Mental & Emotional

Spiritual wellness is another dimension of overall mental and emotional health. Although everyone’s situation is different, I find having a healthy mind and body can have a positive impact on overall multiple sclerosis (MS) health. And if the ultimate goal is to enhance our quality of life, then I think it’s important to try to address health in a comprehensive fashion and include body, mind, and spirit.

What is spiritual wellness?
Spiritual wellness is truly in the eyes of the beholder. Everybody needs to define his or her own sense of spirituality. For some, it may involve identifying with a formal religion. For others, this may look like inner peace or even communing with nature. Faith, values, beliefs, principles, and morals define one’s spirituality—and like a fingerprint, each person will have their own unique definition of spirituality.

How may spiritual wellness be helpful?
Spiritual wellness is defined differently by everyone. For some, this may involve having compassion and the capacity for love and forgiveness. The outcome of spiritual wellness is altruism, joy, and fulfillment. Who doesn’t want that? Taking control of your emotions and spiritual wellbeing may also help you as you live with MS.

How can someone participate in spiritual wellness?
Practicing spiritual wellness is also different for everybody. For some, meditation and mindfulness may enhance spiritual wellness. For others, religious practices or recognizing beauty in nature and our surroundings are ways to exercise spiritual wellness. Like many things, the more we focus on our spirituality the better we become at it.

Moving forward with spiritual wellness
Like anything else that takes practice and dedication, the rewards may be great. Spiritual wellness may help you live a life in which you make peace with your MS, and allow you to see all the good that surrounds you. It may also help us live a full life with compassion, joy, and positive balance.