Spiritual and religious practices have long offered people comfort, purpose, and community, which promote emotional well-being. From daily routines to support networks, here are 10 ways faith can positively impact your mental health.
Key points
Faith practices can create helpful routines: Routines give structure and predicability to your day which can lower stress and anxiety. Spiritual routines can also help you feel connected to others and your culture.
Time for quiet and reflection helps you understand yourself better: Being still, journaling, or other spiritual activities can help you notice your feelings, tune into any challenges more clearly, and help you practice self-kindness.
Faith can give hope and strength during hard times: Believing in something bigger than yourself can help you stay positive, take healthy risks, and feel peaceful even when life is tough.
10 ways
1. Structure
Spiritual practices like prayer and meditation can help you develop positive routines in your life. Finding time to do your practice regularly can create structure for your day. The predictability of a routine can reduce anxiety.
2. Community
You may choose to practice spirituality with others by going to services or joining groups at a place of worship. Connecting to others through faith can help you develop relationships with people who have similar values.
These connections can provide emotional support, a sense of belonging, and opportunities to learn and grow.
3. Closeness
For many people, their families have been involved in faith traditions for generations. Sharing those traditions can help you feel closer to loved ones, even those who are no longer with us.
4. Perspective
Taking time to pause and reflect can help you develop a strong connection with yourself. You can notice the thoughts going through your mind or where you are holding tension in your body. This might mean sitting in silence, going for a walk, or writing about your thoughts and feelings. The ability to tune into what’s going on inside can help you see challenging situations more clearly. This big-picture thinking is a reminder that everyone is connected, which may motivate you to help others.
5. Clarity
Most faiths offer values and rules to live by, often related to kindness and fairness. These rules and values can guide you during tough times and provide clarity to help you make decisions, which can reduce anxiety and make it less likely that you will second-guess yourself.
6. Purpose
Taking time to reflect on your values, personal or spiritual, will help you identify what is most important to you. Living in a way that aligns with your values can increase your sense of purpose, fulfillment, and overall well-being. It can also help you remain strong through setbacks.
7. Serenity
When we feel stressed out or unsure of the future, many people try to control as much as possible to feel safe. Faith can offer a way to let go of control and trust in something greater than yourself—that things will be OK. Hope and trust can also help you find meaning in tough times and a positive path forward.
8. Resilience
Trust in a higher power helps many people take healthy and creative risks in life, which can lead to more adventure, fulfillment, and success. Faith can also help you stay in the present rather than worrying too much about the future. Living in the moment makes it more likely that you will experience peace, joy, and a sense of wonder. It can also increase your ability to bounce back when things get tough.
9. Guidance
Faith leaders provide guidance and mentorship in many ways. They can give informal advice, structured counseling, prayer or help you understand religious texts. They can help you see your situation in a new way that connects to the values and teachings of your faith. This can help you make meaning of the difficulties you’re going through.
10. Connections
Faith leaders can help you find community resources that provide support during challenging times, including connecting you with someone who has gone through similar experiences and can provide peer support. You are not alone, and there are people who want to be there for you.
Take a mental health test
If you or a friend are struggling with your mental health, take an anonymous, free, and private mental health test. It only takes a few minutes, and after you are finished, you will be given information about the next steps you can take based on the results.
