There’s no denying the mental health benefits of religion and spirituality.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness states that “spirituality also incorporates healthy practices for the mind and body, which positively influences mental health and emotional well-being.”
In an article in the Journal of Religion and Health, author Archie Smith Jr. argued that religion and spirituality are central to the Black experience.
“To ignore the religious nature of human beings while seeking to restore them to psychic health would not only trivialize a vital mental health resource in the Black experience,” Smith wrote. “It would further alienate Black people from awareness of the creative and spiritual depths in which their humanity participates and upon which their total well-being ultimately depends.”
For many Black people, and certainly for those passed, total wellness depends on the roles and rituals of spiritual practice.
This means that spiritual wellness is inextricably linked to mental wellness — the two practices work in tandem, not separately.
Whether you’ve grown up in organized religion, embraced spiritual practice, sought out mental health support, or not, it’s never too late to incorporate one or all of these practices for your well-being.
Read more at Healthline.com.
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