You may have heard the term spiritual wellness thrown around quite a bit without knowing exactly what it means. Many people use it, but not many people take the time to explain it. Generally, spiritual wellness is concerned with finding a greater purpose for your life and having a firm understanding of the values and beliefs that guide one’s actions. It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with being deeply religious or living your life according to a strict set of rules and cultural norms. Nevertheless, it may help to explore spiritual wellness and why it is important in people’s lives.
How Are Spiritual Wellness and Holistic Wellness Connected?
Holistic wellness goes beyond just one’s physical health to encompass the social, emotional, intellectual, and vocational aspects of one’s life. In many of these categories, however, spirituality plays a very large role.
For example, while spirituality is often connected to religion for many people, others may look at it more in terms of personal growth. In other words, it involves living by a strong code of ethics and finding meaning in one’s life. In essence, spiritual wellness helps to reinforce the connection between the mind and body that is integral to holistic wellness.
How Can You Practice Spiritual Wellness?
If you consider yourself a religious person, the easiest way to practice spiritual wellness would be to adhere to the customs of your religion. However, there are other ways to bring spiritual wellness into your life if you aren’t very religious.
Putting quiet time aside for yourself or even writing things down in a journal can enhance your individual spirituality. Additionally, you can practice with other people by taking part in group meditation sessions or discussion groups. Many people report finding greater spiritual meaning by volunteering and helping others through different organizations.
You can start by asking yourself bigger questions to find out what you truly believe. Determining your values can help you discover what’s really important to you.
For instance, it is important to be tolerant? Do you believe that we should help those who cannot help themselves? If you answer these types of questions, you may have a structure and a framework to live by. Basically, anything that engages your mind and body in a positive way should get you on track to greater spiritual wellness.
What Are the Benefits of Spiritual Wellness?
Spiritual wellness is important because it helps us to strengthen our relationships with others. It also helps us to be more positive in our daily lives. The more we connect with other people, the more we tend to practice compassion and resilience. It also helps us to be more accountable. As we become more aware of our actions and how they affect others, we are more responsible for our actions.
Can Spiritual Wellness Improve Physical Health?
Beyond adding to your overall well-being and having a better understanding of your place in the world, spiritual wellness can also have positive effects on your physical health.
Research has shown that practices like meditation and yoga can help one’s concentration and lead to more calmness. This type of mindfulness can also lead to other physical improvements such as increasing the gray matter density in the brain. It can also reduce pain, stress, anxiety, and even depression.
Research has also revealed that people who are involved in spiritual pursuits tend to treat their bodies better and have healthier daily regimens. For example, they are more likely to avoid smoking and drinking and to eat healthier.
Achieving spiritual wellness is really an attempt to balance your life. If you put the time aside to maintain your spiritual health as part of a holistic approach to wellness, you can set more clearly defined goals. And, more importantly, you can live a more meaningful life connected to your fundamental values, morals, and beliefs.
