The Importance Of A Balanced Diet…

We all understand that the foods we eat are used as fuel to maintain our body. And because there are so many different needs, such as protein for muscles and calcium for bones, we need to eat a well-balanced diet. But many of us forget that it is not just the foods that we eat which need to remain well balanced. Our entire life is made of various and assorted parts, which each need to be nourished and nurtured in its own way for each of us to truly flourish.

The easiest aspect to start with is our physical body because we can see and feel it every day. We know that with a balanced diet of healthy foods and some sort of exercise, we feel better. That balance of the correct food nutrient and exercise keep our physical body aspect healthy and at peak performance. But there is a lot more to each human, being beyond the physical shell that we see each day.

Each of us has that more personal or private side that lives inside what we hope is a sturdy shell. Here we find our emotions, hopes, dreams, and feelings. Some prefer to call this the soul, while others feel that to carry too religious a connotation. But whatever you choose to call it, this is an equally important aspect of who you are. And without the proper care and feeding, this aspect of you will not be healthy and happy. But the food for this part of us is not always easily found.

Instead of feeling hunger pains when this aspect of your person needs nourishment, we tend to feel a desire to do or experience something. We could be yearning for a day at the museum to absorb the beauty created by the greats of the art world. Or we could be drawn to a quiet place in nature to recharge on the simple yet captivating beauty and majesty that surrounds us. Some souls find music or the written word to be a treat equal to the most smooth and decadent chocolate mousse, while others find that same satisfaction from tending a garden or creating something useful and beautiful from what was once just a piece of an old dead tree. Each of us has our own “favorite meal” for the soul, and all that matters is we find and enjoy it from time to time.

Unlike the physical body that always remains as one, our more ethereal side has many faces. We can have a work part, a parent part, a friend part, a spouse part, a dreamer part, a hidden child part, and many more. And each has responsibilities and a role to play in the total being that is each of us. But the challenge comes in when it is time to think about feeding the appetite of each of these many pieces. This is when we need to remember that even though the demand is often large on all aspects of who we are, we need to feed each part equally to remain healthy and happy in any and all aspects of our life and who we are.

So when you feel that burning desire to feed your creative side, don’t ignore the request. Find a quiet spot to write or sketch for a bit, or dial up some opera for the drive home from work, if that is what replenishes your soul. The only important part of this is that you continue to feed all of the parts that make you the unique, special, and complete person whom you are. There will never be another quite like you, and the world needs you and your contribution to reach its fullest potential. So indulge in the balanced diet that keeps you happy and healthy in all aspects of who you are.