Shannon Higgins

HE 102 OL 1
Professor Margarita Martinez
04/23/2022
Spiritual Wellness

Spiritual wellness is a category that did not appeal to me until this very class. Learning

about the basics of all wellness categories has been beneficial to my exploration of self-

understanding and success. Now that I have the background knowledge to delve deeper into a

world of wellness, my Spiritual Wellness is put into question. Where do I lie on the spectrum of

spirituality? After looking into the material provided, I consider myself on the low end of

Spiritual Wellness.

My rating of a personal Spiritual Wellness scale is based on each activity we completed

this week. First, I looked into The Spiritual Life of College Students for the most in-depth

analysis of spirituality. While the research was done approximately 19 years ago, the information

can still be useful for learning purposes. The Higher Education Resource Institute (HERI) has

given me over 100,000 data points to draw my own conclusions from, and I found this most

helpful throughout the tables in their findings section. For example, I noticed quotes such as

“most people can grow spiritually without being religious” which made me more comfortable to

continue reading (HERI, 4). As a non-religious person, I was not sure if I would be represented

after reading the first paragraph. So adding non-religious students into this made me more open

to spiritual wellness from their work specifically. After, they mention “ ‘helping others who are

in difficulty’ and ‘reducing pain and suffering in the world’ ” as the student's main motives

towards spiritual wellness, which draws close to the ideals of generation Z (HERI, 5). However,

there are reported doubts that are also prevalent in my generation. Approximately 42% of
students feel secure in their spiritual or religious views, meaning that more than half of the

respondents either were debating their views or did not practice these views at all (HERI, 6).

This reflects well not only with students my age, but most likely all young adults pursuing higher

education who want more from life than a 9-5. This information, when compared to me, puts me

on the lower scale. I enjoy helping others, but both my spiritual and religious views are not high

in comparison to their respondents.

Acknowledging the way HERI’s study applies to me, I can then look to VeryWellMind’s

article on Spiritual Bypassing. Their points are quite common in my mind, and are a partial

reason why I was unsure to dive into spiritual wellness. The ability to avoid negative emotions

by passing it off as outside forces made me wary of my personal accountability, or as they write,

“It prevents people from acknowledging what they are feeling and distances them from both

themselves and others” (VeryWell Mind). Seeing the article helped me understand the line

between spiritual wellness and spiritual bypassing. With bypassing, it can apply more towards

the toxic positivity movement, which takes a lovely, light-hearted message and twists it into

another level of harsh standards and expectations. To sum it up, Very Well Mind states, “It

teaches people that they cannot be well or healthy unless they are able to rise above any

negativity. The problem with this is that negative emotions are normal and often a sign that

something needs to change.” Acknowledging that negativity is necessary sometimes in order to

both feel and release past emotions is important to the category, and shows us when it is time for

a shift in focus. For me to accept spiritual wellness, I need to put a wall up that is ready to block

any spiritual bypassing I attempt to do during a time of negativity. However, with a lower level

of spirituality, I can work on slowly incorporating it over time.

 Lastly, the video showing a Muslim couple opening both their homes and minds to a

variety of different people inspires me to take inspiration from others when looking into

spirituality and its tie to religion. While normally it is easy for me to shut religious talks down, I

do try to keep an open mind for honest conversation and learning. Their efforts not only show a

strength in community, but also an area free of bias. My past experience in religious spaces is

typically a judgemental one, so to see a free moment to talk over criticize is quite heartwarming,

and makes me appreciate religious views from an outside perspective. Amanda’s words were

refreshing to hear, especially her talks of “reaching out to our Black brothers and sisters to make

sure that they’re represented, our Christian brothers and sisters, our Jewish brothers and sisters,

someone from the LGBTQ community, just so that we have the opportunity to hear their

experiences” (Today.com). The words give me hope that a dive in spiritual wellness would be

about community and understanding one another, rather than past stereotypes of fighting for the

“best” spot in the spirituality circle. Amanda’s experience encourages me to look into the topic

with other well-meaning individuals, but in order to assure I find the right people I would do so

minimally.

Overall, I enjoyed the resources provided and learned from each of their narratives. From

the scientific research matching up 20 years later, to Amanda’s work to unite communities and

inspiring others to do so, the work of these individuals gives me strength to look into it myself.

They also show me that knowing my limitations is good and okay to acknowledge, which is why

I would put myself on a lower scale of spirituality. This could change over time, and I am open

to change if I feel it is necessary. I look forward to working towards a better future for myself

and my peers as I strive to get a better sense of wellness.

Works Cited

Calderone, S. (2005, January 1). The spiritual life of college students: A national study of college
students' search for meaning and purpose. Academia.edu. Retrieved April 23, 2022, from
https://www.academia.edu/66133727/The_Spiritual_Life_of_College_Students_A_National_Stu
dy_of_College_Students_Search_for_Meaning_and_Purpose

Cherry, K. (2020, December 6). What is spiritual bypassing? Verywell Mind. Retrieved April
23, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-spiritual-bypassing-5081640

Meet the Muslim woman bringing different faiths together over food. (n.d.). TODAY.com.
Retrieved April 23, 2022, from
https://www.today.com/video/meet-the-muslim-woman-bringing-different-faiths-together-over-
food-920343619697.