Are you careful about what you feed your body? Whether the food is nutritious? What the ingredients are in the dish you’re going to eat?

We often choose fresh fruits and vegetables, drink more water, and try to pay attention to getting enough sleep and exercise. We know that these small choices each day influence our health over time.

But how often do we pause to consider what we’re feeding our souls?

Just as our bodies need nourishing food, our inner lives need nourishment too. Every conversation, every book we read, every hour spent scrolling through the news or social media, every piece of music we listen to, and every quiet moment in nature leaves its mark on us. Some of these experiences replenish us. Others gradually drain our energy without us even realizing it.

St. Hildegard of Bingen understood that the human being is an integrated whole, where body, mind, and spirit work together in harmony. When one aspect is neglected, the others are affected as well.

She believed that the natural world reflected the wisdom of the Divine. She encouraged people to pay attention to nature’s rhythms, recognizing that they could be restorative. A walk through a summer meadow, the fragrance of fresh herbs, birdsong in the early morning, or harvesting vegetables from a garden can all become moments of soul nourishment when we approach them with awareness.

Her approach to healing invites us to ask ourselves a question:

What is nourishing my soul today?

For many of us, life has become busy and noisy. We live in a world of constant notifications, endless information, and competing demands for our attention. It’s easy to consume far more than we’d like to. At the end of the day, we often feel tired, anxious, or distracted without recognizing how much we’ve been taking in during the day.

Soul nourishment can help to replenish the energy that we’ve lost. It reconnects us with beauty, gratitude, creativity, and the quiet presence of the Divine. It reminds us of who we truly are beneath our daily responsibilities and worries.

For you, soul nourishment might come through prayer or meditation. Or it may be found while walking beneath tall trees, tending a garden, singing in a choir, painting with watercolors, or sharing an unhurried conversation with a dear friend.

I invite you to ponder what nourishes your soul and brings you back to your true self.

Take a few quiet moments and make a list of 10 activities that feel genuinely restorative to your soul.

Ask yourself a few guiding questions:

• What helps me feel peaceful and fully present?
• When do I feel most connected to the Divine?
• What leaves me feeling lighter rather than heavier?
• What activities awaken gratitude, wonder, or creativity within me?

Your list might include reading inspiring books, walking in nature, listening to music, gardening, painting, cooking a delicious meal, spending time with loved ones, praying, journaling, or simply sitting in silence with a cup of tea.

Then I invite you to choose just one of these practices to include in each day this week. It doesn’t have to be long, even 10 or 15 minutes of soul nourishment can make a shift.

Just as we attend to nourishing our body, our soul needs care.

Soon you’ll begin to notice more peace. More clarity. More joy. In your life every day.

If St. Hildegard’s holistic approach to health and spirituality resonates with you, I want to invite you to join my Healing with Hildegard online course. Together we’ll explore her timeless wisdom and discover practical ways to bring greater harmony, creativity, and well-being into everyday life. Learn more and register here.