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What does it mean to grow spiritually? What are some things you can do to develop your spirituality?
Spirituality is an elusive concept because it means different things to different people. Additionally, you don’t have to be religious to practice spirituality and achieve spiritual growth. Spiritual growth is about developing qualities that make you a stronger and a better person.
Keep reading for advice on how to grow spiritually.
Spirituality and Spiritual Growth
Research shows a strong positive correlation between spirituality and happiness in that spiritual people—that is, people who spend time considering various spiritual states—are happier with their lives overall. In turn, this elevated happiness grants them better mental and physical health, greater longevity, and an increased ability to deal with stressors.
You don’t have to be religious to grow spiritually. Spiritual growth means letting go of what’s burdening your soul and facing the uncomfortable truths about life. With this in mind, here are some tips on how to grow spiritually, whether you’re religious or not.
1. Forgive Those Who’ve Wronged You
Forgiveness is a powerful catalyst for spiritual growth. By forgiving someone who caused you pain, you unburden yourself of grudges, which zap your spiritual energy.
In her book You Can Heal Your Life, self-help guru Louise Hay says that one exercise you can do to forgive someone who hurt you is to say out loud to yourself the name of the person you need to forgive, then state that you forgive them and identify the specific action or behavior for which you’re forgiving them. Another approach is to imagine the person you have the hardest time forgiving, then visualize good things happening to them.
Because negative childhood experiences can have such an outsized impact on our lives, Hay believes it’s particularly important to forgive your parents. She advocates forgiving your parents or caregivers for the ways in which they’ve wronged you—not to give them a “free pass” for their behavior, but to help you move forward with your own life. She suggests asking your parents what their childhoods were like to better understand why they acted the way they did. This will allow you to have more compassion for them, which in turn will allow you to have more compassion for yourself. They were hurt, and they hurt you—but you don’t have to keep hurting yourself, says Hay.
2. Contemplate Death
Death is the best spiritual teacher because it makes you confront the reality you’re going to face one day, and it may be sooner than you expect. Taking the time to contemplate death every now and then can help you appreciate and experience life more intensely. Every moment of your life can fill you completely and touch the very depths of your being, like the experience of finally hearing your favorite classical composition played by your favorite orchestra.
In his book The Untethered Soul, author Michael A. Singer advises to think of death any time you’re having trouble. Are you experiencing anger or jealousy? Think of what it will be like when you’re dead and gone. This will put the immediate trigger in perspective and elicit compassion for whoever or whatever is inciting your feelings.
Study the words and actions of the great spiritual teachers, who fully embrace death. St. Paul said, “Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?” Buddhists contemplate the temporal nature of all things. Yogis meditate in graveyards. Take inspiration and guidance from such people.
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