when was the last time you fed your soul?

your stomach may be full but what about your soul's appetite?

It seems like all that matters right now is what everyone is doing online and how you can join in by creating content. But we’re forgetting about one very important part of ourselves—our souls.

Your soul doesn’t know anything about retweeting or double-tapping pictures on Instagram. But it does know the difference between you laughing at reels on your phone and cry-laughing with your friends in person. It knows when you create a core memory at Winter Wonderland with your best friend or how satiated it feels after spending a day hanging out with a friend on the sofa.

One of my scrolls on Pinterest met me with one of those “sort your life out” checklists, and I was absolutely horrified to find that creating a good content strategy was part of the list. What does content have to do with filling your life with joy? What does content have to do with maintaining fulfilling relationships, helping others and doing things with love?

What does content have to do with decluttering your room and drinking water??

The digital world has leaked so far into our real lives that now in order to be happy, you need to have an online presence. I have more in common with the next person who stands at the bus stop across the road than creating content online and having a joyful life.

Don’t worry if you feel like your soul hasn’t had a good meal since Covid. I think mine only started eating properly again last year. But (in my opinion anyway) the soul never dies and the soul knows no time, so she won’t give you grief for not feeding her for a minute.

Feeding your soul is all about experiences. No one knows why we’re here but we have bodies to move around and explore and eyes to soak up as much as we can while we are here. Although the world can be scary and downright cruel at times, there are still heaps of things we can do to make our lives meaningful and give our souls as much experience and memories as we can while they inhabit these bodies.

So, when was the last time you gave your soul a really good meal? Here are some things it may like:

• Beach days with best friends

• Running errands with your friends

• When you engage with your hobbies, alone or with friends

• Intentional activities

• Running a bath with candles, a glass of something tasty, a good book, calming music 

• Making a candlelit dinner for your partner/friend

• Making handmade gifts/cards

• Reading books and writing your thoughts down afterwards

• Journalling/self-reflection

• Taking a well-needed nap

• Writing about your days (which will also help your memory so you can stop the self-deprecating jokes about not knowing what you had for dinner last night)

• Going somewhere pretty with a sketchbook and watercolours

• Sitting in a café and people-watching

• Baking

• Spending the day on some grass and tree-gazing

• Riding the bus to nowhere in particular and looking out the window (with no earphones)

• Solo dates

• Dates with friends

• Taking yourself to a nature reserve to take pictures

• Talking to new people, in person

• Starting a conversation with someone at an event, on the train, while waiting in a queue

• Getting your hands dirty (with paint, soil, wood, glue, clay, candle wax, felt tip pens, flour, salt)

• City breaks and day trips alone or with friends

• Complementing strangers

• Volunteering at your local charity shop

• Calling your friends

• Surprising your mum with a visit home

• Calling your grandparents for a chat

• Cooking yourself a tasty meal from scratch

• Decorating the space around you so you feel completely at home and comfortable

The good thing about souls is that they’re different for everyone. Some of the things on this list may not appeal to you or your soul may need just three of these things a month to feel good. There is goodness in the process of finding out.

I’ve learnt that one nice thing a week is enough for me. It makes me feel like an active participant in life, like I’m shouting hello! i’m here and i’m having a good time! Maybe once a week is too much or too little for you. Go and find out.

Don’t let too much time pass again.

a beach day with a best friend ! (july 2024)

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Hello lovely readers! A little bit of a shorter one today which is funny because I’ve been sitting on this idea and rewriting it for ages. I hope I got my point across. If you have any other ways to feed your soul, let me know! I’d love to add some ideas to my mental checklist too.

In other news, I think I’m finally feeling better. I had a day at the beach with my bestie yesterday which was so lovely, and I think really helped me kick the last of this cold or whatever I had. 27 isn’t looking so cursed anymore :) (famous last words)

The weather is lovely, finally! Get out there and get the sun on your back!

See you soon <3

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