What Exactly is Spiritual Health?

You do not need to light candles and hold crystals and write journals under the moon and burn incense and read tarot cards and meditate to be spiritual.

You also do not need to say your prayers, go to church, or believe in a specific thing to be spiritual.

Okay, I happen to do a lot of these things on occasion, but the point is that there is no correct way to be spiritual. All of these items and actions certainly can be used to assist in practicing spiritual health, but I fear Instagram has made the average scroller feel that one cannot be spiritual without these things, that spirituality must look like a zenned out crystal incense tarot witch. Please, do not let your algorithm convince you of this.

In recent blog posts, I’ve been talking about the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Circle of Life, a framework that addresses the multiple factors that affect overall well-being. One of these aspects is spirituality, and it needs more attention than you think.

I’m not talking about religion; spirituality and religion are different things, although they can be used to support each other. According to the Oxford Languages Dictionary, religion is “the belief in and worship of a supernatural controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” Religion is a set of beliefs and traditions that involves sacred texts, behaviors, practices, and holy places.

On the other hand, spirituality is deeply personal and individual. Experts don’t even agree on one solid definition; spirituality is multi-faceted. The University of Minnesota defines spirituality as a “broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life.” Spirituality is the way that we humans express our connection to sacredness. Christina Puchalski, MD, Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health, describes spirituality as “the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred." Religion may tell us how to behave, but spirituality expresses who we are. I like to think of spirituality as organic, like a morning glory, and religion as like a trellis, often used to provide structure for nurturing that flower. Sometimes the structure is too rigid and prevents the flower from growing, and sometimes it is a helpful tool to give the flower a direction to grow. Religion isn’t the only structure available, however; developing a spiritual practice is what creates spiritual stability, which in turn impacts every area of our life. One cannot be healthy, that is, fully balanced and harmonious, without a sense of spirituality.

There is some speculation that spiritual health can positively impact our physical health as well. Spiritual health is thought to improve the immune system, lower the risk of depression, reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve sleep quality. Spirituality positively impacts mental health, too. This is an excellent example of how we are whole beings, unable to be fragmented into categories. When we act upon one area, every other area is impacted. Strengthening our spiritual health strengthens our connection to ourselves and creates a sense of wholeness.

So how do you develop a spiritual practice that works for you? The key is to find something that makes you feel connected to your spirit and then regularly participate in that activity. (Your spirit is that thing in you that feels alive, that feels like YOU.) This can be the commonly promoted practices, like journaling, doing yoga, meditating, praying, reading, completing breathwork, and spending time in nature. It can also be something unique to yourself, like painting, cooking, or doing any other similar hobby, so long as it does not involve a screen and allows you to present with yourself.

Being intentional is what makes these practices effective in spiritual health. Setting aside time and space to connect with yourself, and being in the moment and mindful of your emotions, thoughts, energy, and actions, leads to a deepened sense of sacredness within yourself and the world.

Journal Prompts for Developing a Spiritual Practice:

-When do I feel most connected to myself? -What activities make me lose track of time and be grounded in the present? -How much time am I willing to set aside to develop my spirituality? -What hesitations do I have about spending time alone with myself? Why am I nervous about this? -What do I hope to gain from a heightened sense of spirituality? -What is one thing I can practice daily to connect with myself? With nature? With the universe/God?

As always, doing it right is beside the point. Just pick one thing to begin practicing and see if it sticks. I recently began doing a guided meditation for 10 minutes a day. I don’t do it every day, and that’s okay. Each day is a new chance to try again. I like guided meditations because I haven’t developed internal meditation skills yet. I choose 10 minutes because anything more than that is overwhelming. See how it’s good to be gentle with yourself and do what works for you? And if you don’t know where to start, answer the journal prompts and pick one thing that makes you feel like YOU, or feels like a safe space. It’s okay to try something and then switch to another practice if needed.

You may light candles and burn incense while you do your activity, and that’s okay too. Make your spiritual practice your own, and know that it is an act of love for yourself to take that time and develop that muscle. The point isn’t to do it like everyone else does it. It is connecting with yourself in relationship to the world that counts.

References

https://chopra.com/articles/5-physical-health-benefits-of-spirituality

https://liveanddare.com/what-is-spirituality/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6150917/

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-spirituality https://www.verywellmind.com/how-spirituality-can-benefit-mental-and-physical-health-3144807

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