One of the most incredible things about our faith is that it can change how we live not only for eternity but for right now, for today.
There are spiritual habits that will help your mental wellbeing. From a morning ritual that involves an inspiring devotional and some meditation, to a weekly discipline of fasting. Building your life around sound spiritual habits is a wise foundation for enjoying mental wellness.
Here we explore three spiritual habits that will help establish a good, healthy, mental wellbeing and how you can include them in your day.
Lots of Christians talk about quiet time and you can read hundreds of books designed to help guide your quiet time with God.
In fact, it’s such an ingrained part of the rhetoric around being a Christian it can be easy to underestimate it. But, building in time with God every morning is an incredibly powerful thing you can do for your mental wellbeing. For lots of Christians it’s the mainstay and foundation of their health and wellness.
The reason connecting with God in the morning is so important is that it sets the tone for each day. You don’t need to beat yourself up if you don’t find time to pray every morning, but once it becomes a habit you’ll notice how much you miss it. And how much your day is affected when you don’t do it.
Think of your morning quiet time as taking your vitamins and supplements. You’ll be ok if you don’t take them. But, if you do then your body is given the essential nutrients, goodness, energy and balance it needs to function well that day. Connecting with God is just like that. Being with Him in the morning gives us the balance and nourishment we need to walk through our day feeling joyful and at peace.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in the step of the wicked..but whose delight is in the law of the Lord..whatever they do prospers
Psalm 1:1-3
First off, make it as easy for yourself as possible. For the first few weeks, why not just set your alarm for five minutes earlier than usual, prop yourself up in bed and line up a devotional on Glorify.
Don’t underestimate how much of a difference just those five minutes can make.
Once your quiet time is starting to feel like a habit you can begin to gradually build it up. Why not try listening to a Psalm using Glorify’s audio Bible? You could head out for a walk, meditating on your favourite scripture as you go. Perhaps write down a prayer on waking and make a point of revisiting it throughout the week.
It doesn’t really matter how you do it, the important thing is just to find your own way to connecting with God. Using a journal, audio devotional or Scripture are all tried and tested ways to connect your heart to His. But, if you’d find it easier to pray while you cook, go for a drive or take a swim, then do that. God isn’t fussy about how we come to Him!
Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of Gods mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice..this is your true and proper worship Romans 12:1
Worship is a rewarding, life-bringing spiritual habit. As Paul reminds us in Romans, worship is not just singing or dancing but instead it's the offering up of our whole lives to God. This ‘true and proper’ worship is part of us leaning into the renewing of our minds. So, in effect, when we offer up our days to God we partner with Him and He transforms us.
While we can’t and shouldn’t limit our worship to just music, it does play an important role. Surrounding yourself with worship that tells of God’s goodness and sings scriptural truths has an impact on our spirits. The more we sing of how good God is, the easier it is to trust Him.
One easy spiritual habit that will help your mental wellbeing is just to listen to more worship music throughout your day. It genuinely makes you feel good, because it speaks of a good God who loves you and who is making you whole.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble... if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
Gratitude is such a simple spiritual practice and yet it can have a profound impact on our wellbeing.
Along with Paul’s guidance to the church in Philippi to think about things that are lovely, thinking grateful thoughts is a really healthy discipline.
Keeping a gratitude journal is a simple, easy way to build up a habit of being grateful.
Before going to bed, note down three things that you’re thankful for that day. They could big things like a new job or a miraculous answer to prayer. Or, they could be small things like it being the perfect weather for a walk or a delicious meal.
As you do this every day you’ll start to re-train your mind so its programmed for gratitude. You’ll find yourself looking for things to be thankful for, rather than finding a million things to moan about.
The real test of a gratitude habit is keeping it up during really tough days. When you really struggle to find three things to be thankful for don’t feel ashamed, we've all been there. In those moments try going back to basics and thanking God for His breath in your lungs.
You’ll find that once you’ve found one thing to be thankful for, others will start to come.
For more helpful content, download the Glorify App here. Photos by Caleb Woods on Unsplash
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