• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FHE Health - Addiction & Mental Health Care Homepage

Drug, Alcohol and Mental Health Treatment

ContactCareers

Call for Immediate Help (833) 596-3502

MENUMENU
  • About
        • About FHE Rehab
          • About FHE Health
          • Our Staff
          • Locations We Serve
          • Testimonials
        • Our Campus
          • Gallery
          • Our Videos
          • The Health and Wellness Center at FHE Health
        • Our Locations
          • Alcohol Rehab
          • Detox Center
          • Drug Rehab
          • Mental Health Center
          • Outpatient Rehab
        • Careers at FHE Health
          • Employment Opportunities
        • Our Expertise
          • Accreditations
          • Educational Opportunities
          • Community Impact Award
          • First Responder Families Podcast
          • First Responder Paws
          • Education Scholarship
  • Addiction
        • Treatment Programs
          • Treatment Program Overview
          • Alcohol Addiction
          • Drug Addiction Treatment
          • Behavioral Addiction
        • Levels of Care
          • Continuum of Care
          • Addiction Detox
          • Inpatient Addiction Treatment
          • Outpatient Addiction Treatment
        • What We Treat
          • Alcoholism
          • Amphetamines
          • Benzodiazepines
          • Cocaine
          • Heroin
          • Opioids
          • Sedative
  • Mental Health
        • Mental Health Rehab
          • Mental Health Rehab
          • Onsite Psychiatric Care
          • Dual Diagnosis
        • Levels of Care
          • Residential Mental Health Care
          • Outpatient Mental Health Care
        • What We Treat
          • ADD & ADHD
          • Anxiety Disorders
          • Bipolar Disorder
          • Depression
          • Eating Disorders
          • Personality Disorders
          • PTSD
          • Schizophrenia
          • Substance Use Disorder
          • Trauma
  • Programs
        • FHE Programs
          • Specialty Program Overview
          • Restore (Mental Health)
          • Empower! (Women's Program)
          • Shatterproof FHE Health(First Responders)
          • Compass Program
        • Support Programs
          • Alumni
          • Family Support
        • Therapies
          • Acupuncture
          • Breathwork Therapy
          • CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
          • DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
          • EMDR Therapy
          • Expressive Arts Therapy
          • Individual Therapy
          • Group Therapy
          • Gambling Therapy
          • Massage
        • Medical Care
          • Medical Integration
          • Ketamine Infusion
          • IV Vitamin
          • Fitness & Nutrition
          • Medication-Assisted Treatment
          • Medication Management
        • NeuroRehab Services
          • Neuro Rehabilitation
          • Neurofeedback Training
          • Neurostimulation Therapy
          • EEG Brain Mapping
          • Insomnia Treatment for PTSD
  • Resources
        • FHE Guides
          • Understanding Drug Abuse
          • Signs of Addiction
          • The Disease of Addiction
          • Confronting Addiction
          • Staging an Intervention
          • Rehab Success Rate – Does It Really Work?
          • Withdrawal Timelines
          • Life After Rehab
          • LGBTQ+ Community Resources
          • Veteran Resources
          • FHE Podcasts
          • Remote Resources Toolkit
        • Learning Center
          • Help for You
          • Help For Loved Ones
          • Help For Alcoholism
          • Help With Substance Abuse
          • Behavioral & Mental Health
          • Life in Recovery
          • Rehab Explained
          • Addiction Statistics
          • Our Research Articles
          • View All Articles
        • The Experience Blog
          • Addiction News
          • Alumni
          • Community Events
          • Expert Opinions
          • FHE Commentary
          • FHE News
          • Treatment Legislation
          • View All Articles
  • Admissions
        • Insurance
          • Blue Cross Insurance
          • Beacon Health / Value Options Insurance
          • Cigna Insurance
          • Humana Insurance
          • TRICARE Insurance
        • Admissions
          • Steps to Addiction Help
          • Will Insurance Cover Behavioral Treatment?
          • Self-Pay Rehab
        • FAQ
          • Keeping Your Job in Rehab
          • Example Day in Rehab
        • Contact Admissions
          • Contact Us
          • Secure Payment Form
  • Contact
  •  
Home > Featured in Recovery > How to Lean on Spirituality for Help in a Crisis

March 22, 2022 By Kristina Robb-Dover

How to Lean on Spirituality for Help in a Crisis

Strength in Spirituality During Life’s Toughest Moments

The nationwide lockdowns that came during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the ways people around the world connected with others, fulfilled school and work obligations and took care of their own mental health.

For Philip Baldwin, faith was essential for making it through three months of lockdown. Baldwin lives alone, and when he found out that his local church’s services and group prayer gatherings were suspended, he experienced what he described as “a time of anxiety.” During the months-long isolation, he focused on nurturing his faith.

“I created a sacred space in my home for prayer and reflection,” Baldwin said, “with a few select items like the Bible and candles, celebrating Jesus and reflecting on his teachings.”

Baldwin’s church helped congregants maintain their connections with one another through weekly newsletters.

“Each week we’ve been sent a service sheet so we can worship at the same time on a Sunday. We pray for selected members each time so nobody feels left out.”

Whether it’s a large-scale crisis such as a pandemic, natural disaster, or war, or a personal crisis such as the death of a loved one or an unexpected job loss, faith and spirituality can be valuable coping mechanisms. Baldwin is far from alone when it comes to a reliance on spiritual beliefs in times of poor mental health. In fact, as a result of decades of research, many clinicians recognize religious coping as an invaluable tool during crises.

In a small study that observed how religious coping methods affected participants’ mental, physical, and spiritual health over time, researchers found that those with positive religious coping methods had better outcomes than those who didn’t rely on spiritual beliefs. Another study shows that regularly participating in religious and spiritual activities literally changes the brain, causing the cerebral cortex to thicken. This may provide protection from depression, particularly in those more susceptible to this disease.

How Faith and Spirituality Help During Times of Crisis

Like Baldwin, many people cite their faith as an important aspect of handling difficult situations. Religion has been helping people for thousands of years process grief, make sense of the world around them, and remain optimistic about the future. There are numerous positive aspects of religious coping regardless of the belief system an individual identifies with.

Religious Coping Can Help Reframe Circumstances

Crises such as losing loved ones, financial troubles, and discouraging medical diagnoses are often inescapable. Religion and spirituality provide positive ways to reframe difficult circumstances and enable individuals to see them as opportunities for self-improvement. While religious coping doesn’t necessarily minimize the pain someone experiences, it can help them maintain optimism and hope.

Religious Coping Can Promote a Sense of Connectedness

Humans are inherently social creatures. For many people, an important part of their identity comes from their social group. Unfortunately, making friends and fostering a sense of community is hard. Despite the increasing number of social media platforms oriented around helping people build connections, a growing number of people report being lonely. Not only does loneliness affect a person’s current quality of life, but it also can have serious long-term medical consequences such as an increased risk of dementia, depression, heart disease, and stroke.

In a world where meaningful social connections are hard to come by, belief systems offer ready-made social groups that are generally eager to accept newcomers. People have an opportunity to be a part of something that’s bigger than themselves, giving them a sense of purpose. While this is valuable during any season of life, it may be particularly helpful during difficult times. For many people who identify as spiritual or religious, being a part of a community in which members give and gain emotional support is essential for handling crises.

Religious Coping Can Bring Comfort Through Rituals

Rituals play a large role in anyone’s life, religious or otherwise. Most people follow the same pattern of events every day from the moment they get up until they go to bed. Large-scale rituals are used to mark important occasions, including births, graduations, marriages and deaths. Small rituals that individuals participate in regardless of what else is happening in their lives, such as the morning cup of coffee, evening walks, and bedtime routines, provide comfort.

According to Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas, an anthropologist who focuses on ritual behaviors, people tend to perform more rituals during times of uncertainty. In a 2015 lab study, Xygalatas and his colleagues observed that during times of stress, people’s behavior becomes more ritualized. When life becomes unpredictable, rigid routines and rituals bring a sense of comfort and predictability.

Religious rituals, whether they’re congregational gatherings and small group meetings or personal times of prayer, study, and reflection, bring a sense of normalcy. Xygalatas’ study shows that this can reduce symptoms of anxiety and create a sense of normalcy.

5 Ways to Rely on Faith During a Crisis

Prayer

C.S. Lewis, one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, once wrote, “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.”

For many people, prayer is vital during difficult times. It can help them gain perspective and bring feelings of alignment with God. The individual may also experience peace, gratitude, and hope, all of which are important for getting through crises. Some people prefer to pray in their own words while others are guided by written prayers. Either way, praying can provide a helpful outlet for gaining perspective, processing feelings, and maintaining faith.

Meditation

Meditation is a spiritual discipline that’s associated with decreased stress, better concentration, and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression. There are multiple types of meditation, including mindfulness meditation, guided meditation, and yoga meditation, all of which provide the same benefits. During times of crisis, meditation gives the individual the opportunity to quiet their minds and separate from stressful circumstances for a few minutes.

Read Religious Texts

Reading sacred texts that are significant to the individual, such as the Christian Bible, the Quran, or the Talmud, is another spiritual discipline that can help ground the individual and bring meaning to suffering. Memorizing passages and thinking about how they apply to specific circumstances can provide comfort and insight.

Connect with Other Believers

Among the biggest benefits of being a part of an organized religion is the opportunity to gather with other believers. Being part of a religious community is associated with a wealth of benefits including decreased isolation and depression. During a crisis, an individual’s religious community may provide emotional support and practical help.

Religious Coping When You Don’t Identify as Religious

Fortunately, the benefits of religious coping aren’t reserved for those who consider themselves to be religious. There are many religious rituals that are used by people of all faiths as well as those who don’t ascribe to a belief system at all. Yoga, for example, is rooted in Hinduism, and mindful meditation comes from Buddhism. However, people all across the spiritual spectrum participate in and benefit from these traditions.

Those who aren’t religious and don’t gain comfort from religious gatherings or traditions can still seek inspiration from connections with others, nature, and philosophical writings.

When to Seek Professional Help

An individual’s faith can help them get through many trials and may be an essential part of a multifaceted approach to handling mental health. While reliance on spiritual beliefs is often an effective coping mechanism, it’s not always enough to prevent or treat mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. In some cases, professional help is necessary for reframing difficult circumstances, navigating emotions, and addressing conditions such as postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance addiction.

Filed Under: Featured in Recovery, Life in Recovery

About Kristina Robb-Dover

Kristina Robb-Dover is a content manager and writer with extensive editing and writing experience... read more

Primary Sidebar

Learning Center

  • Help for You
  • Help For Loved Ones
  • Help For Alcoholism
  • Help With Substance Abuse
  • Behavioral & Mental Health
  • Life in Recovery
  • Rehab Explained
  • All Articles

Sign up for the Blog

Our Facilities

Take a look at our state of the art treatment center.

View Our Gallery

The Experience Blog

  • Addiction News
  • Alumni
  • Community Events
  • Expert Columns
  • FHE Commentary
  • FHE News
  • Treatment Legislation
  • All Articles

Footer

FHE Health

© 2025 FHE Health

505 S Federal Hwy #2,
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441
1-833-596-3502
youtube facebook instagram linkedin twitter
  • Contact
  • Careers at FHE Health
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
A+ BBB and Top Places to Work - Sun Sentinel

Copyright © 2025 · FHE Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}

The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing. If one of our articles is marked with a ‘reviewed for accuracy and expertise’ badge, it indicates that one or more members of our team of doctors and clinicians have reviewed the article further to ensure accuracy. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care.

If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at marketing@fhehealth.com.

833-596-3502

Text/Call Me