IMPROVE YOUR SPIRITUAL WELLNESS WITH THESE 8 TIPS!
What is spiritual wellness?
Many people who seek mental health treatment complain of feeling unfulfilled, hopeless, or stuck. They seek a more purposeful and meaningful life, which is the apex of spiritual wellness. Spiritual wellness is one of the eight dimensions of holistic wellness because living a values-driven and purposeful life is essential to your overall wellbeing. For some people, spiritual wellness may involve religious activities, but for others, it may simply involve identifying and living by your personal belief/value system. It is also:
-
- Taking time to think about what is truly important in life– who you are, what you value, where you fit in, where you’re going, etc.
- Making time for rest and relaxation during the day.
- Having a belief system in place (religious, agnostic, atheist, spiritual, etc.).
- Basing your actions and decisions on your core values.
- Having a sense of purpose in your life.
- Being tolerant and accepting of others’ views, even when different from yours.
- Feeling connected to something larger than yourself (i.e., supreme being, nature, the connectedness of all living things, humanity, community, etc.).
- Actively participating in communities or causes you care about.
- Regularly engaging in spiritual practices (i.e., meditating, praying, etc.).
- Prioritizing things that are important to you, which is reflected in how you spend your time.
Wondering how you can improve your spiritual wellness? Here are 8 tips:
1
Identify your core values.
There are many resources that can help you identify your core values, including individual therapy. If you’d like to do this individually, you may choose to reflect on the following questions:
What’s most important to me in life?
What gets me through difficult times?
What words would I want myself or others to use to describe me?
2
Bring awareness to how you spend your time.
For one week, keep a record of how you spend your time in one-hour or two-hour increments. Do your actions reflect what’s truly important to you? Do most of these activities energize you, or do they deplete you? Are most of these activities primarily for your benefit, or are they for other people? Do these activities connect to long-term goals you have for yourself?
3
Find causes you care about and get involved in these causes consistently.
For example, join a church group or volunteer regularly. Volunteering helps us connect with something bigger than ourselves, which can help improve compassion for ourselves and others. You can find ways to volunteer by using VolunteerMatch, which helps you find local volunteer opportunities.
4
Educate yourself on other perspectives or belief systems.
Do you know much about religions other than the one(s) you practice? What about political views? Most of us are so caught up in our perspectives on various issues that we only seek out information that confirms our beliefs. Seeking out information on all sides of an issue, even views you disagree with, will help you feel more informed and well-rounded. Ask questions and get curious about people who have differing beliefs.
5
Participate in activities like prayer, meditation, or journaling.
These activities deepen our consciousness, increase self-awareness and help improve our understanding of ourselves and others. Additionally, research shows that individuals who utilize spiritual or religious activities when facing adversity are less likely to utilize unhealthy coping skills like substance use, binge eating, or compulsive shopping. Apps like Headspace or Simple Habit provide guided meditations, but you can also find free meditations on YouTube. You can also check out our mindfulness training offerings here.
6
Spend time in nature.
Getting outside helps us feel more grounded and connected to ourselves and our environment.
7
Implement a gratitude practice into your daily routine.
Identifying what we’re grateful for reminds us of all the good in our lives, which can improve our mood and our overall perspective of life. Gratitude can also help us get through hard times by reminding us of the bigger picture.
8
Cultivate a positive explanatory style.
Our explanatory style is the way we conceptualize things that happen to us. An optimistic explanatory style has been shown to have numerous benefits for our mental health, physical health, and relationships. One way to adopt a positive explanatory style is through positive reappraisal, which involves recognizing the value of difficult situations. Positive reappraisal is not all sunshine and rainbows—it is the ability to recognize both the hardships of a particular situation and the opportunity or value of it.
At Embodied Wellness Center, we take a holistic approach to mental health treatment. Interested in holistic therapy or want to learn more about it?
*Disclaimer: The content posted on this website is for marketing and educational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, psychotherapy or a replacement for mental health treatment. Please seek the advice of your licensed medical or mental health professional, and do not avoid seeking treatment based on anything read on this website.
