Spirituality and Chronic Illness 101: How to Connect to Your Inner Self for Healing

This article is a guest post written by Mariah Kimball of Sea Salt Wellness. 

Spirituality is the elephant in the room no one wants to admit to wanting to take home but secretly invites it over once everyone has left for the night.

At its core spirituality is knowing that you are a spiritual being having a human experience. Yes, but what does that mean, Mariah? It means that you are bigger than you think; you have more experiences than you remember and that you are here for a purpose. Earth is a place where we come to evolve our souls to deepen our connection to the collective. 

We choose this place, in this time with these people in these bodies. 

This may be too overwhelming to digest especially when you have a body that isn’t as healthy or able as you want. I do not wish to belittle illness or health struggles by saying it was the chosen path of the soul because they are very physical and very real in this world. 

Spirituality asks you to step into an airplane and travel to 30,000 feet and look down on your life and body and see how perfect and beautiful it is: regardless of whatever shit storm you may be experiencing on the ground. It encourages you to respond to the wonderful lessons and people life has allowed you to connect with all while dancing with the struggles of the physical. 

There is nothing beautiful about spiritual growth. It’s messy, ugly, and never a straight line–just like healing our physical bodies. If it were a line graph it would look like a three-year-old drew it. It’s being in the trenches with no hope of success and still taking a step instead of sitting down and giving up. 

Spirituality is honoring a connection to something bigger than yourself. It is also noticing how your physical symptoms are intimately connected with your emotions and that true healing only takes place when the body + mind + spirit are working together. Often the greatest struggle leads to our greatest strength. It is when you can overcome and separate yourself from the struggle while at the same time acknowledging that this is your experience not who you are. 

We are soulful beings who are navigating a world built upon and drenched in racism, sexism, and countless other unbalanced energies. Of course, we are going to manifest illness in our physical bodies that mirror the imbalances of the energetic realms. Spirituality asks you to take a stand in both physical and energetic ways: to take action and see the silver lining of soul evolution that the earthly struggles demand. 

Those with intestinal issues such as Crohn’s might explore how fear of letting go and holding onto the past might be manifesting in their lives. How and why aren’t they willing to accept nourishment for their being in the emotional and personal sense. Often these limiting beliefs are traumas that are held onto from childhood we aren’t even aware of until we dig deep into our beings. 

Spirituality isn’t a one size fits all. It demands that you look inside to find your purpose and power because you already know the answers; you simply have to remember them. 

Dip a toe into spirituality by beginning to get to know yourself. 

1. Breath– take a pause. Literally, inhale, exhale and repeat with intention–begin to connect your breath to your body. 
2. Journal– it doesn’t have to be perfect. Beginning with gratitude is a perfect place to start. 
3. Meditate– just be quietly be with yourself. Find some guided meditations that intrigue you. 

Have you begun connecting to your spirituality? Let me know how it is going in the comments!