The Importance of Spiritual Health

We tend to focus on the mind and body when we talk about holistic health. Occasionally, we'll add emotions into the mix but rarely does it go further than that. But what role does our spirituality play in our health? Can having a healthy spiritual life help us to lead healthier lives overall? Do Religion and Spirituality do the same thing for everyone?

I have seen firsthand the double-edged sword that is religion. I have seen people's faith bring them comfort and hope. I have also seen that same faith used as a weapon against people, to bring them down and make them feel worthless. Some people think that the only way to have a spiritual life is to participate in organized religion, but I've found that is not necessarily true. Just like religion can be a profoundly personal experience for people, so can spirituality. Everyone experiences them differently. Just because your experience is different, does not mean it is wrong.

Like many of my clients, I was raised in a Christian home. We went to church on Sundays, Vacation Bible School in the summers, and an afterschool church program on Wednesdays. I didn't think much about my religion growing up because, for the most part, it was just part of what we did. As a child, it was simple for me. If you were a Christian you were good, and if you were not, you were bad. Obviously, this is a completely simplistic and unrealistic view of the world, but it was one that made sense to me as a child. As I grew up, I started to question what I was taught and what role religion was going to play in my life.

When I was a teen, I started to rebel against what my family taught me about religion and questioned if there was something more to it all. Was church necessary to connect to my faith? What about the people that I met who believed differently from me and my family? Why couldn't I just read every religious text and take what spoke to me as truth? What was the difference between sitting in church on Sunday and sitting on a mountaintop?

This blog is not about my testimony or personal religious journey. If you all are interested in that story, let me know and I will make it a different blog post. What I do want to say in this post is that everyone experiences God differently. Some experience God in the fellowship of their church on Sundays, when everyone comes together to pray and worship. Others experience God in the solitude of nature. Some people hear God speak to them through their religious text (i.e. the Bible, Torah, Koran, etc.). Others hear God in the small quiet voice of their hearts.

All of these are valid, and all of them need to be respected. Just because someone doesn't feel comfortable sitting through a church service every Sunday, doesn't mean that they are not connected to God. How do you connect to your religion? What feeds your spirit? Find what replenishes your soul and do that. Forget about what other people think and let your spiritual life be between you and God.

There are so many stories about people being healed by connecting to their higher power. Our spiritual health plays a huge role in our overall well being. Do what you need to to connect to your religion or spirituality on a regular basis. Pray, meditate, read your religious text of choice. It doesn't have to be every week, but set a routine that works for you and your life. Make sure that you are taking care of all aspects of yourself, including your spirituality.