Initial Steps to Nurture Your Spiritual Health
Meaning-making and spiritual health
Spiritual health is a state of inner well-being that arises from a sense of purpose connected to something greater than oneself, and the ability to find meaning in life’s experiences.
Introduction
If you feel unhappy, dissatisfied, frustrated, or confused—whether it’s work-life balance, career track, social life, or relationships—and want to better cope with life’s challenges, starting a spiritual health program can be to your advantage. To experience an effective spiritual health program, you need to make it a priority and know how to measure your progress.
The FIT Principle
In my early forties, I hired a personal trainer to help me with strength training and losing weight. At our first session, he asked if I knew about the FIT principle. I’d never heard of it. He explained the acronym FIT stands for frequency, intensity, and time. I learned the key to a successful strength training program requires an integrated balance of the FIT principle: the number of repetitions for each exercise, the intensity devoted to each repetition, and the length of time given to each workout.
After four months of faithfully applying the FIT principle and closely following my trainer’s guidance, I suddenly noticed muscles I never saw before. The ones I’d been working on over the years grew bigger and stronger. My waist size got smaller, and to my surprise and delight, for first time in my life, I successfully lifted over two-hundred pounds on the bench press. The same kind of focus, intensity, and time investment is required if you want to see progress in improving your spiritual health.
The MPA Principle and Spiritual Health
MPA is an acronym I’ve coined that stands for meaning, purpose of life, and awareness. Just as I effectively applied the FIT principle into my physical exercise program, I’ve applied the MPA principle into my decades-long spiritual health program to achieve a desired level of success. Today we will explore the letter M in the MPA.
M is about “Meaning-Making”
All of us want to understand what life is about and where we fit in the world, right? In my early twenties, I took the time to reflect on what my life is about and how I wanted to move forward in the world. The answers I came up with profoundly shaped the trajectory of my life for the better.
If you feel you’ve dealt with these questions before and come up with satisfactory answers, maybe you don’t need to go any further. However, I encourage you to engage with the following self-reflective exercise, because life circumstance can shift over time, and you might gain new insight and direction this time around.
Regardless of where you are at right now, taking quality time to reflect on how you interpret your life experiences and give meaning to them can be a valuable practice to adopt into your daily life.
Self-reflective Exercise
This exercise is analogous with the “warm up” idea my trainer incorporated into every workout we did. Before vigorously lifting any weights, he had me properly raise my heart rate, body temperature, and increase the blood flow to my muscles, to reduce possible injury and enhance performance to drive better results.
Similarly, before jumping into the nuts and bolts of a spiritual health program, it’s important to understand how you process your life experiences and finding meaning to them. This will help you understand and appreciate the value of every life experience you have, and bring deeper satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment to all your activities.
Step 1: Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted and where you feel comfortable. Give yourself at least fifteen minutes or more to engage in this activity. Note: If you are a seasoned meditator, go ahead and use your practice to bring yourself into a state of calm and equanimity.
Step 2: If you are new to the intentional practice of experiencing a calm, quiet, and undisturbed mind, do the following:Take a few slow, gentle breaths in and out through your nose or through your mouth, if you prefer. If through your nose, keep your mouth closed, with your lips gently touching, and your jaw and neck relaxed.
Focus on your breathing. As you inhale and exhale in a relaxed and gentle manner, try to feel and hear the air you take in and breathe out. Slowly. Gently. Without effort. Relaxed. If your mind starts to wander, distracted by thoughts, mental chatter, or outside noise, gently bring your attention back to your breath. That’s all.
Keep focusing on your breathing. If you find it difficult to stay focused because your mind keeps wandering, that’s okay. Gently focus your attention on your breathing. No judgement or evaluation on “how you are doing.” Just breathe.
Step 3: When you feel the time is right, calmly take out your journal, computer, or recording device, and without lingering too long on any given question, answer the following:Where does my sense of right and wrong come from?
What do I most admire about the people I love or respect?
On what basis do I discern whether I’d like to be friends with someone?
What beliefs have I formed about my identity, such as, “I’m a good person,” “I’m a bad person,” “I’m an unclear and confused person,” or “I’m confident in my ability to succeed in life.”
What individuals, books, or institutions have shaped my view about the meaning of life?
What is the meaning of my life?
How do I view my life in relationship to the larger world?
You need not be overly serious about this exercise. Maybe some of the questions are easier or more difficult to answer than others. That’s okay. Have fun with the exercise. Remember, this is a warmup exercise, preparing you to get ready to engage in more rigorous work.ConclusionWhen it comes to nurturing your spiritual health program, you are not wasting any time by reflecting on the meaning of life and the value of your life experiences. Consider this self-reflective activity a sacred undertaking and take pride in successfully grappling with these questions.Please let me know what you think and feel about my approach to nurturing spiritual health. Leave a comment on Substack or reach me at: jacklavalley@gmail.comNext time we will explore the A of MPA: Awareness.Until next time-here’s to your spiritual health!