Are you at the peak of your physical health but still feel lethargic and dull? Do you often feel anxious, sad or irritable for no apparent reason? Is there a void within you, a sense of incompleteness? If your answer is yes to any of the above, it may be time for you to take a look at your spiritual health. Spiritual health is important for physical and emotional wellbeing. If you are struggling with depression or anxiety, spirituality can be a helpful tool for managing those feelings.
What is spiritual health?
Spirituality is a way of being. It’s more than just being physically healthy, it’s also about your connection to others and the world around you. Your spiritual health includes how you feel when you are alone with yourself, how you interact with other people, and how connected your are to life itself.
Spiritual health examples include feelings of compassion, empathy, forgiveness, joy and love. In short, we move beyond ourselves and focus on the greater good. Selflessness becomes a natural trait and kindness, a state of being.
How to continue, deepen, or discover your spiritual practices?
Be open to new experiences. Be willing to try new things. Be willing to ask for help when you need it. Be willing to listen and share with others, who may have different perspectives than you do.
If you’re looking for ways of deepening your spiritual practice, consider attending workshops or retreats that are related to your interests; taking a class at a local spiritual center; or talking with someone who seems knowledgeable about the topic in question (like a teacher or minister).
You might also want to consider volunteering at such organization as part of your continued growth as a person—this way, not only will you get some experience leading others through their own personal journey but also gain valuable insight into what it’s like on the other side of things!
The following FAQs show you how to improve spiritual health by delving into the different facets that make up spiritual health. Your life and your health are in your hands.
Let’s make it count.
1. What does it mean to live in a spiritual way?
Unless we foster a spiritual outlook towards our own life and others’, we can’t really hope to rise above our petty thoughts and emotions. We place too much emphasis on self-comfort.
In this context, spirituality is not about religion. It’s not about what you believe or how many times a week you go to church, mosque or temple. Instead, spirituality is about finding meaning in life and working toward it with compassion for yourself and others.
Spirituality has nothing to do with belief systems or dogma; instead, it refers to the way we live our lives in relation to others — what values guide us as we go through life?
Do you know what is one of the biggest ways to improve spiritual health? Developing a spiritual attitude.
And there are three core virtues that define a person’s spiritual attitude:
Patience
Selflessness
Determination
Plus gratitude and surrender. Read more about A Spiritual Attitudethrough a beautiful short story on Buddha and Subhuti, his devoted disciple.
2. What is the connection between spirituality and mental and physical health?
The connection between spirituality and mental and physical health is a strong one. Spirituality can help people cope with stress, illness, loss and life transitions.
The practices of spirituality are grounded in the belief that individuals have the power to change themselves or their circumstances through prayer, meditation, service or other means. For example: Prayer is a form of communication with God; meditation involves focusing attention on an object or idea; service refers to giving back to others in time or money; while “other means” refers to special circumstances unique to each person. Continue reading The Greatest Spiritual Qualityif you are looking for an insightful spiritual health definition.
3. Do I have to belong to a religion to be spiritual?
If you are asking yourself this question, the answer is no, you do not have to belong to a religion to be spiritual. Spirituality is a personal journey and it doesn’t involve worshipping any one particular set of beliefs or rules. It means having an intimate relationship with your higher power, whatever that may be for you (see our article on different types of meditation).
Religion is about belonging to a group. It has rules, beliefs and rituals that members follow in order to feel connected with other people who share their values and those of their religion. As spirituality isn’t about belonging but rather connecting with something bigger than yourself – whether that be God/the universe/the cosmos – it’s possible for someone who practices spirituality but does not identify as religious still practice a form of spirituality without identifying as religious if they don’t have faith in an organized community such as church or mosque membership etcetera.
4.How can I practice spirituality in my daily life?
There are many ways you can practice spirituality in your daily life. Here are some suggestions:
Meditation, prayer, and gratitude are all wonderful spiritual practices that can be done anywhere and at any time.
Gratitude journaling is a great way to record what you’re grateful for on a regular basis.
Seeing the Divine in everything will help you see the beauty in life’s little moments and appreciate them more deeply every day.
Intentional living means making conscious choices about how we live our lives each day—for example, being intentional about how much time we spend on social media or watching TV versus spending time with friends or enjoying nature. It also means trying not to waste any of our precious moments here on Earth by doing things like finishing projects before starting new ones instead of taking on too much at once!
5.Can I practice my religion and also do other spiritual practices?
It’s possible to practice your religion and also do other spiritual practices. In fact, many people do so. If you have religious beliefs that don’t line up with what you learn through meditation or yoga classes, there’s nothing wrong with incorporating these things into your life in a way that feels best for you—even if it means creating someplace where those two worlds meet.
6.Are there any dangers of being too spiritual or living a spiritual life?
Being spiritual is not a substitute for medical care. It’s not a substitute for mental health care. It’s not a substitute for physical health care. It’s not a substitute for financial security.
If you’re feeling hungry, do you ever say to yourself: “I’m feeling hungry, so I’m going to go eat something.” Or do you say “I’m spiritual, therefore food doesn’t matter.” Well unless you’re an actual yogi with access to prana energy, then food does matter! We all need food in order to live and stay healthy!
We can’t expect our bodies or our minds to be perfect if we don’t provide them with proper nutrition through good eating habits and exercise regimes! If we don’t eat enough protein or vitamins or other essential nutrition-based substances (including water), then our bodies will suffer because they were deprived of the nutrients they need in order function properly! This leads us back into the topic of psychological development again where it’s important that we take care of ourselves physically as well as mentally spiritually speaking before attempting any type of practice regarding spirituality; otherwise we might end up making ourselves sicker than when we started practicing spirituality!”
7. Why is physical health essential for spiritual health?
Our body is a shrine. Yes, it’s transient, ever-deteriorating, but it’s also sacred. It deserves our attention and care. Everything beautiful within the five perceptions of touch, taste, smell, sight and sound, we experience through our body.
If you take care of your body by eating, exercising and sleeping well, it rewards you in every other sphere. Spiritual health is the reward for good physical health and vice versa.
Mostly I’m on top of my fitness, which in my view exists at three levels: emotional, physical and mental.
I’ve outlined my exercise and diet routine in Two Pillars of Top Health, along with my ten principles of physical health that I don’t violate, saving the rarest of rare circumstances.
8. What are the different dimensions of wellness?
In Ayurveda, as in yoga and tantra, the health of an individual is not just the state of his physical body but an aggregate of the body, senses, mind and soul.
More often than not, and certainly in adults, most physical disorders are the result of a repressed and bruised consciousness. Mental afflictions create diseases in the physical body and physical diseases, in turn, disturb the state of mind.
Just focusing on the physical health by way of better diet and exercise is only a fraction of the solution; your mental and emotional welfare is just as critical. How you respond to what life hurls at you impacts your health in the most significant manner.
The way you look at anything and the manner in which you accept or react are the two most important factors that determine your overall well being – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
If you can change your perspective towards what you find disturbing, ninety percent of the job is done. The remaining ten percent is simply about body fitness.
Yogic wisdom helps you gain mental equilibrium and Ayurveda, physical wellbeing.
In The Wellness Sense, I outline this wisdom of Ayurvedic and yogic texts combined with the insights offered by modern medical science.
Let go and breathe in the real you
Join the kindest community, where personal failures & victories are celebrated and inspiration & happiness is shared
