As a clinical psychologist with more than two decades of experience in the field, Dr. Connie McNeil understands the importance of someone’s spiritual journey. Even from a very young age, she knew that she wanted to spend her life helping others. Focusing on spirituality, health and wellness throughout her career has afforded her with a unique opportunity to do precisely that.
Over the years she’s helped people of all backgrounds. She has a talent for getting people to open up to her. She has an innate ability to really determine what makes someone tick and how they can use that information to their advantage. Over the years, she’s learned a simple truth: no two people are created equally.
That means that there is no “one size fits all” approach to strengthening yourself spiritually – everyone’s journey is unique unto themselves. Having said that, there are a number of steps that you can take to make sure that you’re on the right path – you just need to keep a few key things in mind along the way.
Co-Creating the Book by Connie McNeil
The Importance of Spirituality: Empowering Your Own Journey
For Dr. McNeil, there are two main approaches that people can use to strengthen their spiritual journey: those that involve looking inward and those that involve embracing that which it outside of ourselves.
In terms of what it is possible to accomplish when looking inward, two techniques that she recommends on a regular basis include meditation and yoga. Meditation in particular is very easy and it can be done practically anywhere. It requires very little time but the benefits are enormous. It can reduce stress, help combat depression, lessen anxiety and more – all in a way that makes it easier to focus less on daily issues and more on yourself.
Yoga is beneficial in much the same way. By taking steps to strengthen your body, you also invariably end up strengthening your mind and soul as well. This, too, can help address issues related to things like stress and depression.
But a big part of anyone’s spiritual journey involves not just understanding our place on our own path, but understanding where we fit into the world around us as well. That’s why Dr. Connie McNeil also recommends looking outward whenever possible. Volunteer at organizations you believe in that are located in your area. Do whatever you can to help other people. The more you are connected to your local community, the more you’ll be connected to your own spirituality – that in and of itself can make a huge difference for most people.
In the end, shel believes that it’s so important to strengthen your own spiritual journey because of the positive ripple effect it causes. It helps give people a much-needed sense of peace that they may not have had in years. It helps them feel complete. It also balances the physical, emotional and social aspects of our lives that come together to have a major impact on our own spirituality, which in and of itself may be the most important benefit of all.