Healthy relationships are only one part of the four core areas that can fill our soul and satisfy our hunger for life. The other three are regular physical activity, a fulfilling career and a spiritual practice.
We hunger for play, fun, touch, romance, intimacy, love, achievement, success, art, music, self-expression, leadership, excitement, adventure and spirituality. All of these elements are essential forms of nourishment. When we create nourishing lives for ourselves, then we are truly living a fulfilling life. It is up to us what we create.
During the course of a lifetime, we have relationships with parents, grandparents, children, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, extended family, friends, teachers, coworkers... The quality of these relationships explains a lot about the quality of a person’s life and his or her health. Just as no one diet is right for everyone, no one way of relating works for everyone. What’s important is to cultivate relationships that are healthy and that support your individual needs, wants and desires.
In terms of love, figuring out what kind of love relationship works best for you is essential to your well-being. Love is food for the soul and nourishes the body, mind and spirit. For some, a happy marriage early in life is their main goal. They are clear that they want to have children and build a firm structure for their whole life and for future generations. Others look for alternatives to marriage or wait until later in life to settle down with one person. Many people feel pressure from their families or society to get married and have children, while this is simply not the right path for some.
It is important that you take time to determine what you want and then work practically and positively towards it.
Some people love being alone, while others love being around lots of other people. Most people fall somewhere in the middle.
I encourage you to find a type of love and intimacy that is appropriate and nourishing for you. Find the right balance of togetherness and aloneness, and know that these needs will change with time, just as dietary needs change and just as everything in life changes.
The idea of holistic health is to look at the integrated system rather than one or more separate parts, which includes the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional parts of life. I encourage you to look beyond the food on your plate and consider these other forms of nourishment that truly feed you!
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