Where do you feel nourished? - 9th August 2026

August makes nourishment feel almost obvious.

There is sunshine. Green everywhere. Fresh fruit and vegetables that actually taste like something. We tend to move more. Walk more. Maybe swim. Maybe we are away somewhere, or at least taking a little time away from the usual routine.

All of this is good for us.

But what if thinking about nourishment differently gives us more opportunities to feel replenished?

How else could we be feeding ourselves?

Not just food.

What are we taking in every day?

The conversations we have. The people we spend time with. What we read. What we watch. What we listen to. The environments we sit in. The thoughts we keep returning to.

And what actually leaves us feeling nourished?

Because I think there is a difference between something that looks good for us and something that actually feels good in us.

You can go on holiday and come home exhausted.

You can spend time with people you love and still need a day to recover.

You can exercise because you know it is good for you, while your body is quietly asking for rest.

You can lie on the sofa for three hours scrolling and call it relaxing, yet get up feeling more agitated than when you sat down.

I am not saying any of these things are wrong.

It’s more about becoming interested in what happens afterwards.

How do I feel after spending time with this person?

How does my body feel after eating this?

What happens to my energy when I spend an hour doing that?

Do I feel clearer?

More settled?

More alive?

Or do I feel depleted in some way?

Sometimes nourishment is very ordinary.

A conversation where you suddenly realise you haven't been watching what you say.

Sitting outside for ten minutes with nothing to do.

Cooking something slowly.

Reading something because you want to, not because there is anything useful to gain from it.

Laughing until your stomach hurts.

Being somewhere beautiful.

Making something with your hands.

Listening to music.

Going to bed.

Sometimes it is having enough empty space for your own thoughts to turn up.

And sometimes nourishment is removing something.

Saying no.

Turning something off.

Not answering immediately.

Deciding you have had enough for today.

For a long time, I think many of us have been taught to think about health in terms of what we should be doing. The internet certainly tells us!

Drink more water.
Eat better.
Exercise.
Sleep.
Meditate.
Take a break.

All useful.

But perhaps another question is:

What leaves me feeling more like myself?

I like that question.

Because my answer may not be your answer.

And my answer today might not even be my answer next month.

Our bodies change. Life changes. What we need changes.

What matters is what we notice.

Summer gives us a rather lovely opportunity to do that because some of the usual structure loosens a little.

We might have longer evenings. Different food. Different routines. More time outside. Maybe fewer demands.

Enough difference to notice the difference.

What gives you energy?

What quiets something that has been running in the background?

What makes your body soften?

What makes you curious?

What are you hungry for that has nothing to do with food?

Maybe August isn't about adding another healthy habit.

Maybe it is a chance to notice what is already nourishing you.

And have a little more of that.

H ∴