Spirituality can be thought of as the meaning in life that a person gains in relation to something bigger than themselves or “transcendent.” This meaning may or may not come from formal religious traditions (Huguelet et al., 2016; Mizuno et al., 2018). So whether you consider yourself spiritual and not religious, religious and not spiritual, both spiritual and religious, atheist, agnostic, or indifferent, the reality is that spiritual development is core to our nature, regardless of our “spiritual identity”. Benson and colleagues (2008), say that spiritual development occurs in all people, regardless of their religious beliefs. From this perspective, religious beliefs and practices can be an integral part of our spiritual development, but they do not have to be. Many people have adopted the belief systems, narratives, and customs of a religious or cultural tradition to guide and support their spiritual development. Some choose resources and contexts such as music, arts, philosophy, and nature to guide their spiritual development.
Our spirituality is impacted by many things including our upbringing, life experiences such as illness, death, religious trauma, spiritual awakenings, and more. The reality is that our beliefs about the nature of reality, why we are here, and the purpose and meaning we attach to life can change depending on all of the above. This is part of the spiritual journey. Benson and colleagues (2008) say that spiritual development is “the developmental engine that propels the search for connectedness, meaning, purpose, and contribution. It is shaped both within and outside of religious traditions, beliefs, and practices.” It is something that we all experience despite our identities. It is central to the human experience.
Spiritual well-being is a sense of meaning in life and peacefulness, and the sense of strength and comfort from one’s faith (Mizuno et al., 2018). It influences our whole selves. It provides overall health, inner strength, comfort, peace, lower distress, less anxiety, fewer depressive symptoms, lower risk of suicide, and the ability to cope with debilitating feelings (Lavorato-Neto et al., 2018) . Things that are essential for mental health.
Many practices can promote spiritual well-being. For me personally, faith in God, prayer, community, meditation, singing worship, journaling, and music are essential parts of my spiritual practice. Whatever your spiritual identity, I believe the point is to find practices that connect you to yourself, others, or transcendent; spiritual practices that force you to grow and find peace within yourself to be a light and survive the darkness of this world!
What gives you meaning, purpose, peace, freedom? How does religion play a part, or not? I would love to hear your thoughts!
Sources
Benson, P. L., Roehlkepartain, E. C., & Hong, K. L. (2008). Spiritual development. Jossey-Bass/Wiley.
Huguelet, P., Mohr, S.M., Olié, E., Vidal, S., Hasler, R., Prada, P., Bancila, M., Courtet, P., Guillaume, S., & Perroud, N. (2016). Spiritual meaning in life and values in patients with severe mental disorder. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 204(6), 409-414. doi:10.1097/NMD.0000000000000495
Lavorato-Neto, G., Rodrigues, L., Rozendo da Silva, D.A., Turato, E.R., & Campos, C.J.G. (2018). Spirituality review on mental health and psychiatric nursing. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 71(supple 5), 2323-2333. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2016-042
Mizuno, Y., Hofer, A., Frajo-Apor, B., Wartelsteiner, F., Kemmler, G., Pardeller, S., Suzuki, T., Mimura, M., Fleischhacker, W.W., & Uchida, H. (2018). Religiosity and psychological resilience in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: An international cross-sectional study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 137(4), 316-327. https://doi-org.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/10.1111/acps.12838