The Ripple effect, nurture your future.

Making healthier choices is actually free and achievable, start small and build - but just start. We have put together some examples and prompts. As always reach out if you need more information or clarification.

10 Ways to Nurture Yourself

How you feel on the inside depends on how well you take care of yourself on the outside, and vice versa. Here are ten ways to nurture yourself, whether you’re just starting out or are well into your adult years.

#1. Take Care of Your Body
No matter how you describe it, nurturing yourself means taking care of your body: good nutrition, lots of rest and exercise. Healthy choices help you feel better at any age, and they certainly can slow down aging and its effects on your body. Whether you’re in high school or headed into retirement, get enough sleep, keep moving and enjoy fresh air whenever possible. You’ll find your health improves when you make healthy choices every day. And if you start now, that improvement will continue as you age!

#2. Smile, You Are Beautiful
Feeling great about yourself is crucial to your wellbeing, regardless of your age. Make sure you take time every day for self-care, including a healthy diet and regular exercise (the type that’s right for you). Exercising can also help keep your brain sharp as it ages. A 2010 study found that adults who stayed physically active maintained their cognitive performance better than those who were sedentary. The two groups had matching cognitive function when they were in their 60s, but physical activity protected against decline. Healthy choices go hand in hand with healthy living: make yours now.

#3. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
Success has nothing to do with your friend or family member’s level of success. The only goal worth attaining is your own. If you constantly compare yourself to others, you will never know when it’s your time to shine. Instead, decide what you want and work hard every day towards that goal. Remember that successful people don’t think they are better than anyone else; they simply strive for their goals and believe in themselves along the way.

#4. Stop Worrying About Making Big Decisions: We make big decisions everyday—it just depends on how you look at them.

#4. Talk About What Makes You Happy
Living a balanced life is vital for mental health and wellbeing. In order to achieve happiness, it’s important that you spend time doing things that make you feel good. Spending time with family and friends, exercising regularly, listening to music or writing can help you feel more fulfilled. Not only will these activities reduce stress levels, but they’ll also nurture your relationships and personal growth as well. The great thing about self-care (an increasingly popular phrase) is that there are tons of fun ways to do it! Even small changes like eating healthy foods and switching off electronics an hour before bedtime can contribute to a healthier mind. The key lies in taking control over your physical, emotional and spiritual needs so you won’t burn out trying to meet everyone else’s demands.

#5. Have a Positive Outlook on Life
A positive outlook on life helps set us up for success, plain and simple. When you’re feeling good about yourself and your life, you are more likely to make healthy choices in regards to your wellbeing. Everyone has those days when they don’t feel so hot (don’t we all?), but work at making a habit of a positive outlook on life. Your health—and overall happiness—will benefit from it! It is not what happens to you, but how you react that matters. ~ Epictetus , Roman philosopher and stoic thinker

#6. Have Goals: There’s something powerful about having goals; really defining what you want out of life can help open doors to possibilities that might have been hidden otherwise. Take some time to think through your goal setting process; maybe even write them down or put them somewhere where you will see them often. You may never achieve one hundred percent completion with all goals, but setting realistic goals will give you small rewards as well as bigger ones down the road #7.

#6. Reflect on the Things That Matter Most
As a society, we’re often so obsessed with our health and fitness that we don’t take time to reflect on what really matters in life. Don’t forget about friends, family, personal passions and self-care. Don’t let your focus on wellness make you lose sight of other priorities in life. Making healthy choices for yourself will only empower you more; there is more to life than being healthy. In fact, being healthy is part of being happy—and that happiness comes from within. Be careful not to succumb to negative thoughts when things go wrong—as they sometimes will in business or love—but instead work towards resilience and positivity in both heart and mind. Make each day count by reflecting on what makes it worthwhile.

#7. Laugh Out Loud
When you laugh, endorphins are released. Endorphins help increase your sense of wellbeing, making you feel happier and more balanced. You can’t control how many times others laugh or crack jokes; however, you can work on improving your own sense of humor and start using it as a tool for finding happiness. Humor is an innate quality that usually develops with age, but that doesn’t mean you should give up trying. Remember, if nothing else works in shifting negative emotions into positive ones at least there’s always laughter!

#8. Write Down the Things That You Value Most
If you’re trying to live a more meaningful life and be a better person, then it’s important to identify your values. Write down your top 5 values in life and ensure that your daily decisions and actions line up with them. You might find that you value time over money, for example—or creativity over conformity. Knowing what matters most will help direct your behavior at home, at work, and in all other aspects of life. What do you value most? #9. Accept Your Flaws: It can be really hard to accept our flaws or weaknesses, but everyone has them (yes, even Batman). When we avoid accepting our flaws and weaknesses, we fail to take responsibility for changing our circumstances—and if there’s one thing I know about staying happy and successful, it’s that personal responsibility is king.

#9. Read Inspiring Books or Articles
There are several books and articles out there that offer excellent advice on how to take care of yourself. By reading these types of pieces, you can get a sense of what you should be doing for yourself in order to be healthy and happy. Some good places to start looking for self-care recommendations include The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama (this book teaches meditation as one way to treat yourself with love) or How Not To Die by Dr. Michael Greger (this is an excellent source for information about diet). If you want some more suggestions, consider checking our list of 25+ websites and blogs worth following; it contains numerous ideas from experts who specialize in fields like health, relationships, parenting, money management, fitness/wellness/nutritionism... just to name a few.

#10. Think about Your Impact on Others
Think about how your decisions today may affect those around you in ways that aren’t immediately apparent. What are some small changes you can make today that could ripple into positive impact on those around you? Maybe it’s giving your mum a call, giving your boss some feedback, or simply being more respectful at work. The great thing about living is that each of us has an unlimited capacity for touching others with our words and actions. Every single day we have opportunities to contribute positively or negatively, so choose wisely.