I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to nourish myself. I’ve been finding myself exhausted after work and getting into cycles of boredom, depression, and apathy. But I want to be awake to live my life outside of work. There is a whole lot to appreciate and not a whole lot of a time to live. I don’t believe in god, a supernatural, a collective human soul….or anything like that, but I’m still a person with emotions and mental health to take care of. It’s like I hit some type of disconnect with my atheism. I forgot that even though I’m not partaking in nourishment through religion, I still need to take care of my whole self. When I was a Christian, I believed I had to work to improve my relationship with god. I would pray more, read my bible, go to bible studies, go to church and all that stuff. It never satisfied me, because none of that was real. But I was spending time thinking, reflecting, and even laughing. Now I’m trying to take some of those aspects and aggressively make them apart of my life.

One key element I’ve found to nourishing myself is staying mentally active. Sometimes it’s so easy for me to just park on the couch after work and watch a Castle marathon for several days in a row, but the easy way is not always the best way. It’s been surprising what I’ve found when by tuning into my mental activity levels. I find that even if I’m exhausted, it helps me feel relaxed. It helps me channel my stress, let go of worries that don’t serve me, and connect better with those I’m close to. I’ve also realized it doesn’t have to be a daunting task to keep me mentally active. Reading comic books, having a good conversation, and playing certain video games are all good for keeping my mind moving. I’ve also realized pretty much everything I had on my iPhone (games, apps, Facebook) were poison for me and added nothing of value to my life (except Google maps, I’m always lost).

I’m also trying to take care of my body. Getting sleep, eating right, drinking lots of water, and exercising regularly are all helping me nourish myself. I am a very moderate person. I don’t diet, I don’t restrict myself foods, and I don’t stick to a strict gym routine. I try to go to the park a few times a week, eat my fruits and veggies, but I still like to enjoy a doughnut now and again 🙂

As far as nourishing the spirit goes, I’m just trying to take some deep breaths, be kind to myself, and let go of stressing about things I don’t need to. I’m leaving work at work, and taking time to enjoy me and those I love.

m.c.