Strengthen Your Sense of Belonging

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As we navigate these challenging times, strengthening our sense of belonging and our feeling of membership in a bigger web is crucial. The more we feel we belong to ourselves and to the world, the better we feel, the better we can handle challenges, and the more we are able to both receive and contribute to the goodness of the world.

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I’m reminded of two quotes that I recently shared in my yoga sessions on membership and belonging.

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“By refreshing our sense of belonging in the world, we widen the web of relationships that nourishes us and protects us from burnout.” -  Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone, Active Hope

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"To name the world as gift is to feel one's membership in the web of reciprocity. It makes you happy—and it makes you accountable." - Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberry

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Here are a few ways I think about and strengthen my sense of belonging.

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Belonging to yourself.

Practicing mindfulness, meditation, journaling, and yoga invite me into a deeper sense of belonging to myself. As I sit, breathe, write, and move, I invite all my parts in. My body, my thoughts, my emotions, my memories, and my dreams - they are all part of me. They all belong to me. Meditation, journaling and yoga are all practices that help me to be self-compassionate. Through these practices, I learn to replace self-criticism with kindness. I come to the realization that I am doing the best I can. Belonging to myself is the first step to feeling a sense of belonging with others. 

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Belonging to the past.

When I practice yoga and I feel my back body, I am reminded of the people I have come from - both my biological kin, and my kin of heart. Ancestors, caregivers, mentors, and friends. I belong to them and they belong to me. My body, mind and heart has been shaped by these people - their bodies, their ideas, and their dreams are part of who I am and inform how I think and move in the world. The more I can honor those I come from, the more I can honor those whose lives I touch.

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Belonging to community.

Humans are social animals. We are not designed to “go it alone.” We are designed to help each other and to live interdependent lives. The more we can practice reciprocity in relationships, receiving and offering, the healthier we can be. Positive relationships are “stress regulators.” This means that the more often we work with others, eat with others, talk to others, and celebrate with others, the better. The happiest, healthier humans are those with the strongest relationships. A sense of belonging to community is crucial for our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. 

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Belonging to nature.

It’s easy for modern humans to feel separate from nature. Spending time in Nature on a regular basis through nature walks, gardening, or just watching the birds, invites me to feel part of the greater web of life. Taking the time to name and know the trees, flowers, birds, squirrels, mountains, and waterways reminds us that we too are animals and part of the web of life, and this makes us healthier and more inclined to care for this beautiful planet.

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Belonging to “now.”

You may feel differently, but I don’t believe it is any accident that any of us have been born into these “times.” I come back again and again to the belief that there is an intersection between who I am and the “call of the times.” There is something this “here and now” for each of me to receive and to offer. The more I feel I belong, the more I can heed the call of “now” and contribute to the goodness of this world.

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When each of us tends to our small corner of the world, strengthening our sense of belonging in the place we call “home,” we are nourished by the web we are part of, and we can then nourish this web. In this way, we can care for ourselves and we care for the world.

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