In the world, there are many things beyond our control. We need to find a way to cope with the feeling of not being able to manage everything. We have to find a meaning in our lives and also face the basic existential questions: why are there bad things in the world? What is death? What is right and what is wrong? One of the best way of addressing all these issues is to cultivate a belief in something bigger than yourself.
This usually means believing in God or having another belief system. But it can also mean believing in a community and its values, in a particular ideal or idea, or any other thing that brings comfort. Here are the main benefits of cultivating a connection to something bigger than yourself.
It keeps you grounded
It can keep you grounded and offer you a way of always having your priorities clear. When you know what you believe in, you can use it to find your true north, what is important, essential, and meaningless in each situation.
Often, we feel lost. After all, there are a lot of issues around us. But believing in something gives us a center that we can come back to and use to orient ourselves in moments of crisis and confusion.
It gives a feeling of safety
Having a connection to something bigger helps you feel safe even when you are having a bad day. When the world feels off, knowing that there is something out there can provide security.
This internal sense of being safe offers a lot of benefits. It keeps us afloat when things are bad and provides an extra boost of hopefulness when things are well. When we feel safe, we are more willing to take calculated risks and move forward with our ideas and our projects. It gives us the confidence we might need to grow.
It provides hope
Optimism has been proven to benefit our mental health and emotional well-being. Hope has a lot of value and can help us get through difficult times without losing too much in the process.
Being positive and optimistic, not necessarily in a naive way, can help us stay strong and face adversity. The belief in something bigger constantly feeds this sense of positivity and can provide something solid to lean on when we are having a tough time.
It gives us the chance to explore
For kids, having a secure relationship with their caretaker is essential to go out in the world and explore. For adults, a strong belief can do the same. We feel secure in what we know and what we value and can go into the world to consider new ideas, new opportunities, and new circumstances.
A connection allows us to feel secure and protected enough to venture out and try new things, whether we like them or if it turns out they are not for us. We can go forth into the world and experience many new things, with an open mind that stays grounded thanks to the center of belief we have.
It relieves many negative feelings
Another important benefit of having a strong belief is that it nurtures us and relieves many negative feelings, in particular, experience like anger, shame, guilt, and more. We are able to find a new way to reframe our negative thoughts and release negative emotions.
For instance, we can find a deeper motivation in finding forgiveness rather than anger or allow ourselves to forgive our own mistakes and those of others thanks to the ideal we hold. It can help us find a way to understand the world in a more constructive way and with greater levels of positive emotions. A person who believes can find meaning in the bad things that happen and feel better about them.
It provides meaning
Finding the meaning of our lives is one of the most challenging emotional tasks we have to face. It’s something that others cannot do for us, but finding a system of belief can get us pretty far in regards to the goal of discovering our purpose.
We need to believe in something that makes sense to us. Something bigger, something more meaningful. Once we find it, we can work from there to construct a purpose of our lives, which is proven to make us happier, more satisfied, and more likely to lead a fulfilling existence.
