Every day you are doing something to enhance your general wellness: you eat healthy food and you exercise, so therefore you are improving your physical health. Also, you learn how to maintain control during arguments, contributing to your emotional wellness, or you may discuss your past traumas with a professional therapist to keep your mental health stable.
These actions impact our present state and they are vital for everyone who desires to become a better version of themselves.
But when it comes to spiritual wellness, the situation is poorer here, as this concept is often misunderstood by people. That said, only a small percentage of us sincerely desire to immerse in this spiritual journey.
Still, spiritual well being is not about praying all day long and restricting yourself with rigid rules. This is a much broader concept that you’ll learn about in this article. Discover your life purpose with spiritual wellness.
What are examples of spiritual wellness?
Spiritual wellness is your understanding and acceptance of your place in this world and your connection with it. Developing spiritual wellness includes finding your life purpose and meaning and understanding the beliefs, and morals that guide your actions.
Spiritual wellness does not necessarily include religion – that is a personal choice every individual should make.
It’s about enhancing your relationships with yourself and other people.
The following spiritual wellness examples will help you get a better idea of the concept itself and its importance:
- Developing a life purpose
- Spending reflective time alone
- Reflecting on the meaning of events in life
- Having a clear sense of right and wrong, and acting accordingly
- Clearly explaining why you believe what you believe
- Caring and acting for the welfare of others and the environment
- Being able to practice forgiveness and compassion for yourself and others (4).
Developing a life purpose
The reality is that it’s hard to feel complete without a life purpose. Someone desires to create a family, while another person wants to discover the world and meet new people. We all have different purposes and the right to seek them out at our own pace. It’s important not to rush but do it naturally.
Spending reflective time alone
Notice how often you stay on your own. People often need someone. That’s why so many of us can’t go out without a companion: whether it’s the movies, a local park, or a new country. But alone time brings a lot of benefits, especially to your mental health. From the spiritual perspective, the more reflective alone time you spend the more you explore your inner self, and may inspire others to do the same.
BetterMe: Meditation & Sleep app can help you transmute stress into serenity, pull you up from the doldrums, free your mind from the cares and worries of the world, quell racing thoughts and infuse you with tranquility! Start using it now and change your life!
Reflecting on the meaning of events in life
How many times have you asked yourself why something happened to you? I bet you have felt the struggle for the challenges you’ve had to go through. One of the benefits of spiritual wellness is your attrition from constant complaints and seeking out the deeper meaning of each situation. Sometimes there is no sense in complaining and asking why. Despite this you can still look at the situation from a different angle.
Having a clear sense of right and wrong, and acting accordingly
Selfishness is a powerful trait that takes over most of us. But sometimes it deprives us of understanding what is good or bad. It’s essential to keep up with your consciousness and do the right things, despite your selfish yearnings.
Clearly explaining why you believe what you believe
You have the right to follow your beliefs unless they harm someone. Before explaining your choice to someone, understand these beliefs yourself: their purpose, impact, and outcome.
Caring and acting for the welfare of others and the environment
Spiritual wellness teaches us to be selfless. This means caring about others becomes crucial during a transformation process. Join the community or a charity organization that concentrates on making this place better for people and the environment. Helping others allows you to explore the idea of “unity of the human being and nature”.
Being able to practice forgiveness and compassion for yourself and others
Yes, forgiving and compassion especially for those who have harmed us the most is extremely difficult. But the truth is, being in a state of resentment makes you unhappy, which you may confuse with power.
The best way is to let it go and move on with your life. You also need to stop focusing on your unfortunate choices and forgive yourself for them. Your past mistakes don’t define you but your ability to move forward despite them does.
Another good way to practice self-compassion is to incorporate affirmations. You can learn more about Positive Affirmations for Women in a different article.
How do you practice spiritual wellness?
Everyone uses their own way of practicing spiritual wellness. I’m about to uncover the top 5 spiritual wellness activities. There is a chance you’re already dealing with them. If not, pick out just one activity or try all of them out. Most importantly, do it naturally without pushing yourself for the action.
- Bathe in nature
- Create spiritual habits
- Practice mindfulness
- Adopt gratitude
- Connect with your purpose
Bathe in nature
Go for a gentle walk outside your apartment/house on your own. Nature walking helps to improve mood, enhance your confidence and self-esteem, reduce loneliness, relax, and simply enhance your physical health (2). Notice the surroundings, pay attention to what you hear, feel, smell, and see, and embrace the real connection with the world. Meet nature face-to-face, with no devices attached.
Create spiritual habits
The first spiritual wellness habit that comes to mind is Spiritual Meditation which aids in body relaxation, quieting the mind, and awakening the spirit (4). There are many meditation styles for both beginners and advanced practitioners. Other spiritual habits can also include walking in nature, reading, gardening, journaling, painting, listening to music, and more. Any activity that gives you an opportunity for self-reflection and makes you feel at peace.
Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is the ability to fully focus on the present moment. When you are mindful, you make ethical decisions according to your values – two essential components of spiritual wellness. Practice mindfulness by paying attention to your emotions, your body, and the way you interact with others.
Adopt gratitude
Everyone needs to adopt this habit. Stay grateful for the simple things that make up your life: food, family, friends, and possibilities. The first step to implementing gratitude is to examine the limiting beliefs that keep holding you back. Instead of filling yourself with negative thoughts, replace them with empowering ones.
Connect with your purpose
Living life without a sense of purpose transforms you into an unhappy, unfulfilled, and even hopeless person. Your purpose gives you a clear direction and meaning, connecting you to the knowledge that life isn’t about “me,” it’s about “us.” If you don’t have any purpose yet, it’s all right. You may find it through analyzing what is really important to you and gives you happiness.
Read more: How to Fast Properly to Reap Wellness Rewards
Why is spiritual wellness important?
Achieving spiritual wellness allows you to make inner peace with your life. You look at obstacles as opportunities to grow and treat them as a part of your journey. You become flexible with this mindset and make better decisions, create healthy relationships, and enjoy your life to the fullest.
But the best part about spiritual wellness retreats applies to your focus on positivity. Let’s face it, when you’re at peace, you regulate your emotions better, not allowing others to control your state; you look for positivity in various situations because you see no sense in concentrating on negativity.
Besides this you may realize that even negative circumstances carry essential meaning. When you emanate positivity and peace, you develop healthy relationships with yourself and other people. In addition, you eliminate connections with those individuals who worsen your life.
Slowing down and being mindful helps you be more self-compassionate and grateful. Your choice in life becomes more resonant with who you are as a human being.
Lastly, you respond to any situation with less reactivity and more creativity.
What are the 4 domains of spiritual wellness?
There are four main spiritual health domains:
- connection to self
- connection to others
- connection to nature
- connection to transcendent (1).
The first two domains relate to how you treat yourself and others. It’s essential to highlight that human beings are sociable creatures and as such cannot live without each other. Therefore, maintaining good relationships with others is our priority. Analyze how you treat your surroundings, whether you’re respectful enough, and try to help them. Be sure to limit connections with disrespectful people and focus on those who are kind, empathic, and honest.
The third domain applies to your relationships with nature. Technology is evolving, illusively connecting us to each other. However, nature bathing and taking care of the environment are real ways to feel connected to this world.
The last domain is our connection to transcendental, or in other words, something that is beyond ordinary. Simply, it’s your relationships with the divine, whether it’s God or anyone that inspires you for peace and compassion. In the dark or the good times, faith becomes a light that shows you the right direction; it’s the tool holding you together and giving you strength for future challenges.
Whether you want to learn how to exit the spiral of self-harming behavior, overcome anxiety, cure insomnia or simply give yourself the time and space to bliss out and soak up the moment of complete peace and quiet – BetterMe: Meditation & Sleep app is exactly the tool for that ! If you don’t take care of number one, who will?
What are the seven spiritual needs?
According to the University of Minnesota, there are seven spiritual needs (3):
- Experience the power of love—from others, self, and an ultimate source.
- Experience connection with transcendent — moments that go beyond the sensory spheres.
- Have vital beliefs that give meaning and hope during times of losses, tragedies, and failures.
- Have priorities, values, and life commitments that come from justice, integrity, and love to provide guidance to yourself and others.
- Develop and enhance inner wisdom, creativity, and love of self.
- Understand the oneness connection with other people, the natural world, and all living things.
- Have spiritual resources to heal grief, guilt, unforgiveness, resentment, self-rejection, and shame and deepen experiences of trust, hope, self-esteem, joy, and love of life.
Read more: Wellness Travel: What Is This Trend & How Can It Improve Your Life
FAQs
How do I start a daily spiritual practice?
The first thing you should do is to pick up at least one spiritual activity. A good idea is to set visible reminders for yourself, like board stickers. Choose the activity that brings you peace, whether it’s a 10-minute morning meditation, or mindful walking in the park. Avoid any devices during your spiritual well-being practices to not disrupt the whole process.
What is a spiritual lifestyle?
A spiritual lifestyle is about cultivating every spiritual dimension of wellness in your life. You practice all the spiritual activities that help you find your purpose in life, sustain good relationships with oneself and others, restore hope and optimism, cope with feelings of stress and anxiety, and focus on the present moment.
What are the three pillars of spiritual wellness?
The three pillars of spiritual wellness include an insightful relationship with oneself and others, the fulfillment of meaning and purpose in life, and a strong personal value system.
How do I nurture my spiritual self?
To nurture your spiritual self, focus on spiritual activities, such as meditation, yoga, journaling, spending time in nature, practicing gratitude, creating art, and other things that contribute to inner peace and help you discover your purpose.
Is spirituality part of wellness?
Yes, we have different types of wellness in life and spirituality is one of them because it involves a human’s ultimate search for purpose and meaning in life.
The Bottom Line
Spiritual wellness involves finding your life meaning and purpose as well as understanding the values and beliefs that guide your actions.
There are many ways to practice spiritual well-being. Some of the good examples include bathing in nature, creating spiritual habits, practicing mindfulness, adopting gratitude, and connecting with your purpose.
The four essential domains of spiritual health are connection to yourself and others, connection to nature, and transcendent. Discover your life purpose with spiritual wellness.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not serve to address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on for making any kind of decision-making. Any action taken as a direct or indirect result of the information in this article is entirely at your own risk and is your sole responsibility.
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SOURCES:
- Domains of spirituality and their importance to the health of 75 533 adolescents in 12 countries (2021, academic.oup.com)
- Nature and mental health (2021, mind.org.uk)
- Seven Spiritual Needs (umn.edu)
- Spiritual Wellness (2023, unh.edu)
