“A human being is a part of the whole called by us the universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest, a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, limiting us to our personal desires and affection for a few people closest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to encompass all living creatures and all of nature in its beauty Sound Baths.”
In today’s fast-paced world, with so many things distracting us, it’s easy to focus on the outside world and neglect what’s inside. In our search for more, it often seems like we are trying to fill some kind of void that we can’t quite identify; perhaps the void is spiritual, and that is why it never seems to be filled with material pursuits or empty distractions.
Research shows that when we are not in touch with our inner selves, and particularly when we lack a spiritual connection, our mental and physical health can suffer.
Although spirituality varies between cultures and individuals, there are some basic truths that connect those with righteous intentions, and these principles can guide us to live as good people.
When we work to foster our spiritual side, studies show that memory and cognition improve, immunity is boosted, blood pressure improves, things like depression, stress, and anxiety decrease, anger and resentment decrease, and Risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions also decreases.
Strengthening our spiritual side increases our overall levels of happiness, hope, optimism, and inner calm. We can find deeper meaning and purpose for our lives. An analysis of research studies revealed that those who are more spiritual have stronger marital relationships, commit fewer crimes, have significantly lower rates of substance abuse, perform better in school, and therefore have an overall positive impact on those who see them. surround and in society in general.
With so many benefits, let’s look at some simple things we can do to strengthen our spiritual well-being.
Cultivate integrity
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, integrity is “firm adherence to a strict moral or ethical code,” or “the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; the fullness”.
Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. Of course, looking at it from a spiritual perspective, nothing goes unnoticed.
Integrity requires honesty with oneself and others, self-discipline and willpower, and a commitment to upholding our values and principles, even if it means we lose out. It means not taking the easy way out, and not choosing our personal interest over what is right.
There is a proverb that says: “There is no pillow as soft as a clean conscience.” A clear conscience can only be achieved by living a life of integrity, and its importance was well known to the older generations, who were often heard saying: “The reason I sleep well is because I have a clear conscience.” Unfortunately, the value of integrity was largely lost in modern times, and in its place, the focus on money and the desire to get ahead took its place. Coincidentally, sleep problems are common.
To live with integrity, it is important that we identify our values so that they help us determine the type of person we are and want to be. This illuminates our moral compass. As we strive to live this way, our character is strengthened in goodness, while our negative aspects are weakened and eliminated.
Forgive and let go
Forgiveness is an integral part of all right spiritual teachings. For example, Jesus said, “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:27-28
When we are treated badly or in a way we consider unfair, we may feel justified in our anger or resentment toward another person. But when we carry these things in our hearts, as the saying goes, it is like drinking poison and thinking that it will hurt the other person.
Several years ago, I had a coworker who regularly disagreed with me. This created a lot of tension, and over time, I developed resentment toward her for being controlling and trying to tell me how to do my job. I increasingly disliked going to work, and I even considered looking for another job.
Then one day, a light bulb went on. I thought, “This is my job. I can go to work and be miserable, or I can go to work and be happy. It depends on me”.
Realizing this, I went to work the next day with a different attitude. I forgave what I considered my coworker’s transgressions and began to let go of the resentment I had held. I maintained a pleasant demeanor and didn’t let the little things get to me, and as a result, I somehow felt lighter. The things that had bothered me now seemed so insignificant that I often didn’t even notice them unless someone pointed them out.
The most surprising thing is that, as I changed, my environment changed. My coworker stopped trying to tell me how to do my job all the time, and the situation between us became harmonious. This unintended consequence of practicing forgiveness and working to change myself not only benefited me, but also the environment around me.
Act with disinterest
Altruism, or selflessness, is another universal teaching in righteous spiritual practices. As Buddha said, “A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things that renew humanity.”
To act with selflessness is to put aside one’s own desires for the benefit of others. It means helping another person out of the goodness of your heart, without any expectation of reward. It is putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and having true compassion.
Unfortunately, in today’s society, the opposite is not only promoted, but often applauded and even rewarded. But the good news is that, with a little introspection and awareness, selflessness can be learned and gradually become a part of our daily lives.
Small acts of kindness, such as listening to another person without thinking about what we are going to say next, bringing a cup of coffee to a coworker, or mowing our elderly neighbor’s lawn, are simple ways to put others before ourselves. to ourselves.
As we go about our day, it’s a good idea to pause and ask ourselves, “Why am I doing this?” In other words, what is our true motivation behind our actions? Do we bring our sick friend a bowl of soup because we know how miserable it is to have the flu and we want to help her feel better, or because we want to hear what a great friend we are or what a good cook we are? Examining our thoughts is the key.
Helping for the sake of helping, with a pure and genuine heart, benefits others, and inadvertently also ourselves. Studies show that altruistic behaviors lead to greater peace of mind, reduced cortisol levels, and even decreased risk of heart disease, to name a few.
Practice gratitude
In a world where we can have almost anything we want whenever we want it, it’s easy to take things for granted and lose sight of the importance of gratitude.
Recently, an incident occurred when I was teaching my son to be grateful for what he had and not to expect more and more. My husband overheard our conversation and joined in to insist on what he was saying. He surprised me when he told our son “Every day when I wake up, I say a prayer. I do not request anything. I just say ‘thank you’, even if it’s for my two arms and legs that allow me to go to work, or for the roof that covers me.”
Being grateful for what we have, without wishing or asking for more, even in the face of difficulties and struggles, is undoubtedly a worthwhile effort.
Studies show that gratitude can be cultivated. If we do things like keep a gratitude journal or reflect on three things we are grateful for at the end of each day, we strengthen our gratitude muscle. We can even learn to be grateful in difficult times.
Leonardo da Vinci said: “Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolution. “He who looks at a star does not change his mind.” Difficulties help us strengthen our determination to achieve our goals and strengthen who we are. And without the difficult moments, how would we know what we are capable of?
Find the lesson
Not a day goes by without us finding multiple opportunities to improve. Everything happens for a reason. Even if we don’t understand why things happen, what we can understand is the lesson they contain.
While working with my coworker, I realized something else: The things that bothered me about her were actually things that existed in me: she was just a mirror that reflected what was in me. At first, this wasn’t something I wanted to admit to myself, let alone anyone else, and I wondered if she really had such a controlling way with myself.
When I paid attention to my thoughts and behaviors, I saw the hard truth: I too had my own way of wanting to control things. When I reflected on the situation later, I found that the situation was an opportunity to look at myself and learn some valuable lessons.
I also realized that when a certain type of situation was repeated, even if it took different forms, it was trying to teach me a lesson. When I started looking for patterns in the things that were happening in my life, I also learned that if something about another person bothered me, it was a sure sign that I had that thing in me in one way or another.
Over the years, I have seen that my most valuable lessons have come from my most difficult situations. Although I didn’t like going through those painful or hard times, I saw that they actually served an important purpose: personal growth. And if I didn’t work on improving that part of myself, the situation would continue to repeat itself in different scenarios.
When my son entered primary school, I began to have regular talks with him that we called “life lessons.” I tried to teach him the importance of being kind to others, regardless of how he was treated, of being honest, thoughtful, patient, and sharing with others. He would also make up “what if” scenarios for me to think about how he might handle different types of difficult situations, and then we would discuss possible solutions.
One day, when a boy treated him unkindly in second grade, he came home and told me that he wasn’t mean to him, and said, “I don’t think his mother should teach him life lessons.” When my son did something wrong, he tried to get me to understand why he was wrong and think about how he could do it better next time.
My hope is that these lessons laid the foundation for my son to learn to reflect on his own actions, see what he could learn from them, and continually strive to be a better person.
In my opinion, what happens in our lives is meant to teach us to rectify our mistakes and change ourselves to improve our patience, honesty, kindness, empathy and other good qualities.
In conclusion
Research confirms what common sense tells us: Strengthening our spiritual well-being is good for our mental and physical health. It elevates our moral character, strengthens our relationships, improves our performance in school and at work, and is an essential pillar of a good society.