Spiritual Wellness - Saving the best for last
Spiritual Wellness
hap·pi·ness
(ˈha-pē-nəs)
noun.
a: a state of well-being and contentment
b: a pleasurable or satisfying experience
joy·ful
(joi)
noun.
· delight, great pleasure, joyfulness, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, ebullience, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy, transports of delight, rapture, radiance.
· enjoyment, gratification, felicity.
· cloud nine, seventh heaven.
· joie de vivre.
You might be wondering why I’m starting today’s blog post with a vocabulary lesson. You might also be expecting a post centered around religion – and yes, we will touch a little bit on religion today, but spirituality is a concept that encompasses so much more than just religion, and there are ways to have a full experience of spiritual wellness without ever stepping foot insight a place of worship or reciting a prayer! So, back to our vocabulary lesson … “The term happiness comes from the Old Norse term happ meaning ‘luck’ or ‘chance.’” (www.dictionary.com). You might feel happy when you find a $5 bill on the street, or when your school/job calls a snow day. But happiness is temporary – it’s an emotion, and all emotions are temporary. When the $5 is spent and the snow melts, the happiness fades.
Joy though? Joy is rejuvenating. Joy is laughter. It’s connection. It’s peace, it’s love, it’s compassion. And for some people, that’s connected to religion. For others, it’s connected to music, nature, animals, or people. Joy lasts beyond the experience. Joy fills us up.
Last summer, I went to an beach resort. I’m content with a book and a beach pretty much any time. One afternoon, my travel partner and I decided to split up. They went to the gym and I stayed for an aquarobics class in the pool. The activity was coordinated to music and I splashed around with a bunch of strangers for half an hour. Afterwards, I sat in the pool and just reflected. My book wasn’t waterproof, I didn’t have anyone I knew to talk to – I just sat. And as I sat, an overwhelming sense of calm came over me. I settled into myself and realized that I hadn’t been STILL in a very long time. We’re always connected, you see. Phones, Apple watches, laptops, tablets. Always getting notified of something that isn’t here, isn’t now. And I sat that way for an hour, just enjoying the sensations of the cool water, the warm sun, the sounds of laughter and conversation around me. I vowed in that moment to make more time for silence and disconnection from my phone.
Yoga has always been a place for me to disconnect. I love that my studio does not allow cell phones – it stays in the cubby outside with my shoes. For an hour or so each week, I am only in tune with my body and my thoughts. If you are a yogi (or even if you’re just at the gym, or running, or whatever), I encourage you to turn off or take off your smart watch. Yes – that means running or lifting weights or walking without your podcast or your music! See what it’s like to just be in the moment. You can also try this with your pets. Put your phone down and spend fifteen minutes petting your dog or your cat (or hamster, etc.) without any distractions. The National Health Institute’s research shows that interactions with animals significantly reduces cortisol – the stress hormone.
I also find spiritual wellness in music. Many people I’ve worked with throughout the pandemic have struggled with the loss of live music – there is magic in the vibrations of song. Whether you join a band, sing in a choir, or just go to your local open mic night, I encourage you to seek out live music. Every Tuesday I gather with other music lovers and sing in a choir – and It’s wonderful. Being in the room with other like minded individuals creates a sense of connection even without any spoken word!
I had been thinking about what to write for the spiritual wellness post for awhile – I’d planned to save it for last because our spiritual wellness is so wrapped up in the other dimensions. We can gain spiritual wellness in our social connections, our physical experiences, in nature (environment), etc. Spiritual wellness seemed like the culmination of a variety of topics. And yet, I felt like there could be more. I started doing a little reading and became interested in the service aspect of wellness - how giving can really lead to getting.
One of my favorite ways to engage in spiritual wellness is being involved in causes that I truly care about. Sure, there’s a few charities I regularly contribute to – that’s important. But it’s passive – they take the monthly donation and I don’t think twice about it. But there are also some active engagements! I donate blood when I can (I tend to be anemic, so I’m often turned away) because I know how much blood donation can positively impact a family. We foster retired lab beagles – it’s the most amazing experience. They come to our home having no idea what a dog is, and within a few weeks, they learn about toys, stairs, couches, and snacks. They learn about running and grass and playing. And even though there is a bittersweetness in the goodbye when they get adopted, it is so wonderful to have seen them grow. We hang their photos in a collage frame with the words “Goodbye Is The Goal” in our kitchen – we’ve seen 9 dogs come through this house and hope to need a bigger frame soon. It fills my heart to see a dog who didn’t know how to be a dog make a new family happy. I’m still friends with the adoptive mom of my first foster puppy on Facebook, and seeing the love that I helped bring into her family is the most amazing feeling!
So when you consider your spiritual wellness, I encourage you to ask yourself – what am I passionate about? Do I allow myself silence? Do I feel connected to anything (nature, people, animals, art, etc.)? What are the things that speak to your soul? If it’s hard to connect to your spiritual mind, perhaps start with asking your intellectual mind, physical mind, and social mind – what brings you joy?
References:
National Health Institute. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets