Spiritual
Spiritual wellbeing means the ability to experience meaning and purpose in life through a your connectedness with yourself, with others, with art, music, literature, nature, or a power greater than oneself. For many people Spiritual Wellbeing is about a connection with God. But it does not have to mean this.
Those with good spiritual health typically display hope, a positive outlook, forgiveness/self-acceptance, commitment, meaning and purpose, a sense of self-worth, clear values, and feelings of peace.
Suggested spiritual activities:
Personal Reflection
Take the opportunity to stop and reflect on what matters to you and the values that guide your life. Think about these questions:
What gives my life meaning and purpose?
Which values do I live by, and how do I demonstrate them in my thoughts and actions?
Do I find spiritual energy by being part of a community, or as an individual?
How do I cope with and work through challenges? What keeps me going in times of need?
What brings me inner peace and comfort?
Am I kind to those who are different from me?
How do I make an effort to understand those from other backgrounds?
What would I like to accomplish in this life?
These answers are different for every person, and may change throughout your life.
Make room for gratitude
It is always good to show appreciation.
Gratitude may lead us to engage in random acts of kindness. If you are grateful, you do not take anything for granted: each day becomes filled with meaning, each action of others has value. You are driven to become more purposeful and deliberate. Being thankful for the so-called blessings in life is also a way of being humble. Humility brings home the notion that we are not alone, that our destiny may be shaped by us but it is interconnected with that of others.
You could create a gratitude jar where you write down the things you are grateful for on a post-it note and put them in the jar, or keep a gratitude diary or text yourself. Try to think of something that you are thankful for every day…even if it is something small.
Forgive and let go
Holding on to grudges and hurt against someone else is only going to affect your peace of mind. This is because the other person really does not get as affected as you do. Therefore it is important to forgive and let go, not for them but for your own peace of mind. Think of holding grudges and being unforgiving as carrying a bag that is weighing you down and stopping your from journeying on in life.
When other people hurt us, we have a decision to make. We can choose to hold on to that pain, resentment and anger and carry it around all the time. Or we can choose to let it go. The word ‘forgiveness’ means ‘letting go of the anger and resentment we feel towards another person’. Sometimes, the person who has hurt us says sorry. Sometimes, they may not or cannot. However, in either case, making the choice not to hold onto our anger and resentment can help us. Choosing to let go of this anger is an important part of forgiving.
Listen to Gee Walker’s experience of this after her sons murder:
Try Praying
To some, it’s a way of life, but to others, it can be mysterious or complicated. Prayer can give people hope, give them a chance for stillness, an opportunity to reflect, help them to refocus their thinking. Millions of people across the world do pray and many find it has benefits.
If you think this might appeal to you check out this video and Google search the trypraying website.