Connections Between Mental Health and Spiritual Practice

In Spring of 2019 I experienced a mental health circumstance that changed my life in many ways. This point of my life was great on the outside: I was moving into a new role at work, gaining new independence and responsibilities, expanding my circle of friends, and considering the possibility of moving out of my parents’ house. That was the surface level of my life, and the underbelly was much more difficult to navigate. I was having panic attacks on a regular basis.

I had my first one on New Year's Day of 2019, and from that point I saw an increase in the frequency to the point where they were predictable and regular. I went to work Monday through Friday, had a panic attack on Saturday and attempted to recover on Sunday. I reached a rock bottom during one of those episodes, I was shaking and trying the home remedies when I realized that I couldn’t do this by myself. I moved past my ego and asked for help. I started therapy in conjunction with a deeper lens of spiritual searching. I devoured books, blogs, Instagram posts, and it poised me to dive even deeper into that world in 2020.

When the pandemic happened, I discovered the peace meditation could bring me and my mind. My nervous system learned how to relax and surrender when I opened up my inner world. The journeys I went on helped me find purpose and light during that tumultuous period. And my beliefs spiraled outwards, what had once been crystals and tarot became reincarnation, universal archetypes, chakra, and spirit guides. I evolved and found more comfort, which in-turn allowed my anxiety disorder to quiet to a more manageable level. Once I started to accept my anxiety as a teaching tool for my spiritual practice - instead of my spiritual practice as a coping tool - I shed that weight and burden to live more freely.