Spiritual Health

Physical health has always been at the center of attention. Recently, mental health awareness has grown too. But what about spiritual health?

Our spirit, body, and mind are all profoundly interconnected. Therefore, the health of one can affect another. So, it’s essential to care for your spiritual well-being along with your physical and mental health.

While spirituality will not cure you, it will help you in coping with the pain and difficulties of life.

But what is spiritual health? Do you have to be religious to become spiritually healthy?

There is no one road to spiritual well-being—it is unique to each individual.

Spirituality is our sense of internal well-being and how we connect with something greater than ourselves. These are the standards and beliefs we develop throughout our life that form our unique spirituality.

Read on to learn more about spiritual health and how to improve your spiritual well-being.

What Is Spiritual Health?

Spiritual health is a dimension of human well-being. It creates a balance between all the other dimensions of health.

Spirituality encompasses physical, emotional, mental, social, and psychological health. You could say spiritual well-being glues together all aspects of health and wellness.

Moreover, spirituality and health bring meaning to life. It also creates solid ethics and altruism. Furthermore, this belief convinces us of our inherent survival ability.

Additionally, spiritual well-being can help create a purposeful life. It also enhances the ability to realize the diverse dimensions and capabilities of humans.

We refer to spirits as something that can not be defined as part of our mind or body. However, mind, body, and soul have effects on one and the other. Hence, you must prioritize your spiritual well-being to achieve optimum health.

Additionally, improving your spirituality and health can positively contribute to healing. So, while spirituality might not cure you entirely, it can help you cope with life’s difficulties.

Spiritual Health Benefits

The benefits of good spiritual health are endless. But it’s essential to remember spirituality is different for everyone. So, your spiritual well-being may look different than others.

Nonetheless, here are some of the top benefits of good spiritual wellness:

You’ll develop a sense of purpose in life.
In addition, you’ll feel greater peace & calmness.
Your sense of right and wrong will be profound.
You’ll be able to spend reflective time alone.
Your actions will be more consistent with your beliefs.
That’s not all, you’ll have more clarity in everyday decisions.
You’ll be more empathetic and helpful towards others.
Additionally, the relationships in your life will become more meaningful.
Even in the hardest of times, you’ll have hope and positivity.
Your overall physical, mental, and social health will improve.
Moreover, you’ll feel calmer and more mindful in everyday situations.
Furthermore, you’ll be able to let go of stress & anxiety over things you can’t control.

Are Spiritual Health and Religion The Same?

This is a common confusion among people new to spirituality. Another common question is whether one must be religious to attain spiritual well-being.

Well, spirituality and religion are closely related but not the same. While some people can find their spirituality by practicing religion, others do not.

Religion is a collection of well-organized beliefs and practices shared by a community. On the contrary, spiritual health is an individual practice. It helps an individual gain inner peace and purpose.

Spiritual well-being refers to exploring something greater than oneself. This journey may or may not include religious practices.

Religion and spirituality often get thrown together in similar contexts. For example, someone can be religious and spiritual, while others might be spiritual yet not religious.

Most importantly, there is no right or wrong way of achieving spiritual health. So, you can attain spiritual well-being no matter your religious beliefs.

How to Improve Spiritual Health

There is no right or wrong approach to developing spiritual wellness. Not sure where to start?

Here are a few suggestions for spiritual wellness activities:

Learn Yoga

Yoga is a big part of spiritual health because this practice unifies our body, mind, and spirit.

However, you don’t have to be a yogi to enjoy the spiritual benefits of yoga. You can improve your spiritual health by practicing yoga at any level.

Besides improving physical health, yoga helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.

When your body and mind are free of undue stress, you are more likely to attain inner peace.

Practice Meditation

No one becomes an expert meditator at the first session. Meditation is one of the simplest ways of improving your spiritual health.

This practice makes us more mindful of our bodies and our surroundings. Also, meditating gives us a sense of a greater self.

What’s more, meditation creates a space for self-reflection and awareness.

In addition, by slowing down our bodies, meditation can slow down and bring more clarity to our minds.

Moreover, there are many forms of meditation. You can start with guided meditations for smaller periods.

There are many helpful guided meditation apps like Calm, Headspace, and Breethe.

Start Journaling

Journaling helps us process our emotions and increase self-awareness. In addition, writing creates a nonjudgmental space for expressing feelings and emotions.

So, write down your worries and fears to clear your mind. Additionally, you can start a gratitude journal to become more mindful.

That’s not all, journaling can help us identify the unhealthy habits we are harboring. Therefore, start journaling every day. What’s more, it can be of tremendous help during challenging times.

Spend More Time in Nature

Nature helps us connect to our spirituality. So, whether you live in bustling cities or remote mountains, make time to surround yourself with nature.

Take a day off to spend time in mountains, beaches, gardens, or fields. You’ll find your spiritual health boosted after a day spent in nature.

What’s more, disconnecting from your phone and spending five minutes watching the trees. You’ll find the stress of an entire day gone.

Reading and Reflection

Reading brings clarity and focus to our minds. If you are religious, go for your religions book.

If not, select a book of quotes, habits, or devotions – whichever meets your needs. Also, make sure to understand and reflect on the words you read.

Focus on Your Hobbies

Find mindful hobbies to engage in. It can be gardening, cooking, painting, working out, or playing sports.

Spending time doing things you love can bring a sense of purpose to life. In addition, by caring for your mind, you can connect better to your spirituality.

Connect to Your Faith Community

If you have religious faith, consider connecting to your faith community. Being closer to people who share your faith can bring a spiritual awakening.

So, find people with similar beliefs in person or online. Also, by spending more time in prayer, you’ll find inner peace and a clear purpose for life.

Volunteer to Help Others

Even if you don’t have religious faith, you can still feel connected to the community.

Find a cause that is important to you and volunteer there. Helping others also allows us to connect with our spirituality. What’s more, there is a sense of peace and gratitude in giving to people you won’t find anywhere else.

Reach Out to Professionals

Are you struggling to connect to your spirituality? There are professionals who can help you in this struggle.

Reach out to the professionals who train people to better connect with spirituality. They give you the proper direction to boost your journey to spirituality and health.

Conclusion

Spiritual health can improve the quality of our life. Moreover, spirituality brings inner peace. And our body & mind require inner peace to rest and recover.
If you are still struggling to grasp the concept, look for the answers to the following questions.

What makes you feel complete?
What is your source of inner strength?
What are you doing to feel complete?
When do you feel connected to your surroundings?

Find answers to these questions and you’ll be able to identify what you lack. Then, you’ll be able to realize what spiritual wellness activities you should adopt to feel better.

Want to know more about health and well-being? Check out these articles:

Physical Health
Mental Health
Social Health
Intellectual Health
Occupational Health
Nutritional Health
Environmental Health
Fiscal Health