Spirituality and Health Promotion Behaviors #9: Be your own person

As children growing up, we often look to our parents for answers. When the time comes for us to choose our paths in life, we subconsciously recall our parents' lives and values.

Although we can learn a lot from our parents' experiences, the truth is that one day, they too will pass on. In choosing the path to take, we must be ready to walk down that path on our own. We can only have the strength to move on in our chosen directions if we started out to be our own persons.

We must give ourselves a chance to lead the life that we know is best for our health and well-being. We are each unique and valuable in our own ways. What has worked for someone else may not work for you. Listen to your heart. It will tell you the real answer.

Spirituality and Health Promotion Behaviors #8: Buying time

Have you looked back in a week and felt like a month has passed? Often this feeling comes when we are starting out in something or traveling somewhere for the first time.

Compare a Wednesday filled with pure work and a Saturday that is packed with many new experiences. It is likely that our memory of that Saturday could seem like a week while the Wednesday is just an ever forgettable work day.

When routine and datelines pile up and time is in danger of flying by all too quickly, we can "buy time" by making an effort to do new things. e.g. going to a different cafe, learning a new song or making a new friend. As we open up to new spaces and faces, our time grows and we learn how rich each of our little world can be.

Spirituality and Health Promotion Behaviors #7: And this too shall pass

An Eastern monarch once commissioned his wise men to think of a sentence which would be true and appropriate in all times and situations.

The wise men presented the Eastern monarch with the words:

"And this, too, shall pass away."

That is the tale that Abraham Lincoln made famous in his speech to the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society in 1859.


When we encounter setbacks, uttering the words, "And this too shall pass" is a good way to pause and put the moment of unhappiness in perspective. By reminding ourselves that life is constantly changing, we see light in the dark.

Filling an overwhelmed mind with the thought of "And this too shall pass" can also help restore our inner peace. We begin to accept that many things lie in our path but as we pick them up one by one, the path will become clearer.


Conversely, in times of glory, the phrase, "And this too shall pass" is a humbling reminder that success is only a moment of truth-- once, we had passed where a lucky star had shone. Yet having come so far, we can only go further.

Spirituality and Health Promotion Behaviors #6: Grow

Have you ever experienced doing things that make you ask, "Why am I doing this?" The task is probably something that is part of your responsibilities as an adult, but the child in us wishes to play and not work. To restore our spirituality and health at such moments, we simply have to think of one thing: GROW.

When we have to write a report, we are growing a train of thoughts.

When we have to talk to people we dislike, we are growing our patience.

When relationships wither, there will come the right time and conditions for them to blossom again.

We are a part of Nature, and when we think of Nature, the first thing that comes to mind is usually plants. So the purpose of our lives is similar to that of plants, which is simply to grow.

If we can plan our time everday around the thought of growing, we will be constantly promoting our spirituality and health. In considering what to eat or wear, we can think of how we can help our bodies grow healthily and comfortably. In deciding whether to start or end an experience, we can also think of whether it nurtures us or drains us of our energy.

Spirituality and Health Promotion Behaviors #5: Art of drinking water

Our bodies are 70% made up of water. To maintain our spiritual and bodily health, it is therefore necessary to practise the art of drinking water.

In order for the water that we drink to be absorbed properly by our body, try to drink half a glass of water over at least 30 minutes, 4 times a day. A good time to do this is in between meals.

Feel every sip of water as it goes down your throat and swirls in your guts. Be thankful for water and the life that it brings to everything on Earth. When you are angry or frustrated, drinking water in this way can cool you down and keep you in perspective of the larger scheme of things. It is a way of 'pausing', which is mentioned in previous posts.

Drinking water gives your skin a glow and keeps your mind alert as oxygen needs to be dissolved first in water before it can is carried to the brain cells. Periodic drinking of water instead of snacking is also a good way of staying fit.

Spirituality and Health Promotion Behaviors #4: Positive action words

Have you experienced this before? Say you are thinking, "I don't want to meet Sally," and you end up meeting Sally.

This is because the brain recognises the action and target "meet-Sally" and not the words, "I don't want".

So to attract positive things that promote health and spirituality, practise constructing your thoughts with positive action words. For example, if you are afraid of losing your things, look at your things and say, "Stay with me" instead of thinking, "I hope I won't lose you".

To be able to re-construct our thoughts and speech in positive ways, we could take a deep breath to clear our minds. This goes back to our very first spirituality and health promotion behaviour: Pause.

Spirituality and Health Promotion Behaviors #3: Eating habits

One of the key to unlocking good health in each of us is through cultivating good eating habits. We are what, how, when, where and why we eat. There is no short cut to spirituality and health promotion. Good habits need time to be instilled (according to some studies, at least 6 weeks).

Our eating habits can be improved. In general, it is important to remember that eating is to nourish our souls. Hence, we should be mindful when eating.

Here are some key health promoting eating habits:

What? Eat foods that are nutritious and eat moderate portions.

When? Eat early, before 7pm.

How? Eat slowly (try chewing each mouthful at least 30 times and listening to the sound the food makes in your mouth) and without distractions such as TV or books.

Where? Eat while seated at dining table instead of standing or on the run.

Why? Understand that we eat to live, not live to eat.

Spirituality and Health Promotion Behaviours #2: Giving thanks.

While pausing for perspective can help to restore our inner peace, to strengthen spirituality and health in the longer term, we need to practise being thankful.
How can we be more thankful?

Every night, when your head touches the pillow, close your eyes and replay your day in your mind. As you do so, give thanks out loud for all things good and bad, big or small.

Give thanks for the happy and unhappy events, e.g. “I give thanks I woke up late, I give thanks for a successful meeting.”

Give thanks for the good and the bad people you encountered in the day, e.g. “I give thanks for John, I give thanks for Mary.”

Give thanks for the good and bad things that you own, e.g. “I give thanks for my car, I give thanks for my piano.”

Most of all, give thanks for who you are, i.e. “I give thanks for who I am.”

Giving thanks strengthen spirituality and health

Giving thanks is to accept the way things have turned out. As you give thanks, you are receiving spirituality in your life and maintaining your inner peace. After giving thanks for the day, you will sleep deeply and wake up with a clear and rested mind. It is natural to drift off to sleep without finishing the whole list of things that you have to thank for. However, always give thanks no matter how tired you may be - a tired body needs to be guided by peaceful thoughts to produce a good night's sleep.

Spirituality and Health Promotion Behaviours #1: Pausing for Perspective

How can we be mindful?
We can all be a little more mindful if we simply practise taking a pause in everything we do. Pause for a split second before you speak. Breathe in before you type. Close your eyes for a moment after the first sip of coffee in the morning. Smell your apple before you take your first bite. It is in these in-between space that spiritual life can be found.

Practise pausing can enrich your spiritual life because a pause is a gentle reminder that there are many aspects to life. Work is only one part of your life. Besides Work, we have Family, Friends, Love, Study, Leisure and Spirituality. When you are upset over one area of your life, you can immediately restore your inner peace by putting your problem in perspective. A seemingly big problem becomes smaller when it is places in a larger scheme of life.

Pausing restores inner peace.
As we practise pausing and are better able to put everyday events in perspective, we will begin to realise that every experience is simply a step to a more complete and rich life. In this way, we learn to appreciate our past, cherish our present, and open our minds to receive our future, whatever it may bring.

Spirituality And Health Promotion Behaviors

Everyday life is full of events and happenings that are beyond our control. But there is one thing that only we can control: our thought. When a thought is planted in the mind, energy is released, creating actions such as spirituality and health promotion behaviors.

How To Start Spirituality And Health Promotion Behavior?
The first step to being spiritual and healthy is to practise focusing on good thoughts so that they create positive energy for us. All thoughts are connected and one good thought will lead to the next. So we begin our journey to spirituality and health by being mindful of the things we do.