feed your soul like you would your belly

Many of us take care of others in one form (bank teller) or another (parent) all day long. If we aren't careful, this give-give-give philosophy can quickly lead to burn out and exhaustion. We know the right way to eat--more real food, less processed products, pronounce-able ingredients. Nutrition is a key piece to wellness, but only a piece. We need to be able to rattle off the same list of strategies for feeding our soul. To get you started, here are three easy ways to feed your soul the same healthy way you feed your belly.

1. golden list
Each morning, in that moment between sleeping and awakening, linger in the calm stillness and create your golden list. Start with naming 3 people, places, events, comments, etc that make you feel good. Hold onto those good feelings you are conjuring up. Set your intention for the day to be open to more experiences that feel just as good. Follow what the day brings you--your eyes are now open to the possibility of new experiences bringing you joy.

2. be selfish
Say no to other people, schedule a solid hour for lunch, close your office door...whatever it takes to give yourself a break from the constant demands of the outside world. To be clear: block out a chunk of time on your calendar and keep it for you--this is your sacred time to find peace in the hectic work day. If you had a magic wand, what would you do now that your door is shut? That giant pile of filing, clean off your desk, read all 200 emails in your inbox so that red flag will finally disappear? Use this time each day to take care of your immediate needs. Trust me, anything on the other side of the door will be just fine waiting for one hour--and you'll be in a better place to deal with it after your "selfish time."

3. laugh
Find the funny in each day. Each moment doesn't require a full bent-over, can't-catch-your-breath type of laugh. Sometimes a smile is just enough to help you find humor in daily life. Laughter releases endorphins in the brain and has even been linked to increasing immune functions.