You do have a higher self, and its purpose is to offer healing wisdom and a broader view of your life—but only when you’re ready and willing to receive it. Many parts of you could benefit from this guidance: your body, your emotions, and your thoughts all have their own way of seeing the world. Sometimes they understand things clearly, and sometimes they get confused. Each of these parts would benefit from the loving light and wisdom of your higher self.

Throughout this article, you’ll find simple practices that can help you reduce stress and anxiety in your daily life. These aren’t abstract spiritual exercises—they’re practical tools that use your breath, body awareness, and inner attention to create real calm in the midst of life’s challenges. Whether you think of this as connecting with your higher self, tapping into your inner wisdom, or simply learning to self-regulate, these practices work.

Understanding Your Many Layers

Your soul exists on many levels. Think of it like a tall apartment building. At the top floor lives your eternal higher self—wise, calm, and always seeing the big picture. On the lower floors are parts of you that have gotten stuck in old patterns from difficult experiences, both in this lifetime and others.

SIMPLE PRACTICE: Sensing Your Layers (Reduces Anxiety)

Right now, place one hand on your heart. Take three slow breaths. Notice: What do you feel in your body? What emotions are present? What thoughts are running through your mind? Just notice these different layers of your experience, without judging them. This is the first step in knowing yourself.

Why this helps: When you’re anxious, your mind races between past regrets and future worries. This practice brings you into the present moment, where anxiety can’t survive. Studies show that simply placing your hand on your heart activates your calming nervous system.

At any moment, you’re receiving signals from many sources:

• Old patterns from past experiences
• Unconscious memories from childhood
• The wise perspective of your higher self
• Messages from your environment
• Your conscious thoughts right now

It’s like trying to listen to several radio stations at once. This mixture creates your unique consciousness. It might seem messy, but it’s what makes you wonderfully, uniquely you.

Why Your Higher Self Doesn’t Fix Everything

Think of your higher self like the sun. The sun is always shining, but sometimes clouds block your view of it. Your higher self doesn’t hide from you—you simply forget to look up through the clouds of your daily concerns.

Many people wonder: if my higher self is so wise, why doesn’t it just remove all my problems? Imagine a loving parent watching their child learn to ride a bicycle. The parent could hold the bike steady forever, but then the child would never learn to balance. Your higher self works the same way—it allows you to learn and grow through experience.

PRACTICE: Finding the Sun Behind the Clouds (Reduces Stress)

Sit quietly for a moment. Imagine your worries are like clouds in the sky. Don’t try to push them away. Now, sense that behind all these clouds, there’s a warm, steady sunlight. That sunlight is always there, even when you can’t see it. Breathe slowly and let yourself feel that warmth behind your thoughts. That’s your higher self—always present, always available.

Why this helps: This visualization technique interrupts the stress response. Instead of fighting your worries (which increases stress), you acknowledge them while shifting attention to something calming. This is a proven anxiety-reduction method used in modern therapy.

You’re Not a Child; You’re a Student

You are not helpless, and your higher self is not an all-powerful parent who should rescue you from every difficulty. To understand this relationship, we need to ask: What are you doing here on Earth?

Your higher self is your eternal essence. It has always existed and will always exist. It’s made from the same cosmic fabric as the universe itself. Religious traditions might say it’s made from the body of the creator. And here’s something that sounds strange: your higher self wants to grow.

How can something made of universal essence still need to grow? Think of a great oak tree. It’s already magnificent, but it continues to grow by producing acorns that become new trees. Each new tree has the wisdom of the parent tree but also brings something unique to the forest.

What Are You, Exactly?

Each lifetime you live is like a child of your higher self—but you’re also like the president of a company called “Divine Self, Unlimited,” using your higher self as your wisest advisor.

Let’s use both metaphors, because you’re complex enough to be both:

As the child: You’re learning and growing through your experiences. Your higher self gives you room to explore, make mistakes, and discover your own wisdom.

As the president: You’re in charge of your daily decisions, using your higher self’s expertise when you choose to consult it.

PRACTICE: Meeting Your Inner Advisor

Close your eyes and imagine yourself sitting at a beautiful table. Across from you sits a figure made of soft light—not demanding, not grand, just quietly present. This is your higher self. You don’t need to bow to it or take orders from it. Simply sit with it. Ask silently: “What do I most need to know right now?” Then listen—not for words necessarily, but for a feeling, an image, or a sense of knowing. Trust whatever comes.

Hints, Not Warnings

Your higher self speaks in hints rather than loud warnings. This might seem frustrating. Wouldn’t it be better to get clear, stern directions?

Think of learning to swim. A good teacher doesn’t grab you every time you start to sink. Instead, they give you small cues: “Kick your legs more,” or “Tilt your head back.” These hints help you develop your own skill. If the teacher held you up constantly, you’d never learn to float on your own.

When you look back at difficult situations, you may realize you did have subtle feelings about what was coming. Maybe you felt uneasy but ignored it. Maybe you had a fleeting thought but dismissed it as silly. Your higher self was speaking—you just weren’t practiced at listening yet.

PRACTICE: Tuning In to Subtle Signals (Better Decision-Making)

Think of a decision you need to make. It can be small—what to eat for dinner, or whether to call a friend. Close your eyes and imagine choosing option A. Notice: Does your body feel more relaxed or more tense? Do you feel lighter or heavier? Now imagine choosing option B. Notice the subtle body sensations again. Your higher self often speaks through these quiet physical feelings before your mind creates words. Practice this daily with small decisions to develop your sensitivity.

Why this helps: Your body responds to choices before your conscious mind does. Learning to read these signals reduces decision anxiety and helps you trust yourself. This body-based wisdom prevents you from overthinking and second-guessing.

The Learning Never Ends

If you’re reading this, someone has probably told you that you’re an “old soul”—that you have wisdom beyond your years. This is likely true. But being an old soul doesn’t mean you’re finished learning. Even wise people are still working through some basic human challenges.

This isn’t a contradiction. It’s simply the human condition. You have deep insights in some areas and blind spots in others. You accumulated your wisdom by having enough challenges, lifetime after lifetime, that you finally understood what your higher self was trying to share.

Your higher self wasn’t speaking in mysterious riddles. The message was always simple. But learning takes time. And there’s no one to blame for that—not even yourself.

PRACTICE: Releasing Blame (Stops the Shame Spiral)

Place both hands on your belly. Breathe slowly and deeply. Think of something you blame yourself for. Now imagine that blame is a heavy stone. With each exhale, imagine the stone getting lighter, until it becomes light as a feather and floats away. Say quietly to yourself: “I am learning. There is nothing to fix. I am enough right now.” Feel the difference in your body when you release self-judgment.

Why this helps: Self-blame creates a stress cycle that keeps you stuck. This practice interrupts that cycle by engaging your compassionate nervous system. When you stop fighting yourself, anxiety naturally decreases and you have more energy for actual problem-solving.

How Your Higher Self Actually Helps

When you ask your higher self for guidance and don’t get a clear answer, it doesn’t mean you’re being ignored. Your higher self is offering something more valuable than an action plan—it’s offering you its presence.

Think of sitting by a calm lake. The lake doesn’t tell you what to do, but being near it brings you peace and clarity. From that peaceful place, you naturally know what to do next. Your higher self works the same way.

Sometimes you’re not getting specific guidance because you’re meant to learn through direct experience. This doesn’t mean your higher self has abandoned you. It’s like a parent watching their child figure out a puzzle—staying present but letting the child discover the solution.

PRACTICE: Accessing the Calm Lake (Instant Calm)

Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Imagine you’re sitting beside a perfectly calm lake at sunrise. The water is smooth as glass, reflecting the peaceful sky. This lake is always inside you—it’s your higher self’s presence. When you feel confused or anxious, picture this lake. Breathe slowly and let your mind become as calm as the water. From this calm place, notice what you know to do next. The answer may come as a quiet knowing, not dramatic words.

Why this helps: Visualization activates the same calming brain centers as actual peaceful experiences. This practice lowers cortisol (stress hormone) and helps you access the clear-thinking part of your brain instead of the panicked part.

Being Present With Your Higher Self

Being present with your higher self doesn’t mean closing your eyes and chanting all day. It means staying grounded in your body, aware of your surroundings, and gently including a subtle presence—like a friend walking quietly beside you.

Your higher self has no physical form, so it’s not located in any specific place. It’s not above you or separate from you. It’s within you and around you, like the air you breathe.

Here’s a paradox that your rational mind can’t solve: You are an aspect of your higher self, and your higher self is an aspect of you. Don’t try to figure this out logically. Instead, just sit with this strange truth. Let yourself hold two opposite ideas at the same time. This actually helps you bypass your limited rational thinking and access something deeper.

PRACTICE: The Paradox Meditation (Mental Flexibility)

Hold your hands out in front of you, palms facing each other, about a foot apart. Say quietly: “I am an aspect of my higher self” (bring your hands slightly closer). Then say: “My higher self is an aspect of me” (move your hands slightly apart again). Repeat this several times, moving your hands closer and farther apart. Feel the energy between your palms. This is what paradox feels like—not confusion, but a deeper knowing that includes both truths at once. This practice helps you access cosmic unity without needing to understand it intellectually.

Why this helps: Anxiety thrives on black-and-white thinking. This exercise trains your brain to hold complexity without getting overwhelmed. It builds mental flexibility, which reduces the stress of needing everything to make perfect logical sense.

Recognizing Real Contact

How do you know when you’re actually contacting your higher self and not just your imagination or something else?

Your higher self never makes demands. If you’re hearing bossy commands or pompous mystical announcements, you’re probably contacting your own ego or possibly another entity. The higher self doesn’t need to make demands—that’s not how it works.

The higher self doesn’t feel fancy or grand. It feels vast, but vast like a forest or an ocean—natural, deep, and majestic without being showy or ornate. Think of the difference between standing in an ancient forest and standing in an elaborate palace. Both can inspire awe, but one is natural and humble while the other is constructed and impressive. Your higher self feels like the forest.

PRACTICE: Recognizing the Higher Self’s Voice (Quiets Mental Chatter)

Notice the different voices in your mind. Your ego voice often sounds worried, demanding, or defensive. It says things like “You must do this!” or “What if you fail?” Your higher self’s voice feels different—spacious, calm, and kind. It might sound like: “Trust this,” or “You’re okay,” or simply be a wordless sense of peace. Practice identifying these different voices throughout your day. When you catch your ego being noisy, smile at it gently and ask to hear the quiet voice underneath.

Why this helps: Most anxiety comes from believing every worried thought. Learning to distinguish between your anxious mind and your wise inner voice dramatically reduces stress. You stop being at the mercy of every fear that pops up.

Including Your Higher Self in Daily Life

When you most need your higher self, it’s there. But you might not notice because the noise of your worried mind is too loud. Your ego’s complaints and arguments draw your attention like a loud television you forgot to turn off.

It takes practice to notice your noisy mind without getting pulled into its drama. When you learn to recognize the characteristic quality of your ego’s noise, you can compare it with the distinctly different quality of your higher self—vast and calm, like the deepest part of the ocean, far below the surface waves.

The secret of the higher self is that it’s so quiet you might almost miss it. But it shares a healing presence with you, deep as the forest, deep as the ocean.

PRACTICE: The Daily Check-In (Prevents Stress Build-Up)

Set a gentle alarm on your phone to ring three times throughout your day. When it rings, stop whatever you’re doing. Take three deep breaths. Place one hand on your heart. Ask yourself: “Am I including my higher self right now, or am I lost in mind noise?” Don’t judge yourself if you’ve forgotten. Just gently bring your attention back to that quiet presence within you. Over time, you’ll need the alarm less—you’ll remember naturally.

Why this helps: Stress accumulates when we go hours without checking in with ourselves. These brief pauses prevent stress from building up. They’re like releasing a pressure valve before the pot boils over. Regular check-ins are one of the most effective anxiety prevention tools.

What Your Higher Self Doesn’t Promise

Your higher self won’t make life’s problems disappear. But here’s the hope: your ability to navigate each daily situation becomes easier when you include your higher self. The blessings you receive bring balancing vibrations to each situation you encounter.

This doesn’t promise a problem-free life. But it does offer the possibility that each situation can be smoother than it would have been otherwise.

Think of walking through a dark forest. Your higher self is like moonlight filtering through the trees. It doesn’t remove the trees or make the path disappear, but it helps you see where you’re going. The journey is still yours to make, but you’re no longer walking in complete darkness.

PRACTICE: The Balancing Presence (Stays Calm in Crisis)

Next time you face a difficult situation, try this: Before reacting, pause. Place both hands on your heart. Imagine a soft golden light inside your chest—this is your higher self’s presence. Let that light grow until it surrounds your whole body. Now face your situation from within this light. Notice how your perspective shifts, even slightly. You’re not denying the problem, but you’re including a balancing presence that helps you respond with more wisdom.

Why this helps: Pausing before reacting breaks the automatic stress response. The heart-centered focus activates your calm nervous system. This practice helps you respond skillfully instead of reactively, which solves problems better and reduces the stress of regret later.

The Refreshing Reality

You’ve encountered many oversimplified spiritual teachings over the years. You’re ready for something more honest: Your higher self won’t lie to you, and it won’t live your life for you. It won’t control you, and it won’t leave you alone.

FINAL PRACTICE: The Sacred Moment (Immediate Relief)

Right now, wherever you are, take a slow and gentle breath. As you inhale, imagine you’re breathing in the peaceful presence of your higher self. Feel it fill your chest, your belly, your whole body. As you exhale, let any tension or confusion flow out. Do this three times. Notice the subtle shift in how you feel. This is always available to you—in any moment, with any breath. Your eternal self is sharing gifts with you right now, in this sacred moment.

Why this helps: Conscious breathing is the fastest way to reduce anxiety. Three deep breaths can shift your nervous system from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest in under a minute. This practice gives you a portable anxiety relief tool you can use anywhere, anytime.

Your higher self is infinitely patient with you. It never judges you. It doesn’t demand anything. But it’s always there for you. Simply look around you right now and know that within this present moment, you can choose to include your higher self.

The problems of life won’t disappear, but you don’t have to face them alone. You have an eternal companion, as steady as the sun, as deep as the ocean, as patient as the ancient forest. All you need to do is remember to include its quiet presence—and when you forget, gently remember again.

Take another slow breath. Your higher self is with you now. It always has been. It always will be.

Joel Bruce Wallach