Spiritual Health Matters

By Madison Canzano

With the coronavirus pandemic and black lives matter protests, people need to make sure that they are healthy, not only physically, but spiritually as well. No matter if you are religious or not, you still need to make sure that you have a good spiritual standing.

According to the Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, “spiritual health is about the connection with self (personal dimension), others (social dimension), the nature (the environment) and God (transcendental dimension).” This shows that spirituality has to do with everything around you and yourself.

How do you have a connection with yourself? Well, you gain confidence, learn to love yourself, and make sure you put yourself first physically, mentally, and emotionally. This will help you have a better connection with self. If you are happy with yourself, you can be happy with others.

A connection with others is also very important. Have you ever not spoken to anyone for a long time? Did it make you feel isolated? Maybe even sad? If you said yes to any of those questions, it is completely normal. The Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine said “the basic characteristics of spiritual health are as follows: proper lifestyle, connection with others, asking about the meaning and purpose of life, and transcendence.” Connecting with people is a basic need for not only spiritual health, but mental and emotional health as well.

The environment you are in is also a big factor in spiritual health — not just where you live, but also your social environment. Yes, you want to live in a calm area, but you also do not want to be surrounded by toxic people. In seeking a calming environment, some people like to be able to hear cars passing by at night, and others like silence.

The final piece of good spiritual health is transcendental or believing in a power bigger than ourselves. Everyone has their own beliefs, but many people believe that there is a bigger power in the universe, no matter the religion. According to scientologyreligion.org, 90% of Americans believe that there is a higher power.

Believing in a power bigger than ourselves helps us gain balance and gives us more reasons to keep ourselves on the right path. For instance, the National Alliance on Mental Illness says, “Religion gives people something to believe in, provides a sense of structure and typically offers a group of people to connect with over similar beliefs.” Religion is a way to balance your life and even helps with a second step, communicating with others.

These are all the pieces of having a good spiritual standing. If you put yourself first, stay social, keep yourself in a good environment, and put your faith in a higher power you will have better spiritual health.

Sometimes you might be exhausted and you don’t know why, well you might be exhausted spiritually. It’s normal. Are you putting yourself first, staying social, keeping yourself in a good environment, and putting your faith in higher power? It’s important to check yourself, experts advise.