Hey everyone, thanks for being here. Today, I’m going to dive deeper into the topic of spiritual wellbeing. I touched on this topic briefly in my post “What Are the Dimensions of Wellness?” but today, I want to explore the matter further and give tangible ways in which we can all improve this area of our lives.
What is Spiritual Wellbeing?
Spiritual wellbeing is the dimension of wellness that focuses on the purpose and meaning in one’s life. It involves knowing your values and beliefs and how those guide your daily thoughts, actions, and feelings. Most people see spiritual wellness as having to relate to religion or theology, and while it absolutely can, it does not have to. Because wellness is relative to the individual, the connection to nature or a higher power that corresponds to spiritual wellbeing, doesn’t necessarily have to coincide with theological tradition. For many it will, but again wellness is highly subjective.
Why is Spiritual Wellbeing Important?
Spiritual wellbeing is important to overall wellbeing because it strengthens resilience, allows you to connect with others more deeply, enhances physical health (all the dimensions of wellness are interconnected), brings a sense of peace to daily life, decreases stress and allows you to contemplate and connect with your life’s purpose and meaning.
How Can I Improve My Spiritual Wellbeing?
If you’re looking for ways to optimize the spiritual dimension of wellness, here are fifteen ways you can do so:
1. Meditation
Meditation can be a spiritual practice to connect with yourself or a higher power through focused attention, breath work, mantras, or visualization. It can be used to come to a state of inner peace and heightened awareness. There are many different types of meditation to choose from, such as Chakra Meditation, Transcendental Meditation, Vipassana Meditation, and many more. Meditation is used as a spiritual practice in traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. And while I’m not someone who meditates, who’s to say it won’t benefit you. Meditation is known to help reduce stress, increase inner peace, enhance spiritual awareness, improve connection to a higher power, and provide space for introspection. Spiritual growth and transformation can also be achieved through meditation. If you’re looking to enrich your spiritual wellness, meditation may be worth a try.
2. Gratitude
Gratitude is an essential component to spiritual wellbeing, and what’s lovely about this practice is that you don’t have to be a religious person to take the time to reflect on the blessings in your life. No matter the situation, we can find things we are grateful for in each day. By focusing on the positive aspects of our lives we can cultivate a deeper sense of inner peace. Rather than focusing on what you lack, reframe your thinking to the things that are going well for you. This is important to the state of our spiritual health because it increases feelings of peace and joy, helps us develop a sense of self-control, strengthens faith, allows us to be more kind and compassionate towards others, and encourages resilience.
3. Prayer
If you are religious, prayer is a way you can enhance spirituality and improve your spiritual wellbeing. For different religions, prayer means different things. For example, in Christianity, it is the act of talking to God, and in Hinduism, mantras are often used as prayer. The commonality though is that prayer is a way to communicate with the divine, regardless of the way that it’s done. As a Catholic, prayer is something I find helpful and turn to often. If you’re a religious person, prayer is a great way to enhance your spiritual health because it can help you develop a relationship with and connect to God. It’s also beneficial because it can help us find comfort, hope, and strength in difficult times; help us feel calm and at peace; and provide us with time for self-reflection.
4. Travel
I love to travel and see new places and people living lives vastly different from my own. It opens your eyes to a lot. And while many people may not think of travel as inherently spiritual, I’d argue that it is. I acknowledge that there’s a difference in the “weekend in Panama City get shit faced drunk everyday” travel and “traveling solely to see and explore a new place”. And both of these have their purpose and their place. When I refer to travel, however, I’m referring to the latter. I think when we see new places and unfamiliar faces for the first time in our lives, the awe and wonder that accompany those experiences is a form of spiritual awareness. We learn just how big the world is and how insignificant our bullshit problems really are. There are so many damn people in this word all with unique circumstances and life stories. Travel is a way to grow our minds beyond what we know and really take that in. It’s a way to appreciate this world and our place in it. To see a common humanity, that people vastly different from us, really aren’t all that different to some extent. And I love that. It’s important to get out and experience this world because it allows us to reconnect with nature, reflect on our lives, widen our perspective, and enhance mental clarity. It can set us forward on the path to spiritual growth.
5. Volunteer
Volunteering can enhance spiritual wellbeing in a similar way that travel does. It’s another experience that shifts our perspective and allows us to grasp the bigger picture. That there are more people in this world than just us, a lot of whom have much bigger problems than we could possibly imagine. Volunteering is a way to serve others and also connect to a higher purpose. Volunteering promotes spiritual growth and connection because it allows us to embody values such as empathy and compassion. Volunteering gives us a way in which we can act in alignment with our values while making a difference in the process. Both of which are beneficial to our spiritual lives.
6. Journal
Journaling is a habit I mention quite often, yet only because I feel it is super beneficial for several aspects of our wellbeing. Emotional and spiritual health are enhanced by this practice and even the stress reduction and improved mood can benefit physical health. Focusing more on spiritual wellbeing, however, journaling is a way we can explore this part of ourselves, reflect on our lives, and heal ourselves in the process. Just writing down whatever we feel and unpacking the thoughts, emotions, and beliefs we have can help us understand and discover our values and longings. We can express our hopes for the future, reflect on our deeper meaning, and see how spirituality shows up in our daily lives. Journaling is beneficial to our spiritual wellness because we can use it to connect to ourselves and express our faith, connect with God, heal from the past, and better understand parts of ourselves and this world.
7. Self Reflection
This habit is similar to journaling except for the fact that it doesn’t necessarily need to be written down. It is simply the act of evaluating our lives, feelings, behaviors, and values. Taking time to reflect is important because this is when we really get to know ourselves and form an identity outside of how we relate to others. I note this as a spiritual practice because self-reflection could also include thinking about meaning, purpose, philosophy, what you believe, and why you believe it. It is of course a practice where we can get to know ourselves, as well as dive deeper into our spirituality. Benefits of time spent in self-reflection include increased self-awareness, compassion and empathy; feeling aligned with your purpose; feelings of gratitude; and greater connection to others, yourself, and a higher power (dependent on what your beliefs are).
8. Connect with your purpose
We all have a purpose or a reason we’re here. Unique gifts and talents we bring to the table. While life is not that deep and things are never all that serious, it sometimes can be. I know that doesn’t make sense and the statement contradicts itself, but I believe both perspectives to be true. Like you simply cannot tell me 13 billion years ago there was an explosion and the world has somehow evolved from loincloths and spears to reality TV and TikTok shop. And don’t even get me started on computers. You’re telling me the human race used to have dirt, rocks, and water and now we have Tesla? How the fuck does that happen? That question is so for real. Anyway, sorry for the side tangent, but there has to be something more to all this. There has to be a meaning and a purpose for each of us. There is a power greater than us in this world and I believe that for many reasons. Some things line up a little too perfectly for me to believe in coincidences or the randomness of all this. There’s something bigger at play. And when we acknowledge this, our purposes, and the meaning in our lives we benefit from improved life satisfaction, greater optimism, reduced stress and anxiety, enhanced resilience, a greater sense of belonging and improved self-esteem.
9. Walk in Nature
A bit of a tame suggestion to implement, yet spiritually effective nonetheless. Going for a nature walk is a good way to connect with your environment while having time to self-reflect. Further, it can reduce cortisol and muscle tension, while boosting endorphins. All good reasons to engage in this habit. Spiritually however, being in nature is sort of a reset for our minds and our souls. Nature allows us to feel more connected to our surroundings, our spirit, and the universe as a whole. It helps us quiet our minds and inspires a sense of wonder and awe at the world around us.
10. Read spiritual classics
This habit I’m suggesting here is one I’ve never done, but as a lady who always has a book in her hand—maybe I should. Examples of spiritual classics include The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra, The Road to Mecca by Muhammad Asad, Confessions by St. Augustine, The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James, and the Interior Castle by Teresa of Avila. Books like these can benefit our spiritual wellbeing because they open up our minds and widen our perspectives. Expanding our knowledge and understanding of spirituality beyond what we know or are used to is a great way to challenge yourself and stretch your mind even if it’s not something you agree or identify with. We can always be open to learning more without having to take on that certain way of living. It’s neat to learn about other religions and traditions too. It once again opens us up to how big this world is and teaches us that no one way of being or practicing faith is inherently better than any other. Further, reading spiritual classics can be beneficial by deepening your spiritual understanding, allowing you to find comfort and inspiration, expanding empathy and perspective, and enhancing self-reflection.
11. Connect with a faith-based or religious community
One great way to optimize your spiritual wellness is through connecting with a faith-based community or organization. A faith-based community is a group of people united by their shared values or religious beliefs. This could be a church, volunteer group, or service organization. Or a cult, but definitely don’t join one of those. I’m a practicing Catholic, yet faith-based communities aren’t one size fits all. If belonging to a religious community is something you want for yourself, make it work for you. What faith or beliefs do you resonate with? Don’t only believe or practice something just because people tell you that you should. Being involved in a faith-based group however, is beneficial for many reasons as it enhances not only our spiritual wellbeing but also improves feelings of belonging, fosters social connections, provides spiritual support, promotes resilience, and is also associated with improved physical and mental health.
12. Practice Yoga
I have never in my life done yoga. But from my research, it seems to be highly effective for boosting spiritual wellbeing. Yoga is considered a spiritual practice because it involves body movement, breathing techniques, and physical posture as a way to align the body, mind, and spirit. Yoga is rooted in Hindu tradition, and has traditionally been used to connect the practitioner with a universal consciousness. Yoga also aims to transcend limitations of the physical body to help practitioners realize their true potential. Spiritual benefits of yoga include increased inner peace and harmony, improved mindfulness and awareness, a deeper self-understanding, development of a holistic approach to life, and enhanced spiritual connection.
13. Create your code of ethics
A code of ethics is essentially your framework or guideline for making choices that align with your values. When you’re intentional about acting in accordance with what you value, life just flows a little bit better. Decisions are easier to make and you can better decipher between what’s wrong and right in your personal life. Living out core values such as compassion, respect, integrity, and humility can only push you further in the right direction. Creating and sticking to a personal code of ethics can benefit your spiritual wellness by improving decision making, promoting accountability, and encouraging ethical behavior. It’s easier to trust your intuition and let that guide you when you know what you value and what kind of person you want to become.
14. Know what you believe and why you believe it
There are a lot of people in the world, and we don’t all believe the same thing or think the same way. We don’t always see eye to eye when it comes to religious beliefs or ideas around spirituality. What’s important though is that you don’t just adopt the beliefs imposed on you but rather think critically and evaluate what you believe to be true in terms of spirituality and theology. This is crucial for your self awareness, decision making, personal growth, authenticity, integrity, and your ability to navigate this world. Whatever it is that you believe, just know and understand why. This determines your direction, shapes your identity and morals, and organizes your life in a way that benefits you. Further benefits of knowing your beliefs include increased confidence, improved mental health, reduced stress, greater clarity and purpose in life, and enhanced emotional resilience.
15. Consider others
In short, this suggestion just insinuates that you shouldn’t be a shitty person. Be kind, forgive, be compassionate, and consider how certain things affect different groups of people. Just be respectful of others. Treat others the way you want to be treated. It shouldn’t be that hard, yet sometimes it is. As long as we’re consistently working on it and intentionally trying to be good people, we’re doing okay. Considering others in daily life is important not only for the wellbeing of ourselves and others, but also for spiritual growth and development. This is because when we’re actively kind and thoughtful of people, it improves mood, reduces stress, strengthens relationships, and helps make the world a better place.
Closing
Okay, there you have it. Fifteen things you can do to optimize or improve your spiritual wellness. If you’re looking for tips to improve your physical or emotional wellbeing, check out these two posts here. Once again, each dimension of wellbeing is interconnected with the others and they each affect one another in a multitude of ways. Health is not one dimensional and we must focus our attention in a variety of areas—physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, and occupational—to feel and be at our best.
I hope this post was helpful in some way or another or you just enjoyed reading it. I always learn a lot when I do these posts and I for one think it’s all pretty fascinating. I’ll be back next week with another topic. So, bye for now.
Leave a Reply