Spirituality and Mental Health
It's easy to be happy when everything is going your way.
The challenge is keeping everything together up top when it seems the whole world is working against you. That's when you fall to the level of your Spiritual strength. You pull on support from the greatest part of your being. Spiritual self care is second to none.
We tend to forget our spiritual side when it's all smooth sailing. There's simply no strength of character necessary to push forward. It's only when the inevitable downswing comes (even though we tend to believe the good times will last forever) that we tend to revisit our mental health foundation.
Not to be confused, mental illness is a different subject. These types of mental disorders involve a physical abnormality in the brain and must be treated within a psychiatric practice. Spiritual health is a means of supporting mental health. But, that does not mean it should be confused with true psychiatric care for mental illness.
Mental health care
Oftentimes, you will notice that when you had mental health difficulties, you were clinging to some kind of harmful underlying belief. Having spiritual values drive your personal beliefs helps prevent these toxic ideas from ever taking root.
Spirituality affects attitude
Spiritual Support is incredibly powerful for mental health. This is not to say it can resolve a mental illness, for which mental health services may be necessary. But, Spirituality affects your mental health such that it brings out a better version of you.
A carbon-copy of you with no Spiritual beliefs or practices would have a noticeably weaker mental state than one with them. Further, as you develop spiritually, so too will your mind, body, results, and quality of life.
Perhaps the clearest example of this is in individuals overcoming addiction. Alcoholics Anonymous and numerous studies have found that a person is significantly more likely to overcome their addiction if they have some sort of spiritual connection.
In the words of Viktor Frankl: "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
Nietzsche said: "He who can find a why to live for can bear almost any how"
An aspect of your spiritual journey is seeking divine purpose. As you uncover it, you will develop the strength to overcome anything the physical world throws at you.
Spirituality plays an important role in personal growth.
Religious and spiritual beliefs give you a powerful "why" that can drive you forward. Religious beliefs and Spiritual values instill a strong sense of self-esteem. They help you find a divine purpose that fulfills you, makes you a whole person, and promotes your well-being. They show you how to find inner peace despite facing the challenges and emotional stress that inevitably strike throughout the life journey.
Put simply: Spirituality gives you inner strength
Your spiritual well-being is a vital aspect of your mental health. Mental health problems emerge when there is a lack of purpose or a lack of self-love. Spirituality supports both of these.
For example, Spiritual beliefs often center around gratitude. Exhibiting gratitude has been identified as one of the key traits of happy people. Time and time again, research findings that generally unhappy people miss the forest for the trees as they forget their blessings. Spiritual values encourage focusing on the positive aspects of your life instead letting potential problems create emotional stress.
In Spirituality, we refer to the enlightened voice within you as the Higher Self.
Spirituality as a healthy alternative to brain-altering medicines
A key aspect of the mental health benefits of strong spiritual health is the lack of physical alteration. Spirituality and mental health services tend to deviate in the aspect that the latter involves medication, while the former does not.
If mental health professionals too liberally prescribe SSRIs and other types of medication, they are essentially forcing happy chemicals to be produced without resolving the underlying issues present.
Spirituality, on the other hand, resolves mental health difficulties by replacing unhealthy attitudes with healthy ones. That is why it is so important to know and respect your spiritual beliefs. They guide you along patterns of thinking that do not bring about mental health problems.
This is unlike the modern consumerist culture that is always trying to convince you you're not enough, you need more money, more status, more possessions, a thinner waistline, and so forth.
The loss of spiritual values
Secularly, spiritual issues seem to have become a forgotten dimension that has fallen to the wayside. Look around, most of the world is in a Spiritual crisis. There's a lack of identity among most people. Traditional values and social structures are collapsing right in front of us. And yet people are so confused about why mental health is a widespread challenge.
Spiritual care never seems to be mentioned. Spiritual and religious practices are known to have a vast impact on self-esteem and mental state. Why have these important aspects of life been discarded?
Spiritual life choices overlap entirely with ones that support one's mental well-being. Seeking divine purpose and honoring the spiritual dimension (regardless if in the context of a particular faith or not)
Spirituality and Religion
"Spirituality" refers to the practices and beliefs that comprise the non-traditional views of the soul and the metaphysical. Religion is about adherence to a specific set of religious practices and beliefs. Religion and spirituality are not so different, as both religious groups have faith communities.
A key criticism of Religion is that their faith community sometimes looks down on Spirituality, but that's outside the scope of this conversation. (Note that in most cases this is not true, but it's a prevalent enough theme in theme in the community that we'd be remiss not to mention it here).
The fact is that both Spirituality and Religion have a powerful effect on an individual's mental health. Not only because of the sense of connection with a higher power or the positive behaviors it encourages but also because of the faith community Spiritual or religious people become a part of.
Having a faith community
Regardless if the faith community is centered around spiritual beliefs or religious beliefs, it creates an ecosystem of people trying to become more whole. This will help support your spiritual health as you will have plenty of others along a similar journey. You can discuss your spiritual beliefs or mental health concerns that you are facing. If you are having a personal spiritual crisis, you have like-minded people to soundboard your troubles.
Altogether, it does not matter what particular faith you consider yourself, as long as you are working on your spiritual health and surrounding yourself with others who are doing the same, you will find tremendous support for your mental health. This should make it clear that spirituality and mental health go hand-in-hand.
Closing Thoughts
Your spiritual health is an important part of your mental health, yet is often overlooked. Take time for your spirit. Slow down in a world that is always intimidating you into speeding up. Count your blessings and watch as the benefits manifest throughout your life.
If you ever find yourself in a truly dark place, talk to someone. A friend, family member, or mental health professional can pull you out of that rut.