This might seem like a touchy topic because religion and spirituality differ so much across everyone.
That does not mean that we should not talk about it though. Religion and spirituality both have such a huge impact on every aspect of the world.
This post will take a general look at the effects that religion and spirituality can have on mental health. The goal here is to turn those effects into opportunities for both aspects of our lives to grow together.
Let’s Talk About Spirituality
Religion and spirituality are very interesting in that most people seem to be in favor of it, but you do not usually see a lot of everyday conversation about it. Why is that? Could it be because of the many different religious beliefs? Could it be that people don’t feel comfortable talking about it? A purely private and personal matter? It is probably all of those things and more. But there are so many ways that anybody’s spiritual beliefs can be a benefit or detriment to anybody’s mental health depending on the context.
What Does This Have To Do With Mental Health?
The better question is, what doesn’t? I have said it so many times, mental health can be related to absolutely anything. That is simply because mental health is different for everyone and everyone deals with life just a little differently. Religion and spirituality, for example, are often used as coping mechanisms. I am sure many of you have heard the saying “There is a plan”. Many times that saying is used to refer to a divine plan that means that everything will work out even though it is not always clear how. There are many other examples that we do not have time to unpack because that would take forever, but I think you get the point.
Using Spirituality To Improve Mental Health
Let me be totally clear now. I am not writing this article to target any specific beliefs, religions, spiritual beliefs, or anything else. I am writing this article simply because mental health and religion are interconnected and regardless of specific beliefs, the impact is there. Religion and spirituality are interconnected with everyday life and our reactions to everyday life are very fluid, just like mental health. So how do we work to understand this connection? This might sound complicated because religion and spirituality and mental health are such broad terms and not two things you might think are related. A lot of the time, complicated questions have really simple answers. To use spirituality to improve mental health is to use spirituality as you see fit. Religion and spirituality are indeed personal, intense, and their origins are not agreed upon. Mental health is, when you think about it, very similar. That is why I am placing a link to The Mayan Wisdom Project. This program gives anyone at all regardless of any factors you can think of an opportunity to look at their lives through an enhanced lens. Spirituality and religion are beautiful things, as is mental health. Using them to work together is a great way to keep our minds sharp!