Many of us are searching for inner peace and fulfillment. As a result, nurturing our spirituality emerges as the ultimate pathway to these things. Discovering our ultimate purposes in life and belonging to something much bigger than ourselves gives so much energy to our spirits. But many things can hinder our progress if we aren’t careful.
For instance, the relationships you cultivate have a profound influence on your spirituality. When you’re around people who bring down and diminish your spiritual views all the time, you may end up scrapping them altogether. On the other hand, if you surround yourself with people who respect you, your spirituality, and encourage you to explore it, you’re more likely to commit to growing it for life.
Whether familial, community, romantic, or another type, you should make it a point to grow relationships that feed your spiritual needs. You can do this by bringing connection to your everyday actions and habits.
Here are five ways to cultivate interpersonal connection as part of your spirituality.
Grow Your Interpersonal Skills
To cultivate interpersonal connection as part of your spirituality, you must first develop the skills that allow you to build relationships with others. Communication, active listening, empathy, understanding, and collaboration are just some of the interpersonal skills you should take the time to develop.
Growing your interpersonal skills will help you better identify the commonalities you have with others and use them as a basis for building genuine relationships. Specifically, you can learn about a person’s spiritual values and how their views on spirituality bring you closer together. Your family relationships, romantic partnerships, and other friendships all thrive when you have foundational relationship-building skills.
Once you’ve got a handle on your interpersonal skills, you can put them into practice by joining online communities and networking at in-person events.
Join Online Communities and Network at In-Person Events
Cultivating interpersonal connection requires action and intent. So, put yourself out there in online communities and in-person events to meet great people that hopefully turn into spiritual allies and lifelong friends.
Because you intend to develop a spiritual connection with others, choose communities and events tailored to this purpose. For instance, if your spirituality is grounded in religion, join religious groups that encourage spiritual growth and connection. If you’re trying to foster a strong spiritual foundation in your family, join an online community that gives spiritual guidance to families. You could even make it a point to attend a spiritual event each month with friends to grow your bond and deepen your spiritual connectedness.
Also, you must put effort into developing your relationships, even if it’s from far away.
Nurture Your Relationships, Even When You’re Miles Apart
Your relationships won’t grow on their own. You’ll be called to spend time with family, socialize with friends, and make time for your partner. If you want strong, spiritually-bonded relationships, It’s up to you to nurture them, especially if you’re miles apart.
Not being in close physical proximity to a loved one can cause that relationship to become less and less a part of your daily life. And if that relationship keeps you growing spiritually, the separation can have devastating effects on your well-being.
Intentionally nurture long-distance relationships by:
- Keeping all interactions positive
- Showering them with small acts of kindness often
- Celebrating spiritual and other milestones
- Using tech devices to stay connected
- Planning for any events to ensure they can be there
As you nurture your relationships with others, don’t forget to pay special attention to your relationship with yourself.
Prioritize Self-Care
To adequately feed your spiritual needs, you must have a firm understanding of what they are. The only way to uncover them is to have a true sense of self, and you can find that by prioritizing self-care. Additionally, our relationships with ourselves are the frameworks we use for relationships with others.
In other words, if we don’t have solid relationships with ourselves, we can’t have ones with others. And, as stated above, without positive relationships with others, our spirituality suffers.
Be intentional in your self-care efforts to ensure you’re making progress in the way you love and treat yourself so your outside relationships can progress too. Setting aside time in your day for relaxation and enjoying your favorite things is an excellent start to self-care. However, it’s essential to know that self-care isn’t meant as a prescription for mental health conditions. You have to know when you can’t do it alone and need to enlist the help of a professional to ensure your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being is intact.
As you indulge in self-care, it will likely include exploring different interests and creative passions. Creative outlets are also a great way to connect with others and deepen your spirituality.
Find Creative Outlets
Engaging in creative passions is, first and foremost, one of the best ways to meet new people. Second, it helps you become more grounded in yourself, and therefore, grows your spirituality. Use creative outlets as an opportunity to cultivate interpersonal connections and nourish your spirituality.
What does creativity mean to you? What activities spark creativity for you? When do you feel you can express yourself authentically? Answering these questions will help you compile a list of creative outlets you should explore. Then, use the internet to search and sign up for classes and activities centered around these creative endeavors.
All in all, finding creative outlets not only opens the door for beautiful relationships, but they help you deepen your sense of self-love and purpose to further your spirituality.
Conclusion
Cultivating interpersonal connection is a massive part of your spiritual wellness. Without positive relationships, it’s challenging to achieve the level of spiritual wholeness you’re seeking. So, implement the tips above to let your relationships influence a progressive spiritual journey.