How Living a Life of Faith Benefits Your Health and Wellbeing
While people who practice a life of faith would likely tell you themselves how their faith has benefitted their lives, did you know that there is measurable proof that a religious lifestyle has amazing benefits on a person’s wellbeing and health? There are many spiritual practices and foundational beliefs that help contribute to a person making healthy choices, and there is even proof that faith can heal. Interested to learn more? Keep reading to learn how living a life of faith can better your health and improve your wellbeing!
Faith Helps You Battle Anxiety and Reduce Stress
Stress and anxiety are so commonplace in people’s lives that they often forget just how harsh stress is on their body. In fact, the negative effects caused by prolonged stress and anxiety can take years off your life. Those who live a life of faith often report lower levels of stress and anxiety. One reason for this is that religions like Christianity encourage you to give up your problems to God and not worry. Instead, you are instructed to reject negative thinking and think only on positive things.
Prayer and Meditation is Therapeutic
Meditation has many great effects on your body and helps ensure you take some time out of your day to relax and contemplate your life. The act of praying is an extremely beneficial spiritual practice that allows you to vent your problems and express gratitude for what you have. Many religions promote prayer and meditation on a regular basis which allows individuals to constantly benefit from its effects.
Faith Helps With Depression
Although depression is a complicated illness that can affect someone for their entire life, there are benefits of living a life of faith for those who struggle with this debilitating mental illness. Hopelessness and purposelessness are characteristics of depression. Religion seeks to remedy this by giving people hope in something bigger than themselves and providing them with a purpose to pursue their faith.
Religion Promotes Discipline and Self-Control
At the core of many common harmful habits like eating unhealthy foods, not exercising, smoking, or binge drinking is a serious lack of discipline and self-control. While there are certainly religious people out there who still struggle with these behaviors, religion often teaches the importance of not just giving in to your every desire. The long-term effect of knowing how to practice self-restraint is increased overall health.
Faith Has the Power To Heal
While many people claim to have experienced miraculous healing due to prayer and their faith, there is actually some scientific evidence to support that simply having faith in recovery has a tremendous effect on how quickly someone is able to heal. Many people hypothesize there could be a link between faith and the placebo effect which reveals how even a fake pill can treat people for some health problems simply due to the fact they believe it can.
Community Fosters Happiness
People who are involved in a community, especially a religious community, have an overall better mental health than those who aren’t apart of any community at all. Not only does being a part of a community help you make friends, but it also helps you form your identity. People who are religious have many opportunities to seek this community since there are many churches, bible study groups, volunteer groups, and religious organizations like The Way International that strive to bring people of faith together.
Helping Others Helps You Too
While people often choose to help others out of the kindness of their hearts and want to make a difference in someone else’s life, an altruistic lifestyle benefits them as well. Helping others allows one to feel purpose and happiness. Many religions express the importance of helping those in need as a core aspect of faith.
If you’re currently living a life of faith, you’re likely happy to know your beliefs have such a great effect on your life! Continue to practice your religion to experience the benefits it has on your health.
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