5 Spiritual Practices to Weave into Your Workday

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Each new day presents opportunities to embrace and expand your spiritual life, whether spending time in an office, caring for your family, or a combination of both. Choosing and developing career choices that speak to spiritual objectives—such as compassion, honesty, and enthusiasm—allows growth in all directions, not only at home or in your community. When we incorporate these paths of personal growth and compassion within the workday, we come much closer to a life of fulfillment—making a career more than just a financially sustaining necessity, but also a way to spread kindness to all corners of our lives.

It all starts with the days, the tiny moments. These moments create opportunities to connect with coworkers, clients, and everyone our work touches. No matter where we are in both our spiritual journeys and career paths, it’s never too early to reframe your daily prayer or meditation practice. Not only do these actions guide us toward more meaningful actions, but they also point us in a career direction more attuned to our strengths and unique purpose. Above all, taking more time to re-center adds meaning to the small details of work, helps you remain focused and enthusiastic, and spreads compassion to those around you.

There are many ways to build a daily practice. You may begin by breaking down the day itself—this way it becomes easier to pinpoint the moments where calm and presence can be reincorporated for balance. Explore the following methods for integrating private meditation and prayer into your mornings, work breaks, evenings, and overall career.

Set a Morning Intention

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It’s often difficult to maintain that morning peaceful state of mind when a to-do list awaits you before even heading out the door. But setting aside meditation and prayer space encourages you to slow down, reassess morning stress, and set the day on the right track. And whether you had a peaceful or worry-filled night of sleep, morning prayer and meditation creates a more positive trajectory before heading out into the world.

The Mayo Clinic found that the centuries-old tradition of meditation has both physical and psychological benefits in regular practitioners. Since we best fully connect with the world when our minds are balanced and healthy, creating the habit of intentional breathing and meditation brings us closer to spiritual goals.

Choose a practice space each day that is slightly separated from the path of your morning routine. If possible, find an area that touches nature—an open window, a bright sunny spot, or even an area on an outdoor porch. Through journaling, meditation, or prayer, gently state how you would like to touch the world today. Consider which strengths and virtues may be necessary to stay balanced, and ask for the focus to continue the search for your honest self. Where can I find moments throughout my day to practice both compassion for others and myself? Can I be more in-tune with and thankful for these opportunities, however challenging?

Sticking to this practice is particularly helpful when facing a daunting project or handling difficulties with a coworker.

Set Aside Breaks to Return to Your Center

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Recharging is necessary for any field. We must take care of ourselves to take care of others—and vice versa. When taking a short break—for coffee or lunch for example—try to carve out a private space, even for a few moments. Even if you must be in public to do so, even five intentionally uninterrupted minutes will do. Reconnecting with nature and outside air is very beneficial in these times.

During this break, take note—without judgement—of what has come up for your so far. You can think of this as a mental and spiritual check-in. Are you feeling resistance to your morning intention? What factors are causing this resistance? Take the time to see the change honestly and allow yourself to re-enter work without unrecognized frustration or tension. You may not be able to “fix” the tension in the moment, but recognizing it encourages healing.

Consider adopting a mantra or short prayer for difficult moments or challenges with others. Apps such as Insight Timer feature all denominations of both short and long guided meditations, and are specifically designed for times of challenge and re-centering. Carry this energy out to the people around you—self-care and reflection are contagious, and their returned energy will continuously feed your day.

Closing Out the Day

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The end of the day is a time to reconnect with gratitude, honesty, and most importantly—closure. After allowing some space to grow between yourself and the workday, find solitude to write or meditate on the moments of the day that challenged or excited you, what came up in these instances, and how this particular day is helping your move toward the person you wish to be. These check-ins may also reveal the desire for a career change that speaks more directly to your spiritual path. If a career change is not possible at this time, recognize the moments of the day that still brought these truths to light, each small step is important for the long-term plan.

Once this is complete, choose a prayer or meditation that helps you close out the day, laying all memories to rest and confirming that your work is over and done until tomorrow. This practice will help the transition to sleep more smoothly, progressing your energy and intentions into the next day. With a new morning intention waiting for you on the other side of sleep, we break up the feeling of monotony, snowballing this energy of direction and intentional career movement from one week to the next.

Monthly Career Check-Ins

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As we set more time aside for intention, each day becomes fuller and more deliberate. We act from a place that aligns with our virtues and our hopes for effecting a kinder, more connected society. Whether your career keeps you relatively secluded or involves collaborating with others throughout the day, our energy, enthusiasm and kindness spread out to everything we do.

For both long-term and immediate career changes, scheduling weekly or monthly check-ins can inform when a change in career direction is best for our personal journey. Are both your natural and trained strengths being sufficiently utilized at your job? And if not, how can you broaden your horizon or reach out to your circle to find ways to better do so?

When doing this practice, it’s important to remember that most changes do not happen overnight. You may not have resources or awareness of how to make the change right away. With continuously small steps, the seeds will be planted for a personally suited career.

The End Goal: Spiritual Life/Work Balance

Finding financial, spiritual, and psychological work/life balance may take years to accomplish. Moving toward this goal is not always linear, but having a greater understanding of your needs is the clear path ahead. As you move through your daily and monthly personal check-ins, begin expanding your spiritual inspirations that arise when working through difficulties. If your findings tell you that a particular path would bring you—and those around you—more joy and fulfillment, then begin exploring the options logistically and financially.

For example, those with a passion for one-on-one care and human connection in their lives may turn to a service-based career, working as a caretaker or in the community. Compassion-centric paths such as these are often fulfilling for those who feel the most intense personal growth from connecting directly with others. On the other hand, you may instead, flourish when working privately, but your current career allows you little quiet space. All of these realizations lend to finding a home for your talents and true spiritual self. Knowing yourself allows you to help others in a way best suited to your unique needs.