Wellbeing and spirituality are different…and the same.
I had a hard time deciding on a name for my website. Spirituality has been a central focus of my work, but the word spirituality is a “turn off” for some people. It often comes with a lot of baggage.
For example, some people naturally associate spirituality with religion, which may bring up childhood memories of being forced to go to a church that was emotionally restricting, or judgmental, or cultish. For some, the word spirituality has a “new age” tone to it, conjuring up images of wealthy white people culturally appropriating other traditions to “magically” reinforce entitlement to material gain or superficial happiness.
What’s your spark?
For me, spirituality is recognizing and keeping alive all that is vital to life, but cannot be seen: Not the material aspects of life that literally keep us scientifically alive, but everything else. If I were to ask: What’s your spark? When do you feel most alive? I would be asking you about your spiritual life. When we feel alive, we are well.
Wellbeing is an even larger concept than spirituality.
Wellbeing also includes the physical aspects of life that help us to live well, such as a healthy diet, physical fitness, and pleasing surroundings. Wellbeing includes our social relationships, and living in nurturing, life-affirming communities. Wellbeing is a holistic term, meaning it touches on all aspects of being human—mind, body, and spirit.
My ultimate goal is for all humans to experience wellbeing. I believe that spirituality is an important ingredient to wellbeing—and not just any ingredient, but the “secret sauce.” Nonetheless, spirituality is not the final goal, only part of the strategy for wellbeing.
My wish for you? May you be well.