Author and researcher Dr. Lisa Miller has proven that spirituality can improve one’s general well-being and decrease anxiety. “Who am I? What am I here for? How do I matter?” These are spiritual questions Dr. Miller looks to when connecting herself and others with spirituality. This series of questions can be extremely helpful to students as they try to find themselves spiritually.
Watson Eagles ‘27 has grown up going to church regularly as his dad is a pastor. Eagles enjoys praying before meals with his family and sometimes before going to sleep. Growing up being in touch with his religion has helped Eagles throughout his life when he has found himself in times of distress. Praying helps Eagles to center himself and get in the right mindset.
“Spirituality has helped me a lot to have a different outlook on life because I have something else to look to which is God or the Bible,” Eagles said. “Before tests I often will pray as it helps me center myself and get in the right mindset for a test, similar to breathing and meditation that other people do to relieve their stress.”
Similarly, Eli Catlin ‘25 has been tackling stress with spirituality, and just recently began connecting with his spiritual side, stemming from his love for country music. He noticed faith and religion are mainly what his favorite songs are about, so he wanted to understand what his faith meant for himself. Catlin has been praying every night for the past month and has noticed that any bad thoughts he may be having wash away once he says his nightly prayers. Praying throughout the college application process was key for Catlin in order to stay calm and collected.
“Earlier this year, I felt [as though] the whole world was just pouring down on me, and I just couldn’t really focus [due to all of my college applications],” Catlin said. “Spirituality is about having perspective; I look at it as I’m part of a bigger world. I feel [that] taking a step back from your perspective and just looking at [the world] from a different viewpoint is really key. Just [taking the time to] realize that the whole world is operating [on its own] and it’s not just about yourself, it’s about everything else.”
Methods of spirituality can vary. High school Chaplain Joseph Courtney feels that spirituality is a connection to God, primarily from church. He finds spirituality in many activities and forms of movement such as hiking and traveling. Courtney feels as though the most effective spiritual practice for him is Labyrinth. When Courtney was a junior in college he was in the process of coming out which caused him to be distressed. Having a labyrinth on campus was extremely useful to him and helped ease any stress he had.
“A labyrinth engages the whole body,” Courtney said. “It’s a way to process and to manage stress and give myself grounding. [Using a] labyrinth allows me to move in a direction I’m going in, but I don’t have to make any choices, my brain is able to wander and think about the big questions that I’m thinking about.”
Courtney believes his feelings of spirituality by explaining how he views the definition of being spiritual. He relates this to being able to connect with your spiritual side as it is somewhere inside of you, you just need to be able to access it. Courtney believes a spiritual connection is one that each individual person makes.
“For me, spirituality is a lens in which we see the world,” Courtney said. “The sticker [in my office] that, filters sunlight and makes rainbows is a reflection of how I look at spirituality. The rainbows are always there, but it’s being able to see them using the correct lens in order to see what is already there.”
