What Nourishes You?

We are nourished by more than just the food on our plates.  
We hunger for many things:  companionship, love, play, fun, touch, achievement, intellectual stimulation, success, art, music, leadership, excitement, respect, adventure, spirituality, self-expression.  These things feed and nourish us every bit as much as what goes into our mouths.  Maybe more.

We are multi-faceted beings who require fulfillment emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically.  Heart, soul, mind, strength.  If these hungers are left unfed, we will search elsewhere to try to meet those needs.  And for many, we turn to food, and hence, emotional eating can become a problem.  But what if we focused on how to feed those other legitimate hungers first? 

Relationships and Matters of the Heart:
What if we worked with intentionality on the key relationships in our lives?  Forgiving, serving, talking, listening.  I know how good it feels when my husband really listens to me.  I can tell because he is looking at me, his body is positioned toward me (the smart phone is put away), he acknowledges my feelings.  He is very present with me and it nourishes me.  As I write this, I wonder:  how often do I satisfy my kids' need to be really heard and understood?  I'm in the middle of cleaning house, or I'm in a hurry, or we're in the middle of our homeschooling day, or I am on the computer, or I am tired, or am using their problems as "teachable moments."  Don't you hate it when people do that to you?  I do.  Usually I just want to blow off some steam, be heard, and maybe sort out my situation as I just talk, openly. 

“The most basic of all human needs

 is the need to understand and be understood. 

The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”
― Ralph G. Nichols 

Spiritual Practice:

The search for meaning in our lives is a powerful driving force.  We are a tiny part of the universe, yet in each of us there exists a soul that can only be satisfied with the deeper things of life. Our culture moves at lightning speed, and if we're not mindful, we can lose connection with what truly matters. Pressure after pressure competes for our energy; it is good to remember that there is a force, a power higher than us, outside of us. We don't have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.

A spiritual practice can teach us to accept things we cannot change. It can help us learn to forgive those who have hurt of us (even if the person we need to forgive is ourselves). It can bring peace in the midst of the storm. It can offer hope for the future. It can make beauty out of ashes, give strength for fear, and gladness for mourning. 

The soul offers up expression of who we are at our core.  For some, the soul expresses itself through music (listening and/or creating).  For others, it's nature.  Getting together with loved ones nourishes a deep part of us.  Creating something artistic speaks to the soul of many.  My own mama is an amazing hand-quilter.  She has made quilts for all of us in the family.  Into each stitch of her needle and thread she weaves love and good thoughts and strong, happy memories.  This is her soul work, and anyone who has received a quilt from her can feel the love with which it was made.  Though I am middle-aged, she continues to nourish me.

Mental Stimulation:

Alzheimer's researchers know it's important to keep the brain actively challenged and engaged.  Here is an interesting article about this very thing.  But that's not why we read good books, or keep up on current events, or go to the theater, or play a long and exacting game of chess.  We do it because it feels good to challenge our brains.  We thirst for knowledge.  Aristotle said, "All men by nature desire knowledge." 

Physical Activity:

“Move it or lose it!” We've all heard this mantra, and for good reason... it's true. Our bodies were designed to move. In bygone days, no one (except perhaps the elite of society) needed a membership to the local Gold's Gym.

“Do you make use of an automatic washing machine instead of going down to the river to wash your clothes on the stones? Do you fill your bathtub from a faucet instead of going out to the well to draw water ? Do you drive to work instead of riding a horse or walking? Do you go to a grocery store for milk, bread, and vegetables instead of milking your cow, grinding your grain, and tending your garden? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have simply been taking advantage of modern conveniences. And there is nothing in the world wrong with using modern conveniences if you are replacing the physical labor you've lost with some form of exercise.” (Greater Health God's Way, Stormie Omartian, p. 85)

Exercise helps the body eliminate poisons, increase circulation, and strengthen muscles. There are fewer incidences of heart disease and strokes among people who regularly exercise vigorously. And beside all these physical benefits, exercise makes you feel healthy, youthful, attractive, and alive! (And then there are the endorphins I wrote about in another post.)

In choosing they type of exercise you'll do today (and tomorrow and the next day), think in terms of developing the whole body as opposed to just one specific area. Three types of exercise are needed: cardio, strength, and flexibility/balance.

Putting it All Together:

To live life optimally, we need the parts of our lives to be in balance.  An exercise to assess how you're doing is by working through a "circle of life," sometimes called a "wheel of life."  A quick Google search reveals many different ones from which to choose.  Below is one to use as an example.

Take a look at each section and place a dot on the line representing your level of satisfaction in each area.  A mark near the center indicates dissatisfaction, while placing a dot near the outer edge indicates a high level of satisfaction.  After you've finished marking the dots draw a line between each dot to have a nifty visual representation of how your life is balanced.  The resulting graph can serve as a starting point for areas on which you may choose to give more attention and focus. 

A balanced diet is important for our bodies, yes, but also for our hearts and souls and minds.