Do you feel that something is missing in your life? Is it difficult for you to experience true joy because you struggle to find meaning or purpose?If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to assess 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.
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 Baha’i, for 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 assess 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 helps to ask for God’s help and pray daily for our spiritual well-being. Central figures of the Baha’i faith revealed thousands of prayers for us to say 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 soul and body.
Prayer gives us clarity and guidance for any issues we may be facing, and it uplifts and strengthens our souls. In one prayer, Bahá’u’lláh wrote:Sing, O My servant, the verses of God that you have received, as they are sung by those who have come close to Him, so that the sweetness of your melody kindles your own soul and attracts the hearts of all.
Whenever someone recites the verses that God has revealed in the privacy of his room, the scattering angels of the Almighty will spread the fragrance of the words emanating from his mouth everywhere, and will make the heart of every righteous person flutter. Though at first he remains unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of grace bestowed upon him must sooner or later exert an influence upon his soul. 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 the verses of God to be inspired
Baha’is 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: “Plunge into the ocean of My words so that you may unlock 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 and profound meanings that we can spend hours delving into. They contain lessons for us to learn, guides 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, upset, or frustrated, and each of us needs a healthy spiritual outlet to channel our pain into something productive.
The Baha’i writings speak highly 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 the prose. It moves more deeply, because it is of a finer composition». Whenever I feel sad, I write poetry to record my pain, ease my tension, and revive my spirit. I believe that finding a way out is crucial for your mental and spiritual health.
5) Improve your physical health
Since our body and our spirit are connected, our physical health will undoubtedly affect our spiritual health. Abdu’l-Bahá said: “The healthier his body, the greater will be the power of man’s spirit; the power of the intellect, the power of memory, the power of reflection will be greater».
Remember to exercise, eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, and get some sun. 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
In order to have a healthy spiritual life, you have to diagnose and cure your spiritual diseases that contribute to the degradation of the world around you.The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States wrote: “The tensions, divisions and injustices that currently plague the United States are symptoms of a long illness. The nation is afflicted with profound spiritual disorder, manifesting itself in rampant materialism, widespread moral decay, and deep-seated racial prejudice.”
Baha’is believe that racism, for example, is a “cancerous growth… which is eating away at the bowels 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 and interracial friendships, to be 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 get discouraged or depressed because they have pursued a career that doesn’t make sense to them. But we all have unique interests, talents, skills, and abilities that allow us to contribute to society in ways only we can.
The Bahá’í writings say: “The best men are those who earn their livelihood by their profession…”. So if you haven’t already, you might want to take some time to explore what you’ve been called to do. What fields inspire you? What job comes naturally to you? What tasks would you love to do, even if you weren’t paid for it? Baha’is believe that when we pursue a career we love and do the job in a “spirit of service,” we offer the “highest form of worship” to God.
8) Commit yourself to service to humanity
Bahá’u’lláh wrote: “May your vision embrace the world instead of limiting yourself 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 towards, 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 is always easier to feel joyful when we are making a difference in the lives of others. Around the world, Baha’is engage in social action, contribute to public discourse, facilitate discussions on personal and community development, and morally empower children and adolescents to bring positive change to their communities.
In short, you must distinguish yourself in all the virtues of the human world – for honesty and sincerity, for justice and fidelity, for firmness and constancy, for philanthropic actions and service to the human world, for love towards all human beings, for unity and harmony with all the people, for removing prejudices and promoting international peace, said Abdu’l-Bahá.
This is the essence of a healthy and spiritual life.
