In my world, there are three primary areas of health to focus on: spiritual, physiological and cerebral. Physiological, of course, deals with the body, whereas cerebral deals with processes within the brain. However, spirituality is what takes place outside of us, in a realm that transcends ourselves and, sometimes, even our comprehension. It’s an area we might study our whole lives and never fully understand.
And, there is no denying it: optimal health involves a spiritual component. Scientists consistently find that developing some form of spiritual expression results in better quality health overall, including longevity, quicker healing, improved mental well-being and less reliance on substances to deal with life. This is true no matter what religion one ascribes to. Whether we engage in organized religion involving a community of like-minded people, take a long drive to music we enjoy, participate in daily meditation practices – alone or with others – or simply spend time in a peaceful environment like an open prairie, water or the woods, we can improve our total well-being.
Recently, I’ve been able to get to know others who practice religions different than my own. And, it’s been truly fascinating learning about the history, traditions, related foods and more associated with these practices. For example, a Jewish friend of mine explained that Jewish holidays all begin at sundown. She also shared with me that for a diet to be kosher, a dish should not include a mixture of meat and milk. That means no cheeseburgers. My Hindu friend was recently bothered when meat-based recipes were served at a Diwali celebration, because the Hindu diet is traditionally vegetarian. There are oodles of details like this for every faith in existence. So much to learn, so little time.
My faith involves gathering at church – not required, but highly encouraged, reading my Bible, which I believe is the divinely inspired Word of God, and spending time in prayer with God. Prayer is simply talking to God like I would a friend. I used to think prayer needed to be a formal time where I blocked out all distractions, closed my eyes, bowed my head, folded my hands and sent up words to God for a specific amount of time. While this is a perfectly acceptable form of prayer, I also find myself talking to God throughout the day more informally, giving thanks for small things that go well, asking Him to care for a situation as it arises, and so on. If you ever see me walking down the street talking to myself, I’m probably talking to God.
I also find myself spending more time in silence when I pray. I realized years ago, that I was talking to God A LOT, but not allowing time for Him to talk to me. Some of my friends and I joke that we thought the reason we would wake up at 3:00 a.m. several days in a row was because that was the only time God could get our attention!
I also like to begin my day with some sort of Bible or devotional reading. I like to do the YouVersion Bible app “verse of the day” followed by the video commentary, supporting verses and prayer guide. This puts my head into a positive space from the beginning, and I often find that other spiritual input I receive throughout the day will correlate to these early thoughts. Does that ever happen to you?
If you’re looking to reduce anxiety or gain peace through meditation, I recently found a book called Breath as Prayer, by Jennifer Tucker, which uses Bible verses to create short, easy meditations. You speak one part of the verse on the inhale and the second part on the exhale. These are really great, especially if you’re short on time and ideas.
There is also an excellent 10-ish minute prayer session posted every morning on YouTube by Grace Oasis. Whomever writes the prayers on this channel is a genius, and also seems to have insight into my life!
To further supplement these activities, I listen to worship music and participate in a number of meetings and group discussions related to my faith. Whatever you’re doing to nurture your own spiritual health, keep doing it. And, please share it here or with others elsewhere. Let’s help each other get healthy!