Welcome, Warrior, to the next post in my Dimensions of Wellness Series. I’m taking the Dimensions of Wellness model and breaking it down to spend a bit of time expanding on the different areas. You can read my intro post here and the first post on Occupational Health here. Today, let’s delve into Spiritual Health.
Dimensions of Wellness
If you are new to the concept of Dimensions of Wellness, I’ve got a full blog post that goes into some detail. But the quickie version is this: Whole person wellness can be divided into different subcategories. An individual has relative health in each category, or dimension, which can also spill over to other dimensions affecting the whole person. Each model uses slightly different dimensions, but the interacting nature remains the same, as does the need to constantly re-evaluate what is happening in our own unique Dimensions and respond in kind.
Defining the Spiritual Dimension
So when I say “spiritual” one of two images most likely springs to mind. First is the cliché of the hyper-religious-to-the-point-of-judgemental person with their icons and paraphernalia and side eyes. The second is the equally cliché image of the grungy, hippie, living off grid, communing with nature type. Both of these are extremely reductive and, honestly, a bit rude. And neither is indicative of what spiritual health means.
Spiritual Health refers to our ability to believe in something bigger than ourselves. Yes, that has obvious religious implications; however that is the tip of the iceberg. Believing in something bigger than ourselves can also include practices that connect us to meaningful people or places. Finding our purpose or calling. And knowing how to alleviate daily stressors with letting go practices.
Religious and Spiritual Practices
Let’s start with the most obvious and the elephant in the room. Now, full disclosure, I was raised Catholic and I still practice, so some of my thoughts are clearly influenced by those ideas. However, I make no secret of the fact that there are many of my faith’s practices that I don’t participate in (to say nothing of scandals that disgust me). I am not here to push any one idea of religion or religious practices on anyone.
What makes religion important towards Spiritual Health is the idea of putting your faith into something that you cannot see or touch. Something that you will most likely not have proof of in this life. In giving yourself the space to talk to God/Allah/the gods/the universe, you create the space for something bigger than yourself. Whatever that may happen to be. Beyond that, prayer as often undertaken in religious ways, serves the second purpose of connecting us to meaningful things. Certain prayer practices may call to mind ancestors or relatives. Certain practices may allow us to appreciate specific places, or the Earth as a whole. Connections to things we can’t see or touch is a uniquely human desire.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that you need to be religious to engage in similar practices. And even if you are religious, sometimes rote and formulaic words are not what you need. Simple one-sided conversations can be useful. And of course I have made no secret of my love of meditation. Meditation practices are a great way to experience the benefits of prayer for those who feel stifled by rigid structure or are not religious. Putting your focus on the power of your mind (which you can’t see or touch) for a few minutes while you breathe, can be just as powerful and rewarding. And, again, you get the secondary bonus of connection with something meaningful.
Finding Your Purpose or Calling
If you have lived longer than 20 years, I’ll bet at one point or another, you’ve looked to the sky and asked why? What are you doing here and what is important? Again, this is one of those uniquely human things. Animals are 100% instinct, and while some can be trained to communicate (in animal ways of course), most don’t care what their purpose is. On our death beds, human beings want to know that we have lived a life of purpose. That we did something that made a difference. Morbid, a bit, but true.
My husband told me on our first date (he was a sophomore in college at the time) that he wanted to teach engineering at the college level. He earned his PhD and graduated smack in the middle of the 2009 economic meltdown. University jobs were difficult to come by, so he took on a post-doctoral research assistantship, which happened to be a temporary rolling appointment.
After years of only nibbles, he completely revamped his resume and landed what was basically his dream job. And when he talks to his former students on Alumni Night each spring and sees how well they are doing, he feels deep in his gut that the work in and out of the classroom is worth it.
My husband is one of the lucky ones that gets paid for his purpose. That doesn’t mean there aren’t aspects of it that frustrate him. There are. Plenty. But it isn’t the paycheck that makes it worth it. A calling is simply something you feel compelled to do. Something that you will work on or towards regardless of obstacles. Something that fulfills you in an indefinable way. Something that does not necessarily need to be successful by anyone else’s standards for you to feel good about it. This blog is part of my calling. Many of us feel that way about parenthood. Finding this and seeking it out is a huge part of Spiritual Health.
Letting Go
Many of us have the tendency to hang on to the annoyances of life. This can turn up as irritability and frustration when we communicate with others. This can also manifest as physical pain and discomfort. Our ability to let the stresses of life go, like water off a duck’s back, can have a profound impact on Mental, Physical, and Social Dimensions. So, we need to find the ways that help us decompress.
Probably the biggest benefit that strong Spiritual Health can offer is the ability to release the stress from daily life. Again, prayer or meditation can be hugely beneficial here. But even something as simple as a daily nap or (more shameless plugs) gratitude practices and walks can be helpful. Those little things that connect you with what is really important is what Spiritual Health is all about.
Tell us in the comments, what your favorite spiritual practice is!
