Spirituality isn’t only something you turn to when you’re in crisis or when things aren’t going well in your life. It can help you every step of the way, and in many different ways. That’s why it’s important to always stay connected to your spiritual nature and cultivate your spirituality throughout your life, not just when you feel like you need it the most.
7 Benefits of a Spiritual Life
Becoming more spiritual can be one of the best decisions you make in your life for your body, mind, and spirit. Spirituality can enhance your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, which makes it important to incorporate into your daily life. Here are seven ways that living a more spiritual life can help you:
1. Being Spiritual Helps You Be Grateful for What You Have
One of the first things that many spiritual leaders suggest is for people to be grateful for what they have, rather than focusing on what they don’t. Being grateful helps you be mindful of all that you do have, rather than dwelling on what you don’t. Being mindful can promote happiness and bring about more positivity into your life. Likewise, when you are happy with where you are in life, it makes it easier to find ways to grow or change your situation to one that will make you even happier.
2. You’re Kinder to Others Around You
For most people, being spiritual has a lot to do with what you believe. However, spirituality is much more than just your religious views. It’s also about helping other people and becoming a better person every day. If you are spiritual, that means you have strong personal values, even if those values are different from those of other people. For many people, spirituality is attractive because it makes them feel good about themselves and others around them.
3. Being Spiritual Helps You Find a Community
Sometimes it’s hard to find a community where you live. Having spiritual values and knowing how they help others makes it easier to find other spiritually-minded people that believe the same thing you do. Whether you physically meet to share your beliefs or you connect with a group of people online, pursuing your spiritual beliefs will help you feel less alone in life.
4. It Helps You Deal With Challenges
Spirituality has been shown to help people deal with a wide range of personal challenges, like stress or anxiety. A recent study shows that individuals that attend religious or spiritual services regularly are far less likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety. Another study that tracked middle-aged Americans found that those who believed in a higher power were less likely to suffer from alcohol problems or be obese.
Spiritual beliefs also help one process the reality of death and one’s time on earth. By helping you feel connected to something bigger than yourself, spirituality provides comfort during difficult times and can even give you greater confidence in yourself.
5. Being Spiritual Increases Kindness Towards Others
When you’re spiritual, you feel a deeper connection to people around you. This, in turn, means that you are more inclined to be kinder towards them. For example, being spiritual can help with being patient during long lines at airport security, taking note of other drivers on your commute home, or treating each customer with respect.
6. It Gives You Meaning and Purpose In Your Life
Spirituality offers a different perspective than what you hear every day. Whether you learn tarot card reading online or choose to read the bible, believing in something reminds you that there’s more to life than just your job and that there’s a higher purpose behind everything we do. Living with spirituality instills a sense of purpose and perspective in our lives that can make everything we do that much more meaningful.
As you believe in something other than yourself, you won’t feel like you’re just another cog in the machine. Instead, you find fulfillment in your work because it feels like it matters for something greater than yourself.
7. It Increases Your Happiness
It’s been shown that people who consider themselves religious or spiritual have a better sense of well-being and a greater sense of happiness than those who don’t. A recent study at Yale University found that spirituality is linked to both higher levels of positive emotions and lower levels of negative emotions. In other words, being more spiritually-minded may not only help you focus on positivity, but can actually influence your brain chemistry as well.
Spirituality goes beyond religious beliefs as it helps you feel that there’s more to life than the daily grind. Regardless of where you find your spirituality or how you define it, keep the benefits of spirituality in mind as you work to create a better life for yourself.
