In life, you will meet all sorts of people who follow different faiths. Religion and spirituality play a major part in many people’s lives, however, it’s important to remember that there are key differences between the two. While religion is a community-focused, organised system of beliefs, spirituality revolves around an individual and what they personally believe. Here are some of the mental health benefits that religion and spirituality can bring you.
Religion Mental Health Benefits
There are lots of reasons why people choose to follow a religion, with one of the main being that it gives the individual something to believe in, which provides structure to their day to day life, as well as creating a community amongst others with similar beliefs. Following a religion provides a safe social engagement, and helps worshipers cope with difficult life situations.
Religion also provides various teachings such as rules and guidelines to live by, teaching forgiveness, gratitude and compassion, and identifying life lessons from challenging situations.
Spirituality Mental Health Benefits
While religion is based on believing in something, spirituality is something much bigger than ourselves. Spirituality helps an individual look within and figure out who they are and examine the actions that one takes in day to day life. To put it simply, spirituality helps an individual figure out their own interpretation on the meaning of life.
Some of the mental health benefits of spirituality include enhancing an individual’s sense of empowerment, accepting any person, regardless of what religion they follow, encouraging self-reflection and meditation, as well as renewing a sense of belonging in the world we live in.
Visiting a Place of Worship
No matter what type of religion you follow, visiting a place of worship can be a great way to combat stress, anxiety, and bring you closer together with likeminded individuals. Having support and guidance from those around you can help you feel more relaxed and calmer, helping to give you a more positive outlook on life. Visiting a place of worship can boost your confidence and self-esteem, giving you something worthwhile to focus on.
Running a Place of Worship
If you feel passionate about your religion and want to start up a much-needed place of worship within your community, there are lots of factors that you need to take into consideration. Whether you plan to run a church, mosque, or synagogue, understanding what is involved is crucial. One of the key factors will be funding, and so you will want a good idea of the running costs before you are given the go ahead. Don’t forget that you will have the usual utility bills to take care of, so if you want to run a synagogue, for example, you can keep the heating costs low by visiting a comparison site like Utility Bidder who can help you learn more about synagogue energy prices.
Religion and spirituality can bring all sorts of mental health benefits, helping to improve your wellbeing and enabling you to be around those who have similar beliefs. Whether it’s to relieve stress, combat anxiety, or get support, love, and guidance from fellow worshippers, being around others who are caring and compassionate can make a big difference and help to drastically improve your mental state.
Photo by Josh Boot on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
