Spirituality permeates all aspects of wellness and the change process on the path to wellness. On our journey to obtain spiritual wellness we find that it is akin to having a spiritual imbalance. Whether spirituality is sought within or out of religion, it is the most central discovery in pursing optimum well-being. Spiritual wellness meets our need to experience joy and purpose in this life. When we allow ourselves to embrace the change process we will still have life stressors but we can learn how to welcome them into our lives with the help of a Health and Wellness Coach.
Change is a natural part of life and will be a certainty in most of our lives in our uncertain future. Change is often unforeseen or expected. It may be highly disruptive, startling, have minimal impact, out of control, easily controlled, continuing, or it may even be resisted. How you handle change depends in part on your personality, life stressors, or prior experience in dealing with change. When a life-threatening illness affects our body or when a marriage disintegrates, there may be an overreaction that leads to responses that may be regretted later. On the other hand, changes like these may be denied because you avoid facing the changing reality for as long as you can.
Spirituality is an innate characteristic and so ever present in our lives. Spirituality propagates our personal drive for wholeness. In its healthy state it is not static and embraces change. On the other hand, wellness comes from maintaining balance within our body. This is illustrated by us living a balanced or harmonious lifestyle. Humans have an innate need to feel and be loved thus making love a physiological and social construct. Having an awareness of God's love for us releases these ingredients that support the body in nurturing personal growth, spiritual wellness, and its natural healing properties.
Our maintaining an intimate relationship with God keeps us in that healthy space that supports our vitality and our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Looking at our biochemical nature indicates how our connection to the ultimate expression of Love is the most wellness-producing source we have. Obtaining spiritual wellness is akin to accepting the life stressor event and to hold the belief that we hold the power to change; not the experience but our reaction to it.
It is well-known that optimum wellness may only be found in a close relationship with God. This enables the Health and Wellness Coach to develop your strengths by using spiritual assessment tools in addition to working on issues with scripture/affirmations. This facilitates the development of a spiritual history that fosters spiritual values that helps you handle stress and cope with illness or other life demands. We must remember God's purpose for our lives; "... to give them a rich and satisfying life" (John10:10). The Health and Wellness Coach plays an important role in helping you to overcome, enrich, and empower your lives. Working towards spiritual wellness is to exemplify the opposite essence of what you thought you knew, Love. To accomplish this, the Health and Wellness Coach would educate you about the body being valued as the temple of God. Since the body is a relational tool, it must be disciplined because it affects our spiritual well-being "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:8).
The paramount focus of moving towards spiritual wellness is maintaining balance in your life. One example is the three year ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus definitely lived a balanced life. His life illustrates how he ministered to others, interacted with people, spent much time in prayer and worship. He seemed to walk everyplace. Jesus rested and even relaxed with friends. Not only did He have purpose in his life, He sought God's help with daily life stressors. Jesus practiced self-care by tending to His spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional needs that represents true balance.
In conclusion, signs of spiritual wellness are manifested when you live according to spiritual teachings. By following these truths, you will still experience pain and misery but it will be essential to your growth. You will finally experience an abundant life. By relying on infinite wisdom, you will learn how to fast, relax, pray, exercise, eat right, and develop a balanced lifestyle. God loves us and has promised those who lovingly serve him rest that equates with you having optimum mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. This infers that there is no true rest from life stressors outside of God's presence. It must be remembered that the expression of Love is intended to change people who in turn are to change their worlds that will impact the world.
As a recovering alcoholic who happens to be a life coach, the Big Book of AA gives us our final feedback; "when the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically" (The Big Book, 2001, p.64). The spiritual wellness journey is centered in your intimate relationship with God.
