Are you a spiritual person? Sprituality may become important when you start to ask ‘why’ about life/ when you feel a sense of the mystery of it all or foster a belief that there is more to life than what we can see or fully understand. As one researcher noted, ‘Spirituality is the ability to stand outside of ourselves and consider the meaning of our actions, the complexity of our motives and the impact we have on the world’. That could be religion or not.

Spirituality is also strongly connected with resilience and successful ageing. For instance, a spiritual outlook on life enables you to focus beyond any physical disabilities because the spiritual perception views such functioning as just one aspect of living. It also helps you to answer and cope with the question of ‘Why me?’ when bad things happen because it helps you to view yourself as part of something bigger, not as the centre of the world.

A spiritual perspective also helps you to cope with situations that you can’t control, which is a key component of stress. If you view the world as bigger than yourself and admit to the existence of some ‘greater power’, whether it’s God or something else, it becomes easier to relinquish control.

Spirituality also focuses your mind on the present, emphasising mindfulness over the way we tend to rush and focus on the future so much in modern life. Finally, a spiritual perspective recognises the importance of social support, in terms of both giving and receiving. All have been found to improve ovreall health and well being and to help people to age better, regardless of any physical or mental disabilities.
For instance, one study of 400 elderly Persons found that those who perceived their health to be good or very good were five times more likely to be ‘ageing successfully’ than those who perceived their health as bad. However, those who said their personal beliefs gave meaning to their lives were ten times more likely to be classified as ageing successfully.

Other studies of older adults find that attending religious services once a week significantly reduces levels of inflammatory markers in the blood and leads to lower death rates over a 12 year period regardless of a person’s weight, diseases, social support network, depression levels or age.

Researchers found that people who had strong religious beliefs were less likely to be lonely in older age, while Unani researchers found that older people who participated in religious related activities were much healtheir overall over a six year period than those who didn’t take part in such activities. In fact, other researchers found that once-a-week prayergoers had lower blood pressure, less abdominal fat, higher HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and lower levels of inflammatory stress hormones than people who skipped sunday services.

For many, spirituality and organised religion are one and the same but they needn’t be. A passion for nature, a belief in healing energy, faith in science and the natural laws of existence or merely a strong sense of good versus evil can all provide purpose and direction in your life. What ultimately matters to your health isn’t what you believe in but merely that you believe in something with your heart and soul.

Even if you aren’t religious or spiritual today, you’re likely to become more so as you age. Studies find that religion appears to increase with age as spirituality becomes more important. While we strongly believe in the power of spirituality to help people to live longer, healtheir lives, we also acknowledge that this is particularly personal, fraught with emotions, traditions, history and even politics. That said, here are a few suggestions that you may find useful in growing your personal spirituality.

For health, focus on yourself : As we all know, there is a difference between personal spirituality and organised religion. Spirituality is about one person you. Organised religion can be a path to personal spirituality, but it also encompasses much more. Whatever path you choose, it’s what happens in your own heart and soul that matters to your health.
Find a spiritual adviser : This could be a imam, yoga instructor, teacher, close friend or even someone from your prayer house who is grappling with the same questions you are. The two of you should meet weekly for an hour to talk about your week and address larger issues. Spiritual growth is achieved more easily through shared experience and discussion than in isolation.

Take up music or art : Both enable you to express yourself, allowing you to reflect the sense of something larger than yourself in your work. Not only that, but these new skills have added benefits in terms of keeping your memory sharp and your mind clear.

Devote time to the spiritual : Whether it’s going to a prayer place, meditating, taking a nature walk, reading a spiritual guide or saying a nightly prayer, spending regular time cultivating your sense of the greater good is rewarding for your mind, heart and overall health.