A recent article published in Harvard Health caught my interest, as it stated:
"Being inspired by things in your life doesn't just help your emotional wellbeing — it may keep you healthier."
So much so that the evidence from studies suggests that:
"People with a higher sense of purpose in life are less perturbed by various stressors, and also recover more quickly when they are more stressed."
Another study, published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, found that:
"people with a high sense of purpose were 28% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia."
Furthermore, that having a strong sense of purpose is linked with increased physical activity, better self-care, and is associated with lower mortality rates.
From my perspective, sometimes we can get caught up in life doing so much of what is 'expected' from us, or 'projected' on to us, that we forget to do things we would personally love to do. Or perhaps we have made a life change - whether by choice or being forced. A change in our professional work, or retirement, or divorce, or having children, or children leaving 'the nest'. And now we are searching for a new sense of 'purpose' due to the former no longer being present and / or available.
The Harvard Health article talks about how hobbies and contributing to the wellbeing of family members are things that people report give them a sense of purpose in life.
During my early 20s, after making the decision to drastically change the trajectory of my life, I intentionally took time out to ask myself the following questions:
What is it that nourishes my creativity and joy?
What is it that drives my enthusiasm for getting out of bed each day?
And what choices am I making that bring me closer to that?
These questions are what sparked the impetus for launching a business focusing on health and wellbeing.
These questions are also what I continue to ask myself each year, to ensure I am cultivating a life with 'soul nourishing purpose'.
As the research published in Harvard Health found, being inspired by things in our life isn't simply a way to improve our mental and emotional wellbeing. It actually keeps us physically healthier too.
As a woman, there are so many senses of purpose to lean in to that are instinctually linked within our biology. Whether that be the purpose we feel we have as a wife, mother, or grandmother, for example.
And then there's our professional purpose, whether that be a profession in the corporate space, athletic arena or artistic stage, or anywhere in between.
What matters most, is that it’s so critical to dig deep and choose what is best for ourselves. It's not something that can be copied or prescribed or faked. It's something that is so intimately unique to each and every one of us, and what I personally believe to be so beautiful about life ... that we all have our own unique 'song' that we like to dance through life with, providing us with a sense of purpose.
It’s also one of the biggest secrets for adding life to our years, and years to our life.