This week, Sreepriya Menon explores two very important areas and how they are connected – mental health and spirituality. In today’s diverse world, it’s important to prioritise your mental health and stability – and sometimes the best way to do that is to find some inner peace. Read on for more information on the subject.
#TheDiaryOfASocialWorker – 11
For a lot of people, the title would be reason enough not read this article. I hope that they can see beyond the words. Spirituality and mental health are vast topics worth discussing, and no, it is not about God or religion – unless you want it to be. But before we begin defining things, I would like you to consider these two stories:
I had a friend who is a musician and an amazing conversationalist. She used to talk so much that sometimes it was difficult to not be overwhelmed by her ideas and thoughts. One day, I heard her rehearsing and realised that this was probably the only time she was silent because, for once, both her internal and external dialogues were exactly what she wanted to hear.
I asked her what happens when she plays, and she told me that she forgets herself and most of her thoughts as well. Music becomes her language and emotion. She was struggling with her relationships, and I thought this example would help her. She started thinking of people as musical beings, and every idea others expressed as a different note or song. She started listening much better and having less anxiety while interacting socially.
Another story is that of a very successful person who was ambitious, confident, and intelligent. However, he felt that he had to follow a certain path, achieve specific goals, and attain the right amount of success to feel satisfied. He ended up chasing an idea, and encountered experiences which humbled him all the more. Slowly, he realised that he was looking for an inner sense of fulfilment, not the idea of success. As soon as he stopped chasing it, he found success in every initiative he took and every person he met. He realised life isn’t a destination but a journey that is modified with every achievement and challenge.
What Does It Mean To Be Spiritual?
Spirituality is a set of values that you consider guiding principles in life. Health is defined by the WHO as “Physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
While others might disagree with my examples, and think that they are barely connected to spirituality, I have always found spiritual components of self present whenever there is transcendence. This word means, simply, to look beyond yourself – to look at things from a perspective that is greater than an individual or a family. At the same time, I believe that spirituality has a bigger component – connections with other beings.
Research on empathy, prosocial behaviour and motivation from Western Psychology has helped us understand that social interaction and behaviour is coloured by self-interest for most people. There is only a small section who will go beyond their own self-interest. Spiritual processes are essentially like the cleaning of the lens of the mind, which allows you to see a bigger picture, a zoomed out yet detailed one, where you understand that there is no way that all beings are not interconnected and interdependent. Whether it is a question of our carbon footprint, the butterfly effect, economic crises or war – we all affect each other on an everyday basis.
Culture And Spirituality
Some people have a set of beliefs about destiny, auras, energies and omens. People who have read the Alchemist by Paolo Coelho have either told me that they connected with the book or they thought it was completely irrelevant to them. These are the reasons spirituality is a complicated subject to talk about.
However, it is also an opportunity to understand each other’s spiritual leanings. Religions and cultures across the world have a rich collection of diverse practices, rituals, festivals and lifestyles woven into their spiritual beliefs. It is another language for us to communicate with, and is used in music, dance, prayers and gatherings.
In our country, the role of a listener has been played by several people – teachers, gurus, parents, guides and, of course, doctors. When one feels heard, one feels unburdened. However, the solutions to our problems are often found through developing the capacity to see things from a different perspective, not just unburdening yourself. A facilitator is all you need, but since we often do not feel heard, we don’t even listen to others properly. We start assuming things about them based on past negative experiences. We become competitive in all the wrong ways.
Spirituality And Your Mental Health
Your spiritual health is a reservoir that you can tap into whenever you think that a situation is overwhelming you. Instead of meddling unnecessarily with others, when things get hard there is a process of acceptance and reflection, along with gratitude, which makes it possible for us to actually find solutions rather than feel blocked or restricted.
Once an inner quiet is achieved, it is easier to think, and it is easier to see obvious solutions, accept where we went wrong, and get out of the situation.
This process is not achieved in a single day, but its effects are quite powerful. The result it has on mental health concerns is huge. Hence, find a way – your own way – to spirituality. Whether it is through art, work, religion or cooking, connect with yourself and others, and see the difference when you look beyond yourself.
Liked reading this? Then you might also like to read about Family Planning – Addressing The Reproductive Health In India.
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