When was the last time you cared to think of your spiritual health? In today’s materialistic society, we care for our physical bodies with exercise, diet, and beauty products, but majority of us don’t even consider taking our spiritual health seriously.
Spiritual health focuses on taking care of the soul. Spiritual health has different aspects. According to NIH, spiritual health spreads out into three areas: religious, material-world-oriented, and individualistic.
Spiritual health thrives on the connection between humans, God, and nature. It affects our mental, social, and physical health. Furthermore, studies have suggested that it dominates other health areas. Luckily, there are ways spiritual health can be enhanced and improved.
To improve your spiritual health, you should practice spiritual self-care. It is a ritual that connects you to the real you and enlightens you on the true meaning of life.
Spiritual self-care is rejuvenating, inspiring, and energizing. Furthermore, it clears your mind of the inessential things in your life.
If you are interested in improving your spirituality and embarking on this soul-searching journey, then you should keep reading for some practical tips:
Learn:
The first step in spiritual self-care is to find your purpose by reading and gathering knowledge. Learning helps the mind expand with knowledge and leads to spiritual growth in the process.
According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, learning increases neural connections in the brain and produces improvements in attention. Hence, gathering knowledge will enhance your understanding and quality of spiritual self-care.
A great way of enhancing your spiritual learning and understanding is by enrolling yourself in a degree in spiritual health, which will show you the different aspects of spirituality, the benefits of practicing spirituality for our times, and the ways you can incorporate consciousness-raising techniques to boost your own spiritual connection.
Meditate and pray:
Meditation and prayer are the most accessible spiritual techniques through which you can destress and connect to your inner self. Incorporating these two activities into your daily routine will help you maintain your physical, mental, and, most importantly, spiritual health.
If you wish to connect with God, consider joining a religious institution, reading of holy texts, sharing religious beliefs with others, and focusing on your prayer.
According to National Reviews, prayer has a positive relation with your well-being and physical health. Daily prayers help with avoiding depressive thoughts and feeling happy.
According to a NCBI study of cancer patients, those who prayed regularly on thankfulness and their health concerns had lower depressive symptoms compared with others who didn’t pray. Hence, prayer connects you to God, rejuvenates your soul, and helps you find meaning in life.
In contrast to traditional prayers and religious practices, meditation is an ancient practice that has been incorporated for modern use for enhancing spiritual health. Meditation focuses mainly on the inner energy and state of your mind and body.
According to the Master SHA TAO center in Portland, meditation calms you down and eases anxiety, depression, cancer, chronic pain, asthma, and heart disease.
You can practice different techniques of meditation, for example, deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, visualization, and mantra chanting. Meditation helps you calm down from inside out and destresses your soul, mind, and body.
Yoga:
Yoga is a great way to harmonize your mind, body, and soul via carefully executed movements. It is considered a great workout and consists of a lot of breathing exercises. Moreover, it helps your soul connect to your body through deep emotional connections.
Yoga isn’t just an exercise but a journey into the soul that integrates pranayama (breathing workouts) within it. It helps you accept the reality and assists in building a secure foundation for a beautiful and empowered life.
According to NIH, yoga improves stress management and restores body and mind balance, contributing to positive mental health. Therefore, practicing yoga is crucial for your spiritual health, and you can find several yoga techniques on the web.
Journaling:
Journaling is a spectacular way of jotting down your thoughts, feelings, and emotions on a piece of paper. It helps you connect with the deepest parts of your soul that you cannot access through verbal communication alone.
Freewriting helps unlock the subconscious and builds a clear connection to our intuition. Journaling assists you in relieving your mind of racing thoughts and arranging them in an orderly manner, so you can think and act wisely.
Clear your space:
Change should start with you first. The space around you is a reflection of your inner state. A negative, cluttered space can make your soul heavy with guilt and randomness, and, therefore, affects your mood and physical well-being.
According to a study published in the Sage journal, clean spaces help you gain control over your environment and engage in calming activities almost on autopilot. On the other hand, Princeton University study states that clutter overwhelms the brain and makes it hard to focus and complete tasks efficiently.
Therefore, to improve your soul’s health, you should declutter and clean your space, prevent any negativity from entering it, and surround yourself with positive energy.
Crystals are a great way to boost positive energy in your space: Pyrite and Sunstone are known for transmitting positive energy.
Spend time in Nature:
Spending time in nature is the best spiritual remedy. It heals the soul, mind, and body, and the beautiful sounds and smells of nature wake you up spiritually.
If you want to disconnect from the frenetic frenzy of career and modern life, try spending time in nature. It calms your nerves and lifts your mood.
According to Scientific Reports, spending two hours, soaking up nature and its beauty, enhances your physical health and mental well-being.
Therefore, to rejuvenate your soul, take as much time as you can to spend time in nature, even if it is just watching the waves hitting the shores.
Unplug from technology:
While technology has greatly benefited our lives, it is also tremendously distracting. If you want to heal your soul and repair your inner self, consider taking a break from your digital assets. \
According to NCBI, excessive screen time and technology-use causes ADHD, impaired emotional and social intelligence, sleep deprivation, social isolation, and adverse effects on the brain and cognitive development.
Hence, cutting off from technology will give you more time to think and observe, improve your relationships, get sufficient sleep, and lead a healthy life.
Go for a digital detox, where you unplug from technology for a specified time period.
Conclusion:
Spiritual health is as important as physical and mental health. There are certain ways of improving it: prayer, yoga, meditation, a change of scenery, etc. Any improvements in your spiritual health are going to produce favorable affects in your psychological and physical well-being. Therefore, if you wish to live a long, happy and healthy life, focus on your spiritual, mental, and physical health at the same time.
