Hi everyone! My name is Salem and I’m an Honors Psychology student and a Peer Well-Being Ambassador for the Center for Campus Wellness (CCW). The CCW is here to support students throughout their educational journey and ensure that they have access to services that keep them happy and healthy while navigating the ups and downs of college life.

The CCW offers so much support for the various aspects of wellness, but today I want to focus on one dimension in particular: spiritual wellness. In our office, we define spiritual wellness as “the ability to find purpose in life and explore your values, ethics, and morals, so your actions are guided by your values”. 

 

The Science Behind Spirituality 

Lisa Miller is a professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at Columbia University and has been studying the connection between neuroscience and spirituality for years. Her research has shown that kids who are active in their spirituality are “40% less likely to use and abuse substances”, “60% less likely to be depressed as teenagers”, “80% less likely to have dangerous or unprotected sex”, and “have significantly more positive markers for thriving including an increased sense of meaning and purpose, and high levels of academic success” (Miller & Barker, 2016). 

 

My Journey 

As someone who grew up in a non-religious household, but surrounded by a strongly religious community, I always felt I was missing that spiritual connection that other people had. That feeling that you have purpose and are part of something bigger than yourself. Sometimes it felt like I didn’t have that built-in framework for values that helped people make sense of the world and become better people. And I thought I’d never be able to achieve that without religion. But over the years, I’ve learned that there are so many ways to connect with your spirituality, regardless of your religious status. I am excited to share with you some of the strategies I’ve learned in the hopes that you find one, or several, that resonate with you. Hopefully you leave this post with practices you can implement in your life to help you achieve greater spiritual wellness and feel more in tune with yourself and your place in the world! 

 

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Simple Strategies to Cultivate Spirituality 

Mindfulness and Meditation

 

Most of us have been introduced to these tools at some point before. And for a lot of people, these can be hard. But there are a variety of ways to practice meditation, so you can find one that fits you best (i.e. mindfulness, mantra, loving-kindness, movement, body scan, visualization, etc.) (Franco, 2022). I find mindfulness very helpful for calming a chaotic mind and grounding yourself in what’s really important to you. I also love gratitude and loving-kindness meditation for sending positive energy into yourself and those around you. I really enjoy Tara Brach’s and Jack Kornfield’s work, and I also think that UCLA offers great practices as well. 

 

 Hobbies 

Pick a hobby that feels like meditation to you. For me, reading and playing guitar replenishes my energy and gives me a sense of fulfillment. As a student, it can be hard to fit everything into my schedule, but I set a goal to either read or play guitar once a day for at least 10 minutes. For you, this could look like yoga, boxing, crochet, puzzles, baking, weightlifting, coding, or whatever else makes you feel like you! Bonus points if you set a manageable goal so that you can stay consistent and add some joy to your everyday life. (Plus, if you want to connect with others that share the same interests, check out the hundreds of student orgs at the U!) 

 

 Spend Time in Nature 

It seems simple, but with all the access we have to technology nowadays, we forget to enjoy just being outside. Whether it’s stepping outside to feel the sun on your face in the morning, walking to classes every day, or hiking in the beautiful Utah mountains, take intentional time to just exist in nature! My favorite way to get some fresh air is to stop by a cafe, grab my favorite drink, and then meander around campus, sometimes alone and sometimes with company :).  

 

Me Time 

The life of a university student can get so busy and hectic; it’s important to intentionally set aside time where you aren’t worrying about your responsibilities and can focus on recharging. You can use this time to do whatever you want, as long as it fills your cup. I personally enjoy making myself a cup of tea and cozying up under a blanket to watch one of my favorite sitcoms. It can be anything, and can be 5 minutes one day and 2 hours the next; any amount of time you can fit into your daily schedule is worth it! 

 

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 These are just a few examples of ways you can practice spiritual self-care outside of or in addition to faith-based activities. They are simply ways that you can feel fuller as a person. If none of these fit, there are many more out there for you to experiment with. And one final tip: try practicing a little gratitude every day. Harvard Health reports that research has shown various benefits of gratitude, including “greater emotional and social well-being, better sleep quality, lower depression risks, and favorable markers of cardiovascular health.” Just once a day, say to yourself “I am grateful for…”. It’s a great place to start! 

 If you’re looking for more guidance on spiritual wellness, or any other dimension of your life you feel you need support in, please reach out to our office! As proud hosts of the Spiritual Wellness program, we are more than happy to connect you with resources to building your spiritual wellbeing toolkit. 

We offer many free services that can be found HERE, including scheduling a session with Peer Well-Being Navigation or Wellness Coaching where we meet one-on-one with students to provide holistic support! 

 

References:  

Franco, D. D. (2022). “22 types of meditation - how to choose the right meditation form? 22 Types of Meditation - How to choose the right meditation form?” Meditopia, https://meditopia .com/ en/blog/meditation-types 

Miller, L., & Barker, T. (2016). The spiritual child: The new science on parenting for health and lifelong thriving. Picador/St. Martin’s Press.  

Salamon, M. (2024). “Gratitude enhances health, brings happiness — and may even lengthen lives”. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gratitude-enhances-health-brings-happiness-and-may-even-lengthen-lives-202409113071 

Woliba Marketing Team. (2025). “10 spiritual wellness activities to connect with your inner self.” Woliba. https://woliba.io/blog/spiritual-wellness-activities/