Many people would not think that spiritualism plays a role in their health. I propose to you that indeed it does play a role in our health and our lives. Most people take care of themselves by overseeing physical health by getting needed exams, tests, and seeing doctors when we need to. Most of us would not question doing or taking a prescribed antidote for a physical ailment but we don’t think about doing something for our spirits, our emotional health, and spiritual related emptiness. All of us experience ups and downs in our life and I believe it is partly due to a spiritual richness that some people are better able to cope with life’s twists and turns and retain health. As a nurse I have seen this many times throughout my professional career. I believe that enriching the spiritual side to our selves can enhance our health and outcomes to illness.
In most healing traditions and through generations of healers in the early beginnings of Western medicine, concerns of the body and spirit were intertwined. But with the coming of the scientific revolution and the enlightenment, these considerations were removed from the medical system. Today, however, a growing number of studies reveal that spirituality may play a bigger role in the healing process than the medical community had previously thought (University of Maryland Medical Center).
Spiritual practices can improve our coping skills and promote feelings of optimism and hope, cause us to perform healthy behaviors, and encourage a sense of well being. Spiritual practices also help us to practice positive habits and promote good immune function. It is not solely the practice of healthy habits that promotes health but the attitude that is adapted from being spiritually oriented.
There is empirical evidence that shows that if a person has faith it can increase our resistance to stress, if a person has hope it can help people survive illness and live a longer life, and people who practice forgiveness carry less anger, resentment, and deal better with emotions and stress.
Spirituality is not religion although it can encompass it, but something much more personal and profound. Eckhart Tolle, author of A New Earth, says to be spiritual is to live in a state of openness. “With that openness, a far greater power comes into your life,” he says. “So to be spiritual is to be in touch, connected with that dimension of depth in you.”
It is a belief system that a person has that relates them to the rest of existence, the universe, and a way of living with others. It is something that gives that person a sense of peace and allows for a deeper sense of tranquility when facing challenges. It helps you to view the world around you with loving eyes.
Dr. Wayne Dyer suggests this technique to start your spiritual journey:
Decide to reduce the noise level in your life. Learn to take time each and every day for quiet contemplation. For example, when you’re driving alone, turn off the constant chatter bombarding your inner world. Try to make meditation a daily practice, even if it’s only a few minutes each day. As Swami Sivananda reminded his students, “Silence is the language of the gods.” Ask in silence, listen in silence, and let silence be the jumping-off point for becoming one with the creative force of the universe.
Spirituality (whatever you choose it to be) comes from within, not magically learned from other sources. You can start a spiritual journey at any time in your life and it can help your health and longevity.