Nurturing is about encouraging growth and development. You can see this in many family dynamics, school, and college settings.  But do you nurture yourself? Are you inspiring yourself to step outside your comfort zone? What about taking that class you keep looking at online?

The ability to nurture one’s self comes down to being aware of your dreams and learning to fulfill the desires you have from an emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual level.  And since everyone is a unique individual, how I nurture myself will differ from how you care for yourself. 

It comes down to evaluating your needs. Do you physically need more rest, better nutrients, or more movement? Are you feeling disconnected from others and need to make authentic connections for your emotional well-being? Is your egoic mind filling you with fears which cause you to not take the online class you were excited about? Are you struggling with what is because your alignment with Spirit is off balance?

Or are you feeling unworthy of self-care and the nurturing you need? No matter how you feel, you have the power to provide yourself with the nurturing you need and deserve.  You are responsible for your growth and development, and it’s essential for you to live a balanced lifestyle.

If you nurture your mind, body, and spirit, your time will expand. You will gain a new perspective that will allow you to accomplish much more. ~ Brian Koslow

The Lie Of The Ego

Because the ego’s job is to protect you and your feelings from what it thinks are unknowns, it discourages you to try anything. This can lead to feelings of unworthiness and erodes self-confidence, which leads to many people not treating themselves very well. They don’t take care of themselves and allow people to take advantage of them instead of setting personal boundaries.

But your heart knows the truth of who you authentically are.   It knows you have the courage to live the life of your dreams, otherwise, it wouldn’t encourage you to take bold action. Whatever the outcome of the action you take, you need the experience for you to move forward.

So following your heart is about accepting who you authentically are and staying aligned with Spirit as you step out of your comfort zone. As you honor your soulful self, you recognize your worth.  As you empower yourself to nurture your heart, the world around you transforms into your dreams. But for this transformation to occur, you must commit yourself to self-nurturing practices.

Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Ways To Nurture Yourself

Most people wouldn’t speak to a friend the way you speak to yourself. You need to learn ways to treat yourself as a friend instead of the unkindness and negativity you do to yourself. Here are ten ways for you to self-nurture.

1. Speak lovingly to yourself. Words have power. Many things the egoic mind speaks to you, you would never repeat to a friend. Therefore, understand the ego lies to keep you safe. You are responsible for the conversation you have with the ego, which means you can alter the verbiage the ego is using. When the ego lies, confront it with the facts. Remind the ego that you’ve overcome before and that you have the skills to do it again.  And even if the action you take doesn’t go as planned, you’ll gain confidence and experience for the next challenge you face.

• Nurture your body. The choices you make every day about the food you eat, the amount of rest you get, and how much you move all shows if you’re nurturing your physical self. Nourishment for your body is about sustaining your health, so you have the energy to thrive instead of merely surviving. To maintain a good balance of self-care, you occasionally need to relearn how to nourish yourself in your everyday life. Your eating habits, sleep schedule, and lifestyle choices are all reflections of the balance you achieve in your life. Consciously choosing to nourish yourself by staying healthy and fit is a powerful affirmation of self-love.

We are born with the seed of joy; it is up to us to nurture it. ~ Goldie Hawn

• Treat yourself with kindness. You’re kind to others, but being kind to yourself may be new. So, learn to do nice things for yourself. Take that bubble bath, eat dinner by candlelight, or read that romance book. It’s okay to get a massage, a pedicure, or that new hat. When you give a gift to yourself, enjoy it. Don’t allow the ego to lie to you about whether you deserve or earned it.  You don’t need permission from your egoic mind. Listen to your heart instead. What’s important is the act of kindness to yourself.

• Learn to nurture through breathing. Pause and take a deep breath. When you fill your lungs fully, it energizes your body. When you are holding tension in the body, taking a deep breath to the count of five, holding it for a count of five, and then releasing it to a count of five, allows your autonomic nervous system to engage and physically release the tension the body is holding. Breath work allows you to energize, release, and promote relaxation.  You can do it at any time and under any circumstances. It promotes a healthy, relaxed body and promotes a sense of serenity. Your breath holds great power in creating balance in your life.

You must nurture the force within you. You are the only person who can behold the divine force for your divine purpose. ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

• Advocate for yourself. This means standing up for yourself when someone disrespects you or hurts your feelings. You do this by setting personal boundaries so you’re not taken advantage of and by learning to say no to things you don’t want to do. Share your feelings because others cannot read your mind and if you want their behavior to change, let them know what’s bothering you and why. You’re responsible for how people treat you, so be firm in what you find acceptable behaviors.

• Nurture yourself through play. Self-care practices come in many forms based on what brings you joy and satisfaction. Maybe you like to paint or watch old movies. Whatever nourishes you are the activities you need to weave into your weekly activities.  Whether it’s through a creative outlet, playing in the dirt in your garden, or spending time with your grandchildren, having fun is a part of how you nurture your inner child and soulful self. Whatever revitalizes and supports you are those lifestyle practices you need to incorporate regularly.

We must recognize and nurture the creative parts of each other without always understanding what it will create. ~ Audre Lorde

• Be the best version of yourself.  When you believe in yourself, you boost your confidence. You are consciously choosing to see your differences as advantages.  It’s understanding your strengths and weaknesses and yet being nonjudgmental.  Focus on the things you like about yourself and be mindful of ways in which you can improve your outlook on those things you struggle with. Accepting who you are as you are is the definition of self-love. As you focus on being authentically you, you enter the flow of life which is called harmony.

• Compassion is a way to nurture. As a human being, you will make errors and have areas in which you won’t thrive. This is normal because you can’t be great at everything. Therefore, you need to comfort yourself when you’ve tried your best, and it still didn’t work out as you had hoped. When these times occur, be compassionate with yourself, and instead of allowing the ego to belittle your attempts, encourage yourself by looking for the lesson you learned. When you can nurture your own heart, the more able you are to love those around you.

Empathy nurtures wisdom. Apathy cultivates ignorance. ~ Suzy Kassem

• Let go of comparing. You differ from me. Looks, experiences, and talents from one person to another vary. Spirit created you to be like no one else, but the egoic mind wants everyone to conform and not stand out like you were created to do. By letting go of comparison, you keep the ego from trying to keep you small. Focus on being the most authentic version of yourself that you can. Stop criticizing your looks, your gifts, and your life experiences.  Instead, see them as stepping stones to living the life you desire.

1. Let your tribe nurture you, too. When you surround yourself with people to love and accept you as you are, they have a positive influence on your mindset. When they give a compliment, you hear the love they have for you and you believe what they say is true. Authentic people who are loving nurture one another. They build up each other’s confidence and are understanding and forgiving. Those who truly love you aren’t trying to control or dominate you, they want to empower you to be your best.

Each relationship nurtures a strength or weakness within you. ~ Michael Murdock

Moving Forward Nurturing Yourself

As a human being, life is full of ways to look at the world with negativity. It is your responsibility to seek ways to nurture yourself. Watch as your reality starts to change because of these exercises in mindfulness, compassion, and self-love. Allow the transformative power of taking care of yourself to spread to everything around you.

Learn to trust your soulful self. Look for ways to see a new perspective on the situation you find yourself. And seek ways to nurture your dream, because it’s a way to nurture yourself.

Therefore, each day, you must practice the art of nurturing yourself. Be patient as you retrain your thoughts and emotions to best care for and love yourself. By deciding to put your well-being first and choosing to take care of yourself, you are promoting your health, making progress towards living fully and saying “yes” to life.

Nurture your confidence and make it real; don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. ~ Tom Hiddleston

Do you need help advocating for yourself? Are you looking for support to be more compassionate with yourself and others? Do you want a strategy to help you create an extraordinary life? If so, please get in touch with me, and we can put together an action plan for you to nurture yourself and create balance in your life.

To learn about how I nurtured myself, you can do so by reading my book, Raven Transcending Fear, available on Amazon or you can go to RavenTranscendingFear.com for more information.

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