Spiritual Health
The Five Pillars of Health
Physical
Mental
Spiritual
Social
Financial
Spiritual health is the pillar of health that is important for each individual but can look very different depending on the persons background and life experience. Simply put, spiritual health is an individuals ability to find purpose in their life. This may come from religious roots but is not required. Spiritual health is difficult to pin down as there are no measurable markers that can be seen from the outside. We can not complete a blood test or take your temperature to see if your spiritual health is in order. So how do we know if your spiritual health requires some work? I think the answer lies in directly in your ability to deal with life's difficult situations such as loss and illness.
"Difficulties strengthen the spirit, as labour does the body" -Seneca
The tricky part about spiritual health is that is can sometimes be confused with ones mental health. While they are directly linked, they are not one and the same. A person with good spiritual health will more likely have good mental health, just as someone with good mental health will often have better spiritual health. However, the two concepts overlap more than being one of the same. I like to see spiritual health as a type of armor that protects your mental health when dealing with difficult situations. Spiritual health is a tool that can be used for setting the stage for dealing with life's big questions of purpose, life and death.
So how does one go about improving one's own spiritual health?
Take time for yourself—this can be simply going for a walk or taking a break in a local park. Time with yourself and being present can be key for figuring our life's problems whether they be day to day tasks or bigger tasks such as finding purpose for our life.
Read—we have access to the wealth of human experience that has occurred over the past 2000 years. The more you read, the more you can understand human experience in different lights. Reading gives you the ability to have the worlds greatest mentors help your through your own life and its challenges. What books you may ask? My recommendation is to pick books from different eras that interest you and give it a read. Overtime you will find little bits of wisdom that will add to your own spiritual well being.
Be in nature. It is important for most people to disconnect from our work, home and connect with nature on a regular basis. The natural world is a space where many people come to find peace and it often works as a great opportunity to again take some time for yourself.
Think about your own spiritual health. For many people (myself included) spiritual health is not something you may necessarily think about especially if your life is going smoothly. Take some time to reflect on your own spiritual health and consider some of the previous methods to improve upon yourself.
Thank you for taking the time to read the latest chapter in the pillars of health. Please feel free to share any of your practices that have helped develop your own spiritual health.
