Have you ever felt an emptiness inside that you can’t quite place your finger on? This might be a signal from deep within to nurture your soul.
It might mean spending time living life the way you always wanted, doing soul work that will help you find peace from within, practicing self-love in a way that aligns with your spirit, or even just having a good laugh with your friends.
In today’s post, we’ll go over what it means to feed your soul, the importance of keeping your soul happy, and 10 simple ways to nurture your soul every day.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEED THE SOUL?
The ways in which you nourish your soul is going to be unique to you. Whether you’re aware of it or not, there are many factors that influence how you nourish yourself, like where you live in the world, your beliefs, gender, race, and even what stage you are in life.
When I was a child, nourishing my soul meant going on a shopping spree at the local department store and buying every toy I desired.
As a teenager, it meant the world to me to spend time with my girlfriends, have the approval of my peers, and wear the latest fashions.
When I was a working mom, a massage at the spa fed my soul, even if it was wrapped up with some mom guilt.
Now that I’m a “work-from-home” mom of 3 during a global pandemic, what feeds my soul is doing something for myself each day that makes me feel satisfied and happy.
Most days, I nourish my body, mind, and spirit by waking up before the crack of dawn to start my morning routine. This time is sacred to me because it’s the only time of day that I have to myself.
I didn’t realize how important it was to have ME time until I traveled alone halfway across the country. I was giddy even being at the airport by myself for the first time in 18 years.
When I came back from my trip 3 days later, I felt renewed and my family was fine and thriving. I realized then that I needed to nourish myself on a regular basis, not just on a weekend trip every 18 years.
Feeding your soul means nurturing yourself in a way that is meaningful and joyful to you. When you nourish your soul, you feel indescribable contentment that reverberates through your mind and body.
We are embodied spirits and inspirited bodies, (or, if you will, embodied minds and minded bodies). Anonymous
THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING YOUR SOUL HAPPY.
Running on an empty tank will only make your spirit suffer.
When I came home from my Miami Beach trip, I understood the importance of nourishing my spirit on a regular basis, but I didn’t put it into practice right away.
The reason I didn’t was I had no idea what nourished my soul except in hindsight. I had to experiment with different times of the day, techniques, and tools before I could create a routine that would truly nurture me.
Once I settled on something that suited my lifestyle, I noticed that I could connect with myself with greater awareness and authenticity. It even improved my relationship with myself and others.
I’m not suggesting that nurturing your soul is the solution to all the problems in your life. But knowing what fulfills you spiritually may build your resilience and help you feel more contentment in life.
How you nurture your soul and how often you do it will depend on your preferences and your schedule.
A trip alone to a sub-tropical part of the world might not be your cup of tea. Or you might be a busy mom who can only do a self-care routine once a week.
You alone will know what will strengthen and nourish your mind, body, and spirit each day. Only you have the power to discern what it is that makes your cup overfloweth and take action.
10 WAYS TO NURTURE YOUR SOUL EVERY DAY
1. Find your purpose.
Knowing what your purpose is in life will help you stay focused, give you a reason why you do what you do, and can even help you live longer.
You can start by defining what you value and what your beliefs are. They will help you align your spirit with your goals so you can put your attention on the things that matter most to you.
They will also help you uncover the deepest desires of your soul by helping you find your passions in life.
Your passion in life can lead to your purpose in life, which is why you want to take your time with this and be patient because you might find that you have lots of different purposes and passions in life.
The most important thing to remember is to find out what it is that makes your life feel more purposeful in a way that fulfills your soul.
2. Spend time in nature.
Mother Nature humbles and inspires us at the same time. You get a sense of awe and connection that touches your soul.
Spending time in nature is one of the ways you can heal your soul. The Earth is naturally grounding and can connect and align you with your soul.
You know this feeling of joy and bliss if you’ve ever watched the sunrise, walked through a forest, or planted a garden. If you haven’t spent time in nature yet, go and give it a try as soon as possible.
3. Meditate.
I know a lot of people who can’t sit and meditate for more than 5 minutes. I used to be one of them.
For a year, I practiced meditation and I just couldn’t do it without some sort of guidance. I either fell asleep or got anxious if I did it by myself.
Thankfully, I discovered that there are different types of meditation You don’t have to empty your mind or sit for hours either, which is a common misconception.
Meditation can be done while walking, eating, or cleaning; and for just a few minutes each day. It can help to reduce anxiety and stress and even give you more clarity.
Meditation has become so huge that if you typed it in any search bar, you’ll have connections to an infinite selection. If you want to start meditating, all you have to do is find the ones that you enjoy and then stick with them.
Over time you will notice how your soul, along with your mind and body, feel more nurtured and cared for.
4. Listen to your body.
For most of my life, I ignored my body’s signals and didn’t realize there was a mind-body-soul connection. It wasn’t until I suffered multiple health issues that I started learning to listen to it.
It is essential to be in tune with your body if you want to be in touch with your soul. We often ignore the pain in our bodies or the signals that they are telling us until it is too late.
When you’re in touch with your body, it allows you to be in touch with your soul easier.
5. Learn how to let go.
Learn to let go of false beliefs and the need to strive for perfection if you want to fulfill your soul. Examples of false or limiting beliefs are not feeling good enough or worthy enough.
We live our lives holding on to things with the hope that things will eventually work for the better, even if they cause us pain.
It can be hard to let go of things that don’t serve us anymore but letting go can often lead to something soul-fulfilling because it makes more room in your life for things that matter to you like creativity, joy, family, and friendship.
If you find it hard to let go of things on your own, seek some help, from people you trust like friends or licensed professionals.
6. Start journaling.
One way to connect with your soul is by writing in a journal. A journal can give you more clarity on the things in life that nurture your mind, body, and soul.
Your journal can be like a blank canvas for your mind because you can write about anything you wish.
It can have a specific purpose, like a gratitude journal. When I started my own gratitude journal, I found that the things that matter most to me in life are the little things like hearing a bird chirp through a window or feeling joy while looking at a flower.
You can start writing any type of journal you like. One of the goals of journaling is to give you more clarity so you can see all your thoughts down on paper and connect with your soul better.
7. Make genuine and meaningful connections.
Human beings are social creatures and we need a connection to each other in order to thrive. However, you want to make sure you connect with people who you vibe with and won’t drag your soul down.
No relationship is perfect, but be selective about who you spend your precious time with because the last thing you want is for someone to bring you down with them.
Choose people who will lift up your soul, challenge you without being competitive, are a joy to be with, and can share a good laugh with you.
8. Practice compassion for yourself and others.
Self-compassion did not come naturally to me because of all the limiting beliefs I had programmed into my subconscious since I was a small child.
I had to remind myself of my worth each day (and still do) so I didn’t beat myself up for every little mistake.
When you have compassion and kindness for yourself, you give yourself permission to accept your flaws. This takes time and patience, but you will be rewarded with love and compassion for yourself.
It is not a selfish act either because it will fill up your soul as well as your mind and body. Having more love and compassion for yourself will also help you have more genuine compassion for others.
9. Practice forgiveness.
Forgiveness is releasing a resentment you have towards yourself or someone else. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to excuse what was done to you or forget what the other person did.
It allows you to let go of the energy that is crushing your mind, body, and soul because of old emotional ties.
It takes time to genuinely forgive someone who has hurt you. However, once you can get to that place, you can create space for the things that will nurture your soul.
You may want to seek professional help if you need to process any difficult past trauma.
10. Do something you love.
Find something that will satisfy your soul and bring you joy and pleasure. Get out a pen and paper and write down all the activities that you love to do.
Then, set a date when you can get it done and do it. It doesn’t have to be anything grand. Doing what you love can be as simple as drinking a cup of coffee every morning, walking around your neighborhood, or catching a flick on your favorite streaming service.
Closing thoughts.
Sometimes in life, we get a sense that our soul is trying to tell us something. When this happens, it’s a signal that we need to nourish ourselves, mind, body, and spirit.
Nurturing your soul is not some mysterious act. In fact, it can be anything that brings you joy, sparks your creativity, or helps your focus on the things that matter most to you.
Once you discover what it is that meets the needs of your soul, you can take small steps each day to live with more purpose, passion, and happiness.
I hope that these tips will give you some inspiration on how to nurture your soul.
Do you have a tip that feeds the soul? I would love to know. Please leave a comment below.
