Do you feel like something is missing in your life? Do you find it difficult to experience true joy because you struggle to find meaning or purpose?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to evaluate your spiritual health. Your spirit affects your energy, your emotions, your activities and your relationships. When we are spiritually sick, we stop growing: we forget who we are and lose sight of what is important in life sound bath training.
Often, we spend so much time focusing on our physical health that we forget to prioritize our soul. And the soul is the part of us that will last for eternity. But, just like our physical body, our soul requires daily maintenance to stay spiritually healthy and strong. So, here are eight tips, from my perspective as a Bahá’í, for having a healthy spiritual life.
1) Reflect on your spiritual health
To improve your spiritual health, you must first reflect on what thoughts, habits or vices may be damaging your soul. Bahá’u’lláh , the prophet and founder of the Bahá’í faith, wrote: “Man must know himself, know the things that lead to sublimity or baseness, to dishonor or honor, to wealth or to poverty .
During your reflection, you can evaluate your character and ask yourself: What kind of person do I want to be? Does my lifestyle reflect these spiritual aspirations and ideals? If not, what changes am I going to make?
2) Pray for your health and spiritual growth
Once we have a specific goal in mind and know what we want to improve about ourselves, it is helpful to ask for God’s help and pray daily for our spiritual well-being. Central figures of the Bahá’í faith revealed thousands of prayers for us to pray on everything from detachment and forgiveness to spiritual growth and healing. Abdu’l-Bahá , the son of Bahá’u’lláh and one of the central figures of the Bahá’í faith, wrote : “The prayers that have been revealed for healing are applicable to both physical and spiritual healing. Recite them, then, to heal both the soul and the body .
Therefore, prayers will always have a positive influence on ourselves and our environment. It just may take us some time to fully realize the influence they have.
3) Meditate on God’s verses to get inspired
Bahá’ís believe that prayer and meditation go hand in hand. It is not enough to ask God questions through prayer without waiting and hearing the answer.
God’s prayers and verses are full of amazing wisdom and power. Bahá’u’lláh wrote: “Immerse yourself in the ocean of My words so that you may decipher its secrets and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hidden in its depths . ” Every word in the writings of God’s prophets contains multiple, deep meanings that we can spend hours delving into. They contain lessons for us to learn, guides for us to follow, and stories of spiritual examples that we can all strive to emulate.
4) Find a healthy outlet
Of course, we are not robots. At some point in our daily lives we will be stressed, angry or frustrated, and each of us needs a healthy spiritual outlet to channel our pain into something productive.
The Bahá’í writings speak very well of how powerful the arts are in healing and uplifting humanity. My favorite artistic outlet is poetry. Abdu’l-Bahá said: “Poetry is much more effective and complete than prose. It moves more deeply, because it is of a finer composition» [Provisional translation by Oriana Vento]. Whenever I feel sad, I write poetry to record my pain, relieve my tension, and revive my spirit. I think finding a way out is crucial for your mental and spiritual health.
5) Improve your physical health
Since our body and spirit are connected, our physical health will undoubtedly affect our spiritual health. Abdu’l-Bahá said: “The healthier his body, the greater the power of the man’s spirit; the power of intellect, the power of memory, the power of reflection will be greater” [Provisional translation].
Remember to exercise, eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, and sunbathe. Our body houses our soul, so it is important to also give it the care and attention it needs.
6) Strive to eliminate your spiritual illnesses
To have a healthy spiritual life, you have to diagnose and cure your spiritual illnesses that contribute to the degradation of the world around you.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States wrote: “The tensions, divisions and injustices that currently beset the United States are symptoms of a long illness. The nation is afflicted with profound spiritual disorder, manifested in rampant materialism, widespread moral decay, and deep-seated racial prejudice .
Bahá’ís believe that racism, for example, is a “cancerous growth… which is eating away at the core of an already weakened society . ” Shoghi Effendi , the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, explained how necessary it is for all of us to have close, interracial friendships , that are free from this disease of racial prejudice, both in our personal and private lives.
7) Decide how you can best contribute to society
People often become discouraged or depressed because they have pursued a career that makes no sense to them. But we all have unique interests, talents, skills and abilities that allow us to contribute to society in a way that only we can.
The Bahá’í writings say: “The best men are those who earn their living by their profession…” . So, if you haven’t already, you may want to take some time to explore what you have been called to. What fields inspire you? What work comes naturally to you? What tasks would you love to do, even if you didn’t get paid for it? Bahá’ís believe that when we pursue a career we enjoy and do the work in a “spirit of service ,” we offer the “highest form of worship” to God.
8) Commit to serving humanity
Bahá’u’lláh wrote: “May your vision encompass the world instead of being limited to your own being . ” The best way to have a spiritually healthy and fulfilling life is to have an inspiring vision of a just and unified society to work toward, while serving humanity to the best of your ability.
This means finding causes you are passionate about, dedicating your time, energy and resources to alleviating the global suffering caused by these issues. It’s always easier to feel joyful when we are making a difference in the lives of others. Around the world, Bahá’ís engage in social action, contribute to public discourse, facilitate discussions about personal and community development, and morally empower children and adolescents to bring positive change to their communities.
In short, you must distinguish yourselves in all the virtues of the human world – for honesty and sincerity, for justice and fidelity, for firmness and perseverance, for philanthropic actions and service to the human world, for love towards every human being, for unity and harmony with all. people, to remove prejudices and promote international peace, said Abdu’l-Bahá.