The 6 Components of Wellness: Spiritual Health

We are starting to come to the end of The 6 Components of Wellness series. Here you can check out the other 4 already talked about; Physical Health, Mental and Emotional Health, Environmental Health, Social Health. There is only Spiritual Health and Intellectual Health left to ponder. Today we will talk about Spiritual Health.

Spirituality is probably one of the most controversial subjects for people to talk about. Everyone has different beliefs in which way is the right way to believe. Some believe in one God, some believe in many deities, others don’t even believe in any at all, BUT we are not talking about religion. Religion can help spirituality grow but it is not the only way to become spiritually healthy.  Religion is essentially spirituality with rules built into it. Once we let go of the pressure of strict rules and start to follow our own happiness something inside of us starts to change. Letting go of the rules does not mean go out and be bad person. Being a good person is part of having good social health which will affect your spiritual health and over all wellbeing.

To me spirituality is connecting to one’s self, the universe and Mother Nature. When you connect with these things you realize all of the answers and solutions to your problems and questions, are right inside of you. Spirituality is a personal journey. You cannot improve your spirituality without first learning about yourself. You can study with others but it is really up to you to practice spirituality on your own. Only you can wake yourself up to the wonderful world of enlightenment. This is why it is so important to follow your own happiness. Being able to enjoy the little everyday things in life is what keeps your spiritual health healthy.

How can you start to improve your spiritual health?

• Meditation/pray/worship: Meditation helps you slow your mind and body down. Taking even 4 minutes a day to bring yourself to a mindful state is beneficial for your overall health. It takes time to be able to sit for 10, 20 or 30 minutes to do these things. I am not talking about spending hours sitting in full lotus, just a few minutes a day. Ask yourself “What is your purpose, who am I, what do I value most”. Add meditation to your prayer time; sit quietly for a few minutes to help set the intention of your prayer time. Look inside and ask yourself or your higher power for help with any worries or stresses that may be appearing in your life, at that time. Worship whole heartily and mindfully.
• Be open to new ideas and practice being non-judgmental: Have an open mind. You never know what lemons the other person is squeezing. Be who you are don’t tell people what to do or how to be.
• Practice forgiveness: You need to forgive inwardly and outwardly on a regular basic.
• Yoga: Helps bring your focus back to yourself, balancing your connection between spiritual and physical forms.
• Gratitude practice: A daily practice of gratitude will help change your thought process, being positive will help you become more spiritual.
• Get back to nature: Being outside in nature will help ground you. Grounding all the daily hustle and bustle can relief a lot of unwanted stress that is holding you back from being your true self. Take a walk, go fishing or sit under a tree. It doesn’t mean you have to be getting dirty.
• Turn of electronics: Turning off screens will help your mind slow down and rest. It is suggested to turn off your mobile devices when the sun goes down. It is your choice of how long you will be screen free, try starting with 30 minutes to an hour a day.

When we listen to our intuition we give ourselves permission to trust the deeper part of ourselves that always has the answers. Spiritual health is different for everyone. Yet we all have a connection to a higher power or the universe. We all have the ability to access the connection with in us; we all have the ability to use it.

Follow your bliss 🙂

JEM