In our modern age, it can feel difficult to stay absolutely true to your faith, since distractions are rife in everyday life. Everyone is too busy to take time and reflect on what they believe in, and why, and how they worship. Careers, families and even just technology and social media can seem to become obstacles to your faith, but they don’t have to be. If everything seems to be trying to keep you away from your inner beliefs and spirituality, then make sure that you can ward off the most common distractions by adhering to this article’s advice, in order to keep God close to your mind and soul.
Physical Reminders
At times, it can be difficult to remember what you should be doing, and fitting worshiping into an already chaotic schedule is a nightmare just waiting to unfold. Keeping a written-down checklist of what you need to accomplish everyday, or having reminders set on your phone for important events throughout the day, can easily free up your time and stop you stressing about forgetting this or that, which can lead your thoughts away from God and into a ‘noisy’ mode, where you can’t focus.
Unplug
Technology is attempting to rule over our lives at the moment, taking over everything and distracting us from everything, including our faith. “Taking a little time away from your smart phone and laptop, especially for younger people, can be an amazing tool to stop distractions plaguing your beliefs and stopping you having time to worship,” Danielle Carr, a youth counsellor at Assignment Help and OXEssays, says. “If the whole family participates, perhaps by having specific hours or days where all electronics are safely stored away in a box or cupboard, then young people will normalize this time for reflection and peace, and it will benefit them greatly in the years ahead, since it may become a habit for life!”
Breaks
While working all the time might make you feel productive and in control, it could actually be detrimental to your focusing and become a distraction within itself, since you could get caught up in work and your career, and not find enough time for your faith. In order to avoid this, taking quick breaks between work tasks (only ten to fifteen minutes) where you relax and focus can quickly de–stress you and help your mind to recover from the chaos of the working world, making more room for thoughts on your faith and less for the paperwork you have to hand in and the deadlines you have to meet. Breaks can help keep work within its designated spot in your mind, where it should stay, so that it doesn’t impact on your personal or spiritual life.
Food
Food is a source of energy, which you need to get you through the day and keep on top of all your tasks and thoughts. “While reaching for unhealthy, sugary snacks may seem tempting, you only actually need a quick, healthy option to top up your energy levels and stop distractions taking advantage of a tired, cranky mind,” Raymond Henderson, a chaplain at UK Writings and Top Essay Writing Services, suggests, “so make sure that you have some nice nuts or berries by your desk, or stored around the home, and make a habit out of taking some fruit with you every time you leave the house, be it for work or a simple errand. You never know when a hunger pang might strike, and unfocus your mind, making it very difficult to concentrate on your faith.”
Awareness
Sometimes, the simple thought of God always watching over you may be enough to refocus you, and make sure that you’re performing as well as you can, at whatever you’re doing. Remembering that God will one day judge you based on all of your actions may influence how you approach and get around distractions, and keeping this thought in mind should make getting your priorities in order easy. While these distractions can be obvious, such as wasting time on mobile games, they can be more subtle, like becoming so engrossed in work that you forget to pray. However, no matter the nature of the distraction, just remember that God will see it as such, and that nothing should be important enough to lead you away from your faith.
Environment
Working in a cluttered environment can make many people stressed and work less, since they will be distracted by everything not being in the right place or orderly. This is the same for your faith – if you are trying to reflect on your beliefs, but doing so in a noisy room with children running about and a TV blaring loudly in the background, then these are all distractions which you can avoid by having a specific room which is kept quiet and neat for matters relating to worship and inner-reflection. This will ensure that distractions are kept at a minimum in the times when you need to focus on your faith, and will be a good investment for the future.
