Interested in learning how to connect with your higher self?
If so, you’ve landed in the ideal place — because today, we’re breaking it all down.
What is your higher self, exactly?
How can strengthening the bond with yours be beneficial?
And most importantly, how do you go about it?
So pull up a screen for the next six minutes.
We’ve got all the answers.
What is the Higher Self?
In the simplest terms, your “higher self” is the best version of yourself – your inner wisdom and deeper knowing.
It’s a menagerie of your positive characteristics and talents — and perhaps, most importantly for spiritual folks, it’s your connection to the energetic and spiritual realms.
Your higher self knows your ideal path, but that doesn’t always mean it’s easy. After all, we learn our most important lessons by messing up and making mistakes.
As they say, failure and adversity are our best teachers.
Additionally, your higher self knows:
- Your strengths and how to leverage them
- What relationships are best for you during this chapter of your story
- The professional experiences you need to get you where you want to be
- What challenges stand in your way and potential solutions
What Are the Benefits of Connecting with the Higher Self?
Connecting with your higher self has many benefits, including:
- Increased Clarity: When you’re in tune with the best version of yourself, you’ll enjoy more mental clarity — which comes with a wealth of benefits in and of itself.
- Better Focus: A strong bond with your cosmic half keeps you focused on what’s important.
- Improved Mindfulness: Your higher self doesn’t wallow in the past or fret about the future; it simply exists.
- Enhanced Self-Respect and Self-Compassion: When you’re higher self is in control (as opposed to your shadow self, which we’ll explore more below), you’ll like yourself better — which translates to less anxiety and better interpersonal relationships.
- Improved Mental and Physical Health: Connecting with your higher self reduces stress and depression, which boosts the production of feel-good hormones and antibodies, resulting in better sleep quality, lower blood pressure, and improved cardiovascular health.
- Enhanced Sense of Belonging: Aligning with your higher self erodes feelings of isolation. In fact, a Carnegie Mellon University study concluded that cultivating a spiritual relationship with oneself reduces the perception of loneliness.
13 Paths to Higher-Self Connection
You’re intrigued. Building a bond with your higher self may be just what you need. But how do you go about it? Let’s explore 13 ways.
1. Meditate
Since 5,000 BCE, humans have meditated to connect with the natural world and divine forces.
Modern scientific studies prove that people who meditate enjoy a wealth of physical and mental health benefits. Accordingly, many people have adopted the practice secularly.
But the ancients were onto something, as meditation remains an excellent way to connect with universal energy, and making time to sit in contemplation each day is one of the best ways to communicate with your higher self.
2. Set Purpose-Driven Goals
Aimlessness will get you nowhere — quickly. Study after study shows that people who set SMART goals enjoy more success.
What’s a SMART goal? It’s a stated objective that satisfies the following criteria:
- Specific: Pinpointing specifics allows for better planning.
- Measurable: Determining benchmarks keeps things organized and on track.
- Attainable: Is your goal realistic in the time frame you’ve allotted?
- Relevant: Good goals align with your values, views, values, and objectives.
- Time-Bound: Set a target date to keep you motivated.
When you’re serious about your intentions, your higher self will naturally become more engaged in the process.
3. Eat Well
If you’re like most folks, you’re probably tired of hearing about the benefits of healthy eating. And we get why it’s annoying. Heck, nobody likes to be told the same thing over and over.
Moreover, it’s one of those things that everyone knows, but it isn’t easy to implement — because…well…a lot of nutritious food doesn’t go down easily. (Yes, healthy people; you find it delicious. You’re lucky your taste buds turned out the way they did; not everyone was similarly blessed.)
But if you want to connect with your higher self, fueling your body with what’s best is the right move. Think of your body as a temple; the better you treat it, the better your higher self will treat you.
4. Defeat Your Worst Vices
Sure, we all have a few small habits that may need improvement. After all, nobody in the history of homo sapiens has been perfect.
But clinging to big, bad vices isn’t wise — especially when trying to build a bond with your higher self.
While it may seem daunting initially, you can overcome obstacles like smoking, over-drinking, and other reckless behaviors.
Part of the process is building a relationship with your “best self,” and walking the path to a healthier life strengthens the bond.
5. Commune With Nature
Our bodies need time outside to soak in the sun’s vitamin D and breathe fresh air. So get out and commune with nature. You’ll feel better, and your higher self will appreciate the effort immensely.
After all, being at one with nature is our biological default setting.
6. Tackle Your Shadow Self
Everyone has a shadow self — and they ain’t pretty. They hold our issues, baggage, and unaddressed trauma. Like Gremlins, they’re scared of the light.
Our shadows tend to think irrationally, lean on false assumptions, and cause us to behave poorly.
Practically, your shadow self is the opposite of your higher self — but they don’t exist in a yin-yang harmony. Instead, focusing on one zaps the other’s energy.
If you’ve let your shadow self hold the reins for a while, you’ve been ignoring your higher self.
Rectify the situation by confronting and addressing the things you’ve shoved under the proverbial carpet. Once done, you’ll automatically develop a stronger connection with your higher self.
7. Engage in Self-Reflection
By definition, your higher self is a part of you — the best part. As such, it follows that self-reflection will help you connect with your cosmic self.
So check in with your mind, body, and soul. Ask yourself the difficult questions; learn how to forgive and be kind to yourself; pay attention to your passions and plot out your goals.
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8. Align Your Chakras
Certain Hindu and Tantric Buddhist traditions believe chakra work is sacred, but increasing numbers of people practice it in a non-denominational spiritual way.
Some people even approach it from a purely psychophysiological vantage point.
After all, the Universe and everything in it — including us — is made of energy. When you think about it that way, chakra work makes complete sense.
9. Enlist a Coach
Have you ever considered working with a life coach? Over the past decade, millions have discovered that enlisting one isn’t as airy-fairy as some assume.
Life coaches are a great medium point between self-help and full-blown therapy. Instead of focusing on the “whys” of your emotional state, life coaches support goal-making and self-reflection work from a practical standpoint.
They help keep you accountable, and working with one can significantly increase your connection with your higher self.
10. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the emotional art of living in the present. Instead of wallowing in past pains and shame or catastrophizing about the future, people who live mindfully focus on what they can control in a given moment.
That doesn’t mean mindful people don’t plan for the future or remember past lessons, but they also don’t live in either place.
There are many ways to practice mindfulness, and doing higher-self work is one. Thinking, journaling, and meditating about your connection to the cosmic portion of your being tethers you to the Universal whole.
11. Work on Positive Thinking
Studies show that positive thinking plays a significant role in how we feel. And as you may have already guessed, the more positive someone is, the more enjoyment they get out of life.
Additionally, positive people are more likely to reach their goals.
From a higher-self standpoint, it makes sense that better bonds are forged when your conscious self leans positive.
After all, would you rather spend time with someone who was hopefully or perpetually pessimistic?
Please note that we’re not evangelizing on behalf of toxic positivity. It’s unhealthy to bury feelings and personal opinions to please someone else’s comfort and viewpoint.
While being thoughtful, compassionate, and sensitive is admirable, living a life of emotional deprivation is downright dangerous, and we don’t recommend it.
12. Read (A Lot)
Reading really is fundamental and a great way to optimize your brain and balance your soul.
For starters, when you’re reading, you’re not zoning out in front of a screen. Granted, sometimes a little binge is just what the doctor ordered. But too much can devour your ambition and rob you of happiness.
Furthermore, reading opens you up to new ideas and concepts that help you grow in the best possible direction, making it a great way to connect with your higher self.
13. Journal
Journaling is another one of those things proven to optimize cognitive function, but nobody is 100% certain why.
All researchers know is that it works. There’s just something about pouring ourselves onto a page that helps us gain perspective and navigate rough personal and professional patches.
If you’re anxious to connect with your higher self, spend a few journaling sessions a week concentrating on that goal.
And remember that self-reflection is part of the process, so feel free to think about yourself — for once! It’s not navel-gazing; it’s growth.
Final Thought
Connecting with your higher self is an excellent way to get your life on the right path. Even if you’re skeptical, give it a shot. You may discover that the practice significantly improves your day-to-day mindset and helps you reach your goals.
