The National Wellness Institute defines wellness as “an active process through which people become aware of and make choices toward, a more successful existence.” Part of this process includes being in tune with your spiritual side. Generally, when you have a good level of spiritual wellness it means you have a defined life purpose or a sense of meaning.
Spiritual wellness can provide you with a system of faith, beliefs, values, ethics, principles and morals to follow. How you choose to practice your spiritual wellness is entirely up to you, but it is important to find a way to practice it to maintain and improve your quality of life.
Why is Spiritual Wellness Important?
Spiritual wellness is crucial to living a healthy lifestyle, offering many benefits. First and foremost, spiritual wellbeing gives your life a stronger sense of meaning. It helps you find meaning in every experience you have, no matter how big or small. When you can appreciate your life experiences for what they are and can see value in each of them, you’ll have greater satisfaction in your days.
Greater spiritual wellness also helps you connect more with loved ones, friends and neighbors. These connections and relationships can reinforce your faith, help you overcome hardships when they arise and boost your overall sense of wellness.
Ways to Practice Spiritual Wellness
Spirituality is an intimate aspect of an individual’s life; how one person connects with their inner self and faith may not be as effective for someone else. Whether you believe in God or another higher power, there are several ways you can achieve spiritual wellness:
1. Sunday Services. A traditional way to practice your faith is to attend weekly services. These can be at the same time every Sunday morning or you can attend mass throughout the week. At Fellowship Village, for example, residents have opportunities to attend weekly services to practice their faith.
“I work to involve seniors in worship opportunities on Sunday mornings,” Chaplain David Snyder said. David has been serving at Fellowship Senior Living for almost three years now, helping residents connect with their spiritual side and practice their faith. “With COVID-19, these Sunday morning services are primarily offered online through a local television station that residents can access.”
Dave understands the importance of offering residents at Fellowship Village a variety of spiritual options, working with local clergy in the community to ensure residents are presented with different voices and faces during services.
“In an attempt to involve others outside of the community, I invite local clergy to participate in our Thursday morning services. This is executed by the pastor sending us a YouTube meditation video and service that we then broadcast on our television station,” Dave explained.
2. Meditation. Another way to connect with your spirituality is through meditation and mindfulness. Taking time each day or week to simply sit in silence, breathing in and out, can aid your spiritual growth and feel more connected to your inner self and divine energy.
“During the week, I offer residents meditation services in the morning, four days a week,” Dave explained. “This is typically a five-to-10-minute meditation that includes a song or specific thought for the day. This service is also broadcast through our localized television station.”
3. Conversing with Others. Sometimes, all it takes to be in touch with your spirituality is to connect with those around you. If you are part of a Church or spiritual group, meeting regularly with other members of your Church community can help you feel more connected to your faith. Another option is to build a relationship with a chaplain. Beyond formal services at Fellowship Village, Dave makes himself available to residents in an informal capacity.
“I simply will have conversations with residents in the hallways and over a phone call for an informal spiritual conversation and to check in on residents to see how they’re doing,” Dave said. “I will also set up appointments to visit people in their homes to check on them and connect with them personally.”
Benefits of Spiritual Services at Fellowship Senior Living
At Fellowship Senior Living, we understand that remaining connected to their faith is important to many of our residents. Our spiritual services allow residents to continue to remain connected to a community and feel a sense of spiritual fulfillment.
“Many residents have had long standing connections with churches where they lived prior to coming to Fellowship,” Dave explained. “Those connections just aren’t readily available to them anymore, so that’s where my services are important – to provide them the sense of spiritual care that they’re hungry for.”
Our spiritual services, meditation practice and opportunities to connect with chaplains like Dave can help you regain that sense of community and spirituality you may be missing. All these practices at Fellowship Senior Living can rejuvenate your faith and help you live with greater purpose.
“Our spiritual services offer an opportunity for Fellowship residents and families to come together in a connected, spiritual way that hopefully broadens their sense of journey with God,” Dave said. “We strive to help residents make meaning of their spiritual life.”
Practice Spiritual Wellness on Fellowship Senior Living
At Fellowship Senior Living, you will have the freedom and opportunity to practice your faith openly, as often as you’d like. We share ecumenical programs with local churches, including The Church of Saint James, Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church and Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church. This includes visiting pastors who lead worship services on Fellowship’s campus to ensure residents are immersed in a spiritual environment with different options based on their individual beliefs.
Contact us today to learn more about how you can practice your spiritual wellness as a resident at Fellowship Village.
