Refresh Your Soul: 15 Creative Ways
Do you long to refresh your soul but feel unsure of how to do this in practical ways?
You are in the right place. Today, I invite you to join me in the woods as I step out of my everyday routines to refresh my mind and body. Then, we’ll talk about practical ways to refresh your soul, even if you don’t particularly enjoy the woods.
15 Creative Ways to Refresh Your Soul
Last summer, I took our five-year-old daughter, Bekah, to the woods for her first overnight backing trip.
“I don’t think most mothers take their little girls into the wilderness on backcountry camping trips,” a friend remarked. “But I love that you’re doing this. Let this time in the woods draw you closer together and refresh you.”
“It’ll either be refreshing or exhausting,” I told her. “Probably both.”
The next day, I strapped 50 pounds of gear to my back, “loaded” Bekah with a five-pound Hello Kitty backpack, and we headed into the woods.
We carried two sleeping bags, two sleeping pads, a tent, water bottles, snacks, extra clothes, a baby doll, playing cards, and more.
Space to Refresh Your Soul
After a long three-mile hike, Bekah and I sat beside our campfire. I told her how I used to sit along this same river and memorize Psalms, pray, and seek God.
“This place was my safe haven, a place where I met with God, and he refreshed my soul,” I told her. 
The water slipped past in shades of emerald, and Bekah asked if I had my Bible. I was blessed by the question, and we read together for a while.
After a song and prayer, she scampered up the riverbank in search of toads, and I made the following list of ways to find refreshment:
15 Ways to Refresh Your Soul:
1. Close your eyes and begin naming every gift that comes to mind.
Let these gifts parade through your mind and savor each one. Meditate on everything you appreciate about each gift. Note that you can do this anywhere.
2. Look to the open sky.
Go to a window and watch the clouds pass overhead for 10 minutes. Time spent connecting with nature reduces sympathetic nerve activity and lowers cortisol.
Watching the clouds pass can help calm your limbic system and enable you to connect with God. The skies proclaim the work of his hands.
3. Focus on intentionally breathing.
Go somewhere quiet, close your eyes, and spend several minutes breathing slowly: 3 seconds inhaling and 5 seconds exhaling for at least five cycles. When we exhale more slowly than we inhale, this calms the limbic system.
4. Take a short walk (ideally, near trees).
Take a short walk around the block or down the road. If possible, walk somewhere with trees. Many trees omit aerosols that enhance cognitive and physiological functioning.
5. Hydrate your body.
Take a break from your work and drink a glass of water. This can be a surprisingly simple way to refresh your soul and body.
6. Connect with God for a few minutes.
Read a Psalm slowly and let the words wash over you. Turn on a worship song and imagine God sitting on his throne in heaven. Or go to a quiet place and talk to God for just a few moments. Reconnecting with him can change the direction of your day.
7. Practice soft fascination.
Spend a few minutes admiring a tree, a houseplant, or any living being. This kind of soft fascination will reboot your brain. Look at it closely and marvel at its intricacies.
8. Fuel your body with natural food.
Eat a crunchy apple or piece of fruit. If you don’t eat fruit, munch on a raw vegetable or a handful of nuts. Feeding our bodies healthy and natural food helps us stay refreshed.
9. Hum or sing your favorite song.
Humming and singing stimulate the Vagus Nerve, telling your nervous system that all is well. Spend a few minutes humming or singing your favorite song, and you will quiet your nervous system.
10. Listen to calming music.
Again, this quiets the mind. Let the melody carry you away as worries and concerns fall aside.
11. Pet your dog or cat.
If you are at home, spend a few minutes enjoying your pet.
Watch your fish swim in its tank or pet the dog.
Resist the urge to simultaneously complete any additional tasks. Simply enjoy yourselves.
If you don’t have pets, consider setting up a bird feeder and watching the birds outside your window.
12. Make plans with people who refresh you.
Go to lunch. Take a walk. Invite friends to your home for dinner.
We were designed to live in community with others. Spending time with people who fill you up can refresh your soul.
13. Resist the urge to hurry or rush.
Most of us are too busy. Consider fasting from hurrying for one day.
If you like the shift, continue the fast.
14. Pursue whimsical fun.
Go tubing down a river or sailing on a friend’s boat. Play mini golf or pickup basketball. Make it a point to do something whimsical as often as possible.
15. Learn a new skill.
Take up pottery, painting, kayaking, or mountain biking.
Learning new skills increases neuroplasticity and will refresh your soul.
~~~
When the shadows fell long on the water, Bekah and I cooked dinner on the fire and talked about dreams and hopes. Bekah slept deeply, and I watched her all night, a protective instinct rising within me, keeping watch for bears and raccoons.
Despite the lack of sleep, when we emerged from the woods the next day, I felt deeply refreshed.
Sometimes, the best way to refresh ourselves is to step out of our usual rhythms.
May you find this time today, too.
A Free Devotional to Refresh Your Soul:
Does the idea of slipping away to a beautiful place to recharge and refresh sound inviting? Space for Your Soul to Stretch is your invitation to create space to rest in God’s presence. Each day of this 8-day free online devotional invites you to encounter God’s created world and spend time in his written Word. You will walk away from this journey replenished and refreshed each day. It is your right here.
Calling all moms and daughters—and parents of boys!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world. Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Devotionals for Girls
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
