What Is Spirituality?

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What is spirituality?

Why spirituality is important

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Seven spiritual needs

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Spirituality is a broad concept

with room for many perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of
 connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically
involves a search for meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human
experience—something that touches us all. People may describe a
spiritual experience as sacred or transcendent or simply a deep
sense of aliveness and interconnectedness.
Some may find that their spiritual life is intricately linked to their
association with a church, temple, mosque, or synagogue. Others
may pray or find comfort in a personal relationship with God or a
higher power. Still others seek meaning through their connections to
nature or art. Like your sense of purpose, your personal definition of
spirituality may change throughout your life, adapting to your own
experiences and relationships.

Spiritual questions
Explore life purposeFor many, spirituality is connected to large questions
about life and identity, such as:

. Am I a good person?

. What is the meaning of my suffering?

. What is my connection to the world around me?

. Do things happen for a reason?

. How can I live my life in the best way possible?

Experts’ definitions of spirituality

 Christina Puchalski, MD, Director of the George Washington
Institute for Spirituality and Health, contends that "spirituality is the aspect
of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning
and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the
moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred."

 According to Mario Beauregard and Denyse O’Leary, researchers

and authors of The Spiritual Brain, “spirituality means any experience that
 is thought to bring the experiencer into contact with the divine (in other
words, not just any experience that feels meaningful).”

 Nurses Ruth Beckmann Murray and Judith Proctor Zenter write

that “the spiritual dimension tries to be in harmony with the universe, and
strives for answers about the infinite, and comes into focus when the
person faces emotional stress, physical illness, or death.”

Relationship between religion and

spirituality
While spirituality may incorporate elements of religion, it is generally a
broader concept. Religion and spirituality are not the same thing, nor are
they entirely distinct from one another. The best way to understand this is
to think of two overlapping circles like this:

 In spirituality, the questions are: where do I personally find

meaning, connection, and value?

 In religion, the questions are: what is true and right?

Where the circles overlap is the individual experience, which affects the
way you think, feel, and behave.

Spirituality versus emotional health

 You will notice as you read on that many practices recommended for
cultivating spirituality are similar to those recommended for
improving emotional wellbeing. This is because there is a connection
between the two—emotional and spiritual wellbeing influence one another
and overlap, as do all aspects of wellbeing.

. Spirituality is about seeking a meaningful connection with

something bigger than yourself, which can result in positive emotions,
such as peace, awe, contentment, gratitude, and acceptance.

. Emotional health is about cultivating a positive state of mind,

which can broaden your outlook to recognize and incorporate a
connection to something larger than yourself.

Thus, emotions and spirituality are distinct but linked, deeply integrated
with one another.