Is there a relationship between spirituality and mental health? Think about it for a minute. Could there be? How open are you to this suggestion? What does spirituality mean to you?

When I refer to spirituality, I’m talking about the connection between us and the Earth. I’m talking about religion. I’m talking about energy and quantum physics. 

I’m talking about acceptance of something else beyond ourselves.

If you need scientific ‘proof’ about the relationship between spirituality and mental health, then please have a read of this by the Royal College of Psychiatrists before you continue reading this post. Because, I’m about to go deep and bare all, so I need you to be open to what I’m about to say.

Growing up in a Hindu household, I was exposed to spirituality straight away. It’s a way of life. With our religion, there are various ways to be a Hindu but essentially it all comes down to philosophy, Hinduism is basically a way of life. Yoga, Ayurveda, the Vedas, the Gita all encompass, a way of life. Yes there are ‘Gods’ and lots of misconceptions about the faith but essentially, everything leads to a way of life. Thus, I remain a Hindu because it makes complete and utter sense to me. 

Of course the west has tried to damage the faith, mocking it, oppressing our beliefs and then… came yoga to the masses, 5000 year old Ayurveda (the science of life, medicine if you will) and science got on board, you probably do or have done yoga at some point, turmeric is the current on trend food and cancer is being healed by the power of the mind and natural therapies including eating clean. I could go on but I’m sure you get the gist of where I’m going.

When I had my breakdown, the first thing I was told by my first ‘therapist’ was that I had lost faith, connection to self. He was right. I hadn’t done anywhere near as much as I used to do between the ages of 21-33. Whilst on my recovery, I reconnected and started to feel myself coming back to self. I believed in something, I believed in me.

So where is the relationship between spirituality and mental health? In my experience, not so humble opinion and now in science, the relationship is imperative to HELP mental health, to prevent severe challenges and to make your way back to self. Don’t get me wrong, I am not claiming that spirituality is going to cure mental health challenges – there’s far too much wrong in the world to hope for that – but it CAN help make things better, along with all the other elements I talk about but my point here is that you MUST include it in your life to create that balance, to help you with purpose and to give you real perspective.

By connecting with something else – this can be ANYTHING – nature is probably the easiest to connect with, it makes sense to those who are anti-religion and helps those who’ve been hurt by religion to accept and believe in something more than themselves – we are able to lean on something, talk to something, trust in something. Theorists might say that we are God, we are the spirit, we are everything and I’d agree but whatever you can connect with, all I’m really saying here is connect with it. Feel it, believe it, trust it and respect it. Keep it with you, always.

☮︎ Peace out x

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