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Writer's pictureDr. Rajesh Mohan Rai

Interconnection between spirituality & positive emotions

Article originally published in Free Press Journal.

The meaning and understanding of spirituality differ across religions and belief systems, it can be safely described as finding meaning and purpose in life. Spirituality is not understood in the same way across globe. Spirituality has a broader understanding of an individual’s connection with the superior aspects of life of us human beings.


A significant connection with something bigger than oneself results in increased positive emotions. These connection moments are filled with peace, awe, and contentment. This leads to emotional well-being. Well-being is considered as Positive.


Tracking emotions can be like searching for meaning in the shapes we see in the clouds or doodles created by a child using crayons on a wall. While the experience of emotions varies from person to person, the experience of positive emotions is seen as more comprehensive and is connected to spirituality.


Emotions like gratitude, compassion, and awe connect us all. Positive emotions promote behaviours that connect human beings and stabilize our connections. Most prominent self-inspiring emotions are compassion, awe, gratitude, appreciation, inspiration, admiration, elevation, and love.


These emotions have a particular ability and potential of bonding individuals together. Virtues of forgiveness, hope, gratitude, and self-compassion are found in spirituality in various ways. Spirituality allows the human experience to bond us collectively. Interventions that value the unique universal view of each individual will be more impactful, as they make available for individual belief systems to be enhanced.


With enhanced spirituality the issues which are positively impacted are reduced stress, lessened depression, better control of blood pressure levels, happy families, more productive workforce, higher contributions and more engagement at work. All these are achieved because of inculcating the positive emotions which gets supported by enhanced spirituality.


Finding moments of transcendence to replace moments of frustration will not happen overnight. Human beings must practice mindful attention to their thoughts, emotions, values and behaviour to find encounters with spirituality. By improving hope, kindness, self-compassion, gratitude, and awe, we may start being more spiritual right away. Changing perspective and developing new outlook that’s all it takes to be positive in everything we do.

 

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