7 Natural Ways to Improve Spiritual Health & Emotional Balance

Q: What are some ways to improve your spiritual wellness daily?

Some ways to improve your spiritual wellness daily include practising mindfulness or meditation, spending time in nature, journaling your thoughts and gratitude, engaging in prayer or contemplation, performing acts of kindness, reading inspiring texts, and aligning your actions with your core values.

Key Takeaways:

In this blog, we will touch upon the following aspects:

Understanding the importance of spiritual health for inner focus: realising why taking out time during the day to sit in silence and connect with the higher inner self is essential for our overall well-being.
Mindfulness and spiritual health connection: taking a look at both these aspects, their relationship and contribution in strengthening our emotional resilience.
Reflection enhancing spiritual wellness: understanding what reflection is and exploring practices to include in our existing schedule to enjoy its myriad benefits.
Daily habits that create lasting change: Identify practices that will improve the overall quality of our lives.

Introduction:

With the advent of AI, we are getting a glimpse of unperceivable things and a taste of unimaginable experiences. Scientific breakthroughs have led to miraculous cures for some of the most fatal diseases, resulting in an increase in human life expectancy. These advancements are deemed to have made our lives so much easier for us. But have they really?

Today, we are drifting through life like a ship without a rudder, unable to make deep, meaningful relationships, not knowing our aim or purpose and accomplishing nothing very constructive and chasing a sense of ultimate happiness that we are unable to define, but wish to experience. These unsettling emotions have affected many and have led to an increase in mental health issues. The only way out of this pandemonium is to build spiritual health and develop inner focus to face life with clarity. Understanding the interconnectedness of spirituality and health as aspects of well-being can guide us toward balance and purpose.

What Is Spiritual Health?

To define spiritual health in simple words, it is a connection between you and your higher self. It is not necessarily about religions or ritualistic beliefs. It is a personal journey of understanding the mental and emotional blueprint inside you and the unique lenses you wear through which you look at the world – interpreting events and making decisions.

Have you come across a person who is grounded and at peace during testing times? As though their brain is miraculously wired to deal with life’s challenges with optimism and grace. And then there are others who are directionless, easily get overwhelmed and bitter when they face chaos or any obstacles. It is just that the first has a sense of purpose, a clear value system and a deep inner connection – hallmarks of great spiritual health. Whereas the other is simply disconnected from their higher self, making them vulnerable to life’s challenges. Now, let us take a look at how to improve your spiritual health.

The ways to improve spiritual health are by:

Making consistent efforts to stop looking outwards and taking time out to go inwards.
Patiently forging a bond with your inner higher self.
Getting an understanding of your inner framework of your world and the role you need to play in it.
Being able to cut yourself away from outside chaos and find moments of silence, leading you to inner peace.
And slowly, with time and practice, unravelling your core purpose, meaning, and personal values that will define your place in the world and help you to navigate through this journey of life.

Remember, a person with good spiritual health remains calm even in the most adverse situations, is positive and has inner strength to sail through turbulent tides.

The Connection Between Mindfulness and Spiritual Health:

Now that we have already established the spiritual health definition, let us gain an insight into Mindfulness and spirituality and understand their relationship.

There is a deep-rooted connection between spiritual health and Mindfulness. They both involve raising your awareness and being present in the moment.

Mindfulness is training your mind to be present in the moment, relishing and savouring each experience. Over time, through practice, you become more aware, as though clearing a foggy window and getting clarity on what gives your life meaning and how to connect or deal with the outer world. These discoveries strengthen your spiritual health. This connection explains how mindfulness helps spiritual well-being by deepening awareness and creating space for stillness.

Spiritual health is about discovering your core values, purpose, and sense of connection. A strong sense of spiritual health can deepen mindfulness practice because you are still and connected with divine energy.

Mindfulness and Spirituality are interrelated, supporting and growing each other, enhancing your overall spiritual wellness. Practising mindful living strengthens your ability to be present and spiritually grounded.

How Reflection Enhances Spiritual Wellness:

Before we take a look at how reflection enhances spiritual wellness, let us understand what reflection is.

There are varied definitions of reflection in the generic sense, in physics, or in psychology. In spirituality, reflection is a practice of self-evaluation and introspection wherein you take time out to look inwards, evaluate your thoughts, behaviour, feelings or actions and how they align with your core value system and spiritual beliefs. As though you are holding a mirror to your soul.

You can train your mind to practice spiritual reflection through journaling, prayer, meditation or setting a time out from your busy schedule to sit quietly to contemplate your experiences. These small but steady steps will help enhance your spiritual health and overall wellness. Over time, these reflective practices for better spiritual wellness can lead to greater self-awareness, peace and spiritual growth.

You will be able to:

Identify your core values: You are able to get clarity on the things, relationships or activities that truly matter to you.
Find your true purpose: Gain clarity on how your daily activities are linked to your larger purpose in life.
Strengthen Connection: These ritualistic practices will help strengthen your inner connection with your higher self.
Gain emotional resilience: You will not flow aimlessly with the tide; you will be anchored and able to navigate even the stormiest of weathers.

7 Practical Ways to Improve Spiritual Health Through Mindfulness and Reflection:

In order to introduce any activity to our existing schedule, we must repeat it on a daily basis for it to become a habit, so that it becomes second skin to us and we follow it as smoothly as day follows night without any resistance. Your mind may pose initial resistance, simply telling or trying to convince you that you do not have the time, or you have way too many things at hand to take time out to sit in stillness, or it will not work. But you need to resist all these quirks and temptations and religiously follow the below-mentioned techniques to experience spiritual wellness through mindfulness and reflection.

These are natural ways to improve spiritual health, helping you feel more connected to yourself, your purpose, and the world around you without relying on quick fixes. Let us take a look:

Become an early riser and set a time of day to practice daily mindfulness meditation.
It is best to start before everyone else is up, and you need to get started with your home and office duties.
Choose a spot where you would like to practice it daily – away from any noise and distractions.
If your mind goes astray, practice breathwork or prayer intentionally to help focus and settle your restless mind.
Reading sacred texts also helps to calm a scattered mind. There are many Bible verses about spiritual health, focusing on peace, purpose and connection with God. For example, verses like Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Take occasional breaks during the day to spend time with nature, practising mindful walking. Nature’s breathtaking beauty and the melodious sounds of the Lord’s mystical creatures will strike a magical chord, making you feel part of an unspoken world.
Go to bed on time, once you are done with all responsibilities, disconnect with all devices and spend a couple of minutes in silence to journal your thoughts and spiritual questions.

These simple yet profound steps are spiritual health examples that will help the racing thoughts come to a point of stillness and help build a deep connection with your higher self.

Real-Life Benefits of Spiritual Health and Wellness:

By practising mindfulness and spiritual health, you will be able to train your mind to remain calm, focused and compassionate even in difficult times. People practice journaling, meditation, breathwork, etc., with the intention of observing thoughts, emotions and sensations without being judgmental. Religiously practising these simple techniques will help:

Give our lives a new meaning and make sound decisions.
Help us remain grounded, optimistic and emotionally resilient.
To connect with the world wisely.
And we will be better equipped to deal with any challenges that come our way.

If we choose mindfulness and spiritual health, we will be in a state of peace, have reduced stress levels and an improved quality of life.

Conclusion:

Imagine attending an orchestra performance and noticing one of the instruments playing out of rhythm, completely out of tune. No matter how well the other musicians play their specific instruments, that discordant note will disrupt the entire harmony and stand out like a sore thumb. Can a charioteer take their chariot forward if all the horses pull in different directions? The answer is no.

Well, what do you think about those thoughts creating havoc in your mind? When they race in different directions, they throw your inner harmony off balance, making it difficult for you to focus, stay calm or function at your best. Don’t you think that at moments like these, it is important to take a pause, develop inner focus and make sense of your experiences.

Well, these moments of silence to practice mindfulness, reflection, and spiritual health are far more important than you can possibly think. Only in stillness can you get clarity, a renewed sense of purpose and energy to move forward with intention, building a deep connection with the oneness of God.

Steer away from false narratives, visit UEF, a non-profit organisation dedicated to human literacy through sacred texts and spiritual growth. You will get an understanding of mindfulness and learn pragmatic steps to live a flourishing life. By embracing these practices, you will be able to deepen your self-awareness, understand how to find balance in life, connect with a higher purpose and foster inner peace.

FAQs on Spiritual Health

1. What is spiritual health?

Spiritual health is the state of having meaning, purpose, and inner peace through connection to yourself, others, or a higher power.

2.cHow do you define spiritual health?

Spiritual health is the well-being that comes from living in alignment with your values, finding purpose, and feeling connected to something greater than yourself.

3. What are some examples of spiritual health?

Examples of spiritual health include feeling at peace with yourself, living according to your values, having a clear sense of purpose, showing compassion toward others, practising gratitude, and feeling connected to nature, community, or a higher power.

4. How can mindfulness improve spiritual health?

Mindfulness improves spiritual health by helping you stay present, become more aware of your thoughts and feelings, and create space for reflection—allowing you to connect more deeply with your values, purpose, and sense of connection to something greater than yourself.

5. What are the benefits of spiritual reflection?

The benefits of spiritual reflection include gaining clarity about your values, finding deeper meaning in life’s events, strengthening your connection to yourself or a higher power, fostering gratitude, and building resilience to face challenges with peace and purpose.

6. What are some ways to improve your spiritual wellness daily?

Some ways to improve your spiritual wellness daily include practising mindfulness or meditation, spending time in nature, journaling your thoughts and gratitude, engaging in prayer or contemplation, performing acts of kindness, reading inspiring texts, and aligning your actions with your core values.

7. Is there a connection between mental health and spiritual well-being?

Absolutely! Mental health and spiritual well-being are closely connected. A strong sense of meaning, purpose, and connection can reduce stress, improve mood, and build resilience, while poor spiritual well-being can contribute to feelings of emptiness, anxiety, or depression. They influence and reinforce each other, often creating a positive or negative cycle.

About the author:

Akhilesh Gupta is the founder of the Universal Enlightenment & Flourishing (UEF) Foundation and a past Fellow and Impact leader in residence at the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative. He previously served as senior managing director at The Blackstone Group and held leadership roles at Reliance Industries Limited and Hindustan Unilever. Akhil currently serves on the advisory boards of three of Harvard University’s entities- Harvard Divinity School, the Human Flourishing Program, and Harvard Chan Initiative on Health and Homelessness. Akhil is the author of two books. His first publication, Bridges across Humanity – Many Religions, Same Learnings, was published in April 2023. This book highlights 54 common themes across all religions. His second book, “To Flourish is to Love Learn Play”, is due for publication in Fall 2025 by Forbes

How to Strengthen Spiritual Health Through Mindfulness and Reflection