The Recipe of a Nourishing Life

I just finished a phone call with a friend of mine, who has been feeling unmotivated lately. We talked about what changes she made to get through this. She mentioned how she started cooking heartwarming meals and realised it makes her feel so much better. She noticed that cooking is meaningful, but not so much for the nutritional benefits - rather, it was nourishing for her soul.

It got me thinking. What if making nourishing meals is fulfilling because we starve for so much more in our lives? Sometimes our inner world feels like it needs a whole new menu.

What are the ingredients of a good life?

To me, a nourishing life is the ultimate cosiness. That is the deepest and truest possible comfort within myself - a space of freedom where I am enough and just everything is the right way. I don’t want to be different or more. What is, is the best thing possible right now. But what is it like to be so comfortable within yourself that you do not apologise for being yourself? What does it mean to live a life that is truly authentic to you? Perhaps the first step is to identify your power within.

We all have it - you just need to give yourself the permission to see it. If you don’t believe in yourself for any reason—maybe because someone made you feel powerless—then read this. It is simply not true.

When you turn your attention within and look at your wounds, you find your strength and beauty. The Japanese art of Kintsugi celebrates the beauty and value of repaired ceramics. The main idea behind this aesthetic is to mend broken clay with gold. Just as repaired ceramic gains new beauty through Kintsugi, people can find new purpose and meaning in their life through growth and healing. I invite you to enjoy and embrace the beauty in imperfection. Find your truth in the symbolic gold that keeps the pieces together. I believe this golden glue brings the pieces together to form one piece of art. We are collectively one through our shared stories of complex human experience.

Now that we have a dish, we can look at some of the ingredients this recipe calls for.

What are the four essential ingredients that every pantry should have?

1. Mind:

• What are you thinking about?
• What are your thoughts like? Are they mostly negative or positive thoughts?
• Do you have beliefs that are worth questioning?
• Do you meditate?
• Is your mind your ally?
• Do you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset?
• What is the single most helpful thought? If you thought it every day, it would affect you positively.

I put the intellectual life under this group. This year I really aim to focus on reading more and stop doom scrolling.

2. Body:

There is nothing new to this, unless you are like me and need to introduce new or healthier habits. It brings up the most foundational element of the quartet: health.

• Do you look after it, and how can you do that better?
• Do you give yourself a chance to move your body?
• Do you make sure you rest and sleep enough?
• Are you mindful of your body?

3. Emotion:

• How do you feel?
• What emotions dominate your day?

I think boundaries come under this category. If someone steps through that line of yours, do you tell them? Do you let them closer, so that they can gallop through your emotions? Perhaps the single most important thing to remember is to keep a sense of autonomy in your relationships.

To me, the premise of this area is that when I am in emotional harmony, I do better in all areas of my life. I am having more fun and I have more fun.

💡I recommend downloading a free app called “How We Feel”, so you can check in on yourself a few times a day. It is interesting to look back on how I felt the entire week and see what was the most dominating emotion.

howwefeel.org

4. Soul:

For those who aren’t religious or for some reason don’t like the word ‘soul’, let’s reframe this. This group is about values. Our values define everything. They guide how we connect to others, ourselves, and anything around us. They define our whole world.

The soul ingredient is the mixture of these three:

• act of service,
• generosity,
• and practicing gratitude.

“Self is like a knotted fist: when you open your hand to give, there is no more fist- no more self.” /Dan Siegel 

The premise of my spiritual life is that when I take time to nourish my soul, I feel in balance. To me, friendships and family come under this area. The power of belonging is just as essential as salt is in every dish.

Just remember not to put too much or too little of these for a balanced flavour. These are the 4 main ingredients for the base recipe. We can add flavors like meaningful moments, or spice it up with passion. We can tailor it more to our taste. A nourishing life is unique to all of us and I encourage you to find your own recipe.

Further considerations:

• What are those intentional steps you could take in each category?
• How can you work in each category drawing on your relationships with oneself and with others?

What is your secret ingredient? 

I believe everyone has a secret ingredient. Mine is clarity, to wash away the inner conflicts.

What does it mean to live a life where you are without internal conflicts? Perhaps it is difficult, but I believe it isn’t impossible. Do you have the courage to go for it?

I wish you the courage to become cosy from within. Facing the lies you told yourself is scary. Step into your power and tell the truth to yourself. Give yourself what you need from yourself.

To feel truly cosy within, you’ll have to be daring. I hope whatever you discover along the way brings you peace. You should feel as if the first rays of the graceful winter sun are awakening you. It should feel like being warmly wrapped in crisp linen on a peaceful Sunday morning. When you are happy to find, you are in your cosiest home because you are nestling safe within yourself.

In summary, this article is a call to introspection and self-discovery. It urges us to move beyond external validation. We should focus on finding our internal recipe for a nourishing life. Taking care of our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being helps us find inner peace and authenticity. This is a space where we can truly feel at home within ourselves.

💡What does your recipe call for? Share below so that we all can learn from you.

Happy cooking! 🧑‍🍳✨

Jud✨