“It sounds like this small thing, but it's huge. It will change the course of your day and it'll change the course of your connection with yourself.”
Tip #2: You are not alone in your spiritual journey
Another important thing Ilia notes is that it is important to remember that we are not alone on our spiritual journey. Ilia recalls starting her own journey and initially feeling afraid to be vocal with others about her spiritual exploration. However, opening up on our spiritual path plays a necessary role in our growth and success as we explore these parts of ourselves
“When we step into this part of our being [and] we allow this part of us to shine and to be seen, it really gives us permission to move towards our purpose, to move towards our truth, [and] to stand in who we are.”
Tip #3: Understand and identify spiritual stress
Ilia’s final tip is something that is really powerful in beginning our spiritual journey and that is understanding what spiritual stress looks like in our bodies. We often don't think about stress and our spirit together, but Ilia mentions that ignoring our spiritual needs can often lead to many of the physical and emotional stress symptoms we experience such as anxiety or shortness of breath.
“The way that your energy and your spirit respond is that for a little while it whispers, but then it gets louder and louder and louder and it becomes physical symptoms and it becomes emotional symptoms.”
As we learn to notice when these symptoms occur, we can learn how to reconnect to our energy, body, and mind and truly step forward on our spiritual journey wherever it takes us.