Nourish Your Soul

Do you ever feel like life is just a vicious cycle and you are struggling from day to day to keep up?  Every time you turn around, laundry, dishes, housecleaning, and taking kids sports their sporting events are staring you in the face.  It seems like in this day and age people are more stressed out than ever before.  Why is that?  Is it possible to change that?

Well, I don’t claim to have all of the answers, but I do think that technology has certainly changed things.  We are always available via cell phone, Facebook, or other social media on the Internet.  While these are all very useful tools, I do believe we get in the mode where we feel life can’t go on if we pull ourselves away from them for a little while.

There also seems to be competition among young parents today to “keep up with the Joneses”, so to speak.  Since they have their kids in 5 different sports or activities, then so should we.

And last, but definitely not least, is the daunting task of earning a living to keep food on the table.  That can be very challenging in these tough economic times.

While these are all good and necessary things, I believe in keeping balance in all areas of your life.  As moms, sisters, wives, etc., one area that we seem to be out of balance in is taking time to nourish our own souls.  We tend to take care of everything and everybody but ourselves.  That can only go on so long before we become totally burned out.  Burnout can lead to depression, anxiety, resentfulness, and many other issues.

So how do we avoid that?  I suggest that you take some time every day to nourish your soul.  How do you do that?  Well nourishing your soul is different for everyone.  It could mean, reading a book, having a cup of coffee or tea, taking a well needed nap, going for a walk or hike, or taking a drive to the country or to the mountains!  (Being in the mountains and nature does it for me every time.)    

Whatever it takes for you feel refreshed, DO IT!  I cannot stress enough the importance of taking care of yourself.  You may only have 10-15 minutes, but that’s better than nothing.  Find a friend who will keep you accountable.  RomaLee and I are in the habit of asking each other this question when we visit:  “What did you do today to nourish your soul?” 

I give you permission to do one special thing for yourself every day.  (Or at least every week.)  And don’t feel guilty about it! 

What did you do today to nourish your soul?  I’d love to hear about it!

Janna