Run a Health Check on Your Soul

Doctors, dieticians, and personal trainers all want you to be healthy, so they help you pay special attention to two activities with a major impact on your body: diet and exercise.

In my role as a pastor, I frequently have conversations with individuals about their soul’s health. Some are entering a new phase of life, many are stressed, and others are open to talking about spiritual matters for the very first time. Here’s a guide I’ve found helpful for a conversation about the health of your soul.

First, think about your soul’s diet.

• Make a list of the TV shows, books and magazines you’ve been reading. Add the music, radio, and podcasts you’ve been listening to. Look at your screen time, app usage, and social media consumption. As you look over that list, you might not even need someone to point out what you’ve gobbled up in excess versus what has been feeding your soul nutritiously.
• Check whether your diet regularly reminds you of your value, your purpose, and your reasons for enduring through hardship. Do you prioritize the important things of life? Do you consume any messages that help you cope with your guilt, or provide you the refreshment of forgiveness and peace?
• Show the list to your spouse, sibling, or a solid friend and ask if there’s something missing to help you feast on a well-rounded, edifying diet.

Next, consider your soul’s exercise.

• A good night’s sleep is important for having a mindset that sees opportunities on your path.
• From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep, you face choices that all have a spiritual impact. It’s a real workout to take good care of the blessings you’ve been given. Keep your eyes out for ways you can be a positive influence on your family, workplace and neighborhood.
• Don’t get the impression that only grand gestures of virtue count as exercise for your soul. Gently urging the repair of a relationship is exercise! Changing diapers, wiping noses, and prepping meals is hard work for a good cause.

While you can certainly run this checkup on your soul yourself, there’s a reason even dentists go to another dentist and therapists go to other therapists. Want an honest opinion? Sense your soul could be healthier but not sure where to start? Open up and talk to someone you trust in your community by asking, “Could you help me run a health check for my soul?”