Most of the people prefer staying in their comfort zone as far as career, relationships and social status are concerned. However, when it comes to exploring new dimensions, people generally like to take a chance with new experiments. One such common experience is visiting new places for the release of stress and negativities.
In the cacophony of city life, it is not only difficult to develop certain positive habits, but it is also observed that most of the people tend to go into the mode of procrastination. This results in an utter average lifestyle with lots of unwanted activities. Having lived such unproductive life, in terms of all-round growth, most of the people breakdown and lead a quite uninteresting and depressed life .
Out of sheer exhaustion and exasperation, people try all kinds of tricks and means such as going for movie, club, etc. to rejuvenate their mind and body. However, these short lived joy do not help them much in the long run. And in fact, people lose interest even in so called fun activities.
It’s not uncommon to find 35-45 age group suffering with mid-age crisis. The world is filled with advanced and sophisticated technologies and gadgets, and many more amenities for a great luxurious life, which a common man too can afford nowadays. This was not possible even for the rich class a few decades ago. Then the big question is, why is society becoming more depressing with all sorts of unpleasant experiences.
According to a report, “Promoting Mental Health,” published by World Health Organization (WHO) (Link: https://www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/MH_Promotion_Book.pdf), mental health has been compared to natural, renewable resources, which can increase or be destroyed as a result of different actions by the society. What it could mean is that the way our society is being shaped and developed, our mental health would respond accordingly. With more advancement in the society, such as work from home, virtual friendship on social media, extensive use of e-commerce, etc., the social interaction is getting minimized, resulting in decrease in mental health.
Connection between spirituality and mental health
The same report by WHO states, “ Spiritual well-being can be thought of as a component of mental health,…Spirituality makes an important contribution to quality of life...”. This is quite relevant in understanding the crucial role played by spiritual practices and activities in one’s life as far as overall well-being is concerned.
People who practice some form of spirituality, have been observed to experience more peace and calmness and clarity of vision in their day-to-day life. This obviously plays a key role in improving overall quality of life.
People with spiritual bent of mind do feel less depressed and great mental health. In the report, WHO mentions that it included measures of the contribution of spiritual factors to life of people with HIV and AIDS. And it was observed that many such people experienced more intense spiritual life as a result of their HIV infection. The report concludes that when the end of life is clearly visible, spirituality can promote mental health.
Benefits of spending time in spiritual places
It is a common knowledge that people from all over the world and from all walks of life come to India for one major reason, i.e. to find true spirituality. There are many examples of celebrities, who have visited India primarily for mental peace and spiritual wisdom. Some of the famous names are Ram Das, Krishna Das, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, all connected with Neem Karoli Baba. Even Oprah Winfrey has visited India and spoken about her experience in terms of the immense spiritual energy she felt in this country.
Read more on Oprah’s visit to India: https://www.thehindu.com/books/oprah-sees-calm-beneath-chaos-in-india/article2823176.ece
All these people experienced some inner transformation on their visit to India, which they considered an spiritual place. Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, the tech giants, received great inspiration, which led to their towering success in professional life. Ram Das and Krishna Das became spiritual leaders in their respective zones.
Read more on Mark Zuckerberg’s visit to India: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/inside-the-indian-temple-that-draws-americas-tech-titans/2015/10/30/03b646d8-7cb9-11e5-bfb6-65300a5ff562_story.html
Considering their examples and what WHO report suggests, we can clearly infer that there is a strong connection between spending time in spiritual place and overall well-being.
Some of the benefits:
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Improved mental health
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Strong inner connection
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Mental peace
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Less hopelessness
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Inner inspiration for better future
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Heightened creativity
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More awareness
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Improved family relationships
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Improved professional life
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Strong sense of purpose
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Love for life
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Immense sense of gratitude
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Inner connection with the world and nature
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Improved perception and intuition
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Less suicidal tendency
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More vibrancy in life
The list can go on. Visiting and spending some time in spiritual places of your choice can take you away from the monotony of life and help you be more of yourself. It allows you to meet people with higher awareness and to experience positive spiritual vibrations. It offers enough opportunities to contemplate on new ideas, different priorities and the meaning of life. It is definitely a heavenly experience for meditators!
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