The Bible says in Proverbs 18:14, “A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?”

This proverb contrasts a healthy spirit with a “crushed spirit”. The figure of a “crushed” spirit in this verse suggests a broken will, loss of vitality, despair, and emotional pain.

When a person’s spirit is healthy they are positive, alive, vibrant and are able to cope with most things that come their way. Even when facing major illness they seem to have the will to face it and overcome.

So what are some of the things we can do to maintain a healthy spirit? Here are a few that I have found helpful.

1. Prayer – keeping connected with God by prayer keeps up spiritually in tune with Him.
2. Bible reading – reading the Word of God regularly feeds our souls. It is our daily bread.
3. Confession – none of us are perfect and we all sin at times. Confession helps to lift the load when we sin.
4. Fellowship – spending time with positive faith filled people charges up our faith and lifts our spirit.
5. Rest – getting enough rest is vital to keeping a healthy spirit. We can’t just keep going flat out and expect to be healthy.
6. Recreation – if we want a healthy spirit we need to do things we enjoy and take us away from our everyday routines.
7. Service – serving others takes our focus of ourselves. Get involved in serving God by serving others to keep a healthy spirit.