What does it mean to be nourished?

Yes, all of these things are nourishing! Just maybe not all at the same time and maybe not all of these things for everybody.

Imagine a life in which you are at peace. Your body is functioning at an optimum level. Your mind is clear and focused. You are confident, secure, and happy. Your spirit is brimming with gratitude. You might not have the best of everything, but you still feel fortunate and fulfilled. All is right with the world. This is what living a nourished life means to me.

Living nourished is the opposite of living depleted.

Most of us are probably more familiar with depletion than nourishment. Living a depleted life is when you routinely give too much of yourself to others or indulge in activities which leave you feeling heavy (too much wine?) or empty (soul-sucking relationships). You can’t get ahead. You’re always tired, always harangued, always frustrated. You take one step forward and three steps back.

We’ve all been there; when we care more about what others think than we do for our own well-being. You might think you were done with that sort of thing when you left your 20’s, but what about the last time your in-laws came to visit? How much time did you spend getting everything just right, falling over yourself to please them at the expense of your own sanity? This example could be about pleasing a boss, a spouse, a judgy friend, even your own inner critic. We long to escape from this kind of life so we turn to perfectionism, retail therapy, food, alcohol, or drugs.

Since my new blog is called Dona’s Nourished Life, does that mean that I am living the epitome of a nourished life?

Nope. Not all the time anyway.

But I am better than I was yesterday and tomorrow I will be better than I am today. I continue to learn and grow every day. At the end of each day, I look back and celebrate my wins and learn from my mistakes. Each day that I become 1% better is a win. This blog is about my journey. It is about how I set myself up to have more nourishing days than depleting ones and how you can do so as well.

Some days I take two steps back for every one I take forward.

Those are learning days. Sometimes I have learning weeks. There are days that I can’t stand to listen to myself talk anymore or feel that everything I write is crap. Sometimes I become so frustrated and discouraged that I want to crawl out of my skin! On those days I learn patience and forgiveness. Maybe I don’t move forward on hard days, but I don’t let them stop me. I tell you what, I am much better than I was even last year! These are tactics I will share with you here.

Living a nourished life is not a destination, but a lifelong journey.

Give up the idea that if you work really, really hard you will get there sooner. There is nowhere to get to! A nourished life is something you live every day. It is learning life lessons, taking your lumps, admitting defeat, yet moving forward. It is finding a way to make the obstacles into advantages. To love more, forgive more, and notice more than you did yesterday.

Is living a nourished life the same as having a successful life?

Maybe.

The truth is, success can mean many things. I think that we often see success as the opposite of suffering. We think to suffer is to fail. What we forget is that suffering is unavoidable and, ironically, may be necessary for success. Living a nourished life requires the practice of coping with the suffering, learning from it, and becoming better for what we have been through.

So being nourished is finding balance.

In a word, yes. Sort of. I could have called this Dona’s Balanced Life, but I didn’t. Being nourished is more than finding balance, but balance is a good place to start.

Start down the path to a nourished life by finding a balance between:

• Work and life. I know this is hard. Remember, it is a journey!
• Creative time and daily chores.
• Quiet meditation and energetic healthy movement.
• Social time and alone time.
• Nourishing food and junk food.
• Activity and downtime.
• Caring for others and caring for yourself.

Each week, you will begin to get a picture of what living a nourished life means to me and how to create a nourished life of your own.

Through these blogs and my social media, I will describe in detail all of the steps I take to live a nourished life. These things consist of two main categories and several smaller ones. The two main categories are Mindset and Nutrition. Also important are Fitness or healthy movement, Spirituality, Nature, and Community among others.

This is my story. One that I hope will inspire you to take healthy action in your own life.

If you find this useful, there’s a good chance your friends will, too. Share this with your friends right away while you are thinking of it. Thanks for reading!

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