What’s Your Nourishing Choice Right Now?
I am currently in the midst of a 12 week certification course. Before we break in the middle of each weekly session, our instructor often says, “Use this time to make a nourishing choice.”
She’s not telling us what to do, she simply invites us to use our autonomy to decide how we could best nourish ourselves in that moment.
I love this invitation. I have started integrating the question into my days, especially when I am contemplating choices that may, or may not, align with my vision for my future self. It helps me pause, pay attention, ask what I need, envision who I am becoming, and adjust accordingly. (The P.A.V.E. Method™)
A nourishing choice won’t look the same for every one. It may not even look the same for you from one day to the next day. It requires pausing long enough to ask:
What would nourish me right now?
Perhaps you need a snack because you haven’t eaten in hours. You may need to move after sitting at your computer all morning. You might need fresh air, a few quiet minutes, a conversation with someone you love, or the satisfaction of completing a task you’ve been avoiding.
Sometimes a nourishing choice is restful. Sometimes it requires effort.
It might mean saying no and protecting your energy. It could also mean saying yes to something that stretches or excites you. It might be going to bed early, or going out and doing something fun.
Nourishment is not synonymous with comfort, indulgence, productivity, or doing the “healthy” thing. It is whatever truly supports your well-being in that moment.
Bringing your future self into the choice
Because I am a big believer in aligning today’s actions with my vision for the future, I also ask:
What would my future self do?
Our choices are often influenced by what feels easiest or most rewarding right now. The couch is more appealing than the walk. Scrolling is easier than beginning the project. Putting off a difficult conversation feels better than having it.
Our present desires are immediate, vivid, and often require less effort. The benefits or consequences that may come later can seem distant and abstract.
Researchers call this tendency to give greater value to an immediate reward than a future reward delay discounting. One strategy that may help is episodic future thinking: vividly imagining a specific experience that could happen in our personal future.
In a meta-analysis that included 48 studies, researchers found that vividly imagining a specific future experience helped people consider not only what felt rewarding right now, but also what might serve them better later. The future carries more weight when we can picture ourselves living in it.
The key may be making that future specific.
“I want to be healthier someday” is abstract. Instead, imagine yourself feeling strong and capable on an upcoming hike.
“I need to stop procrastinating” can sound judgmental. Instead, picture how it will feel to wake up tomorrow knowing the project is finished.
“I should save more money” is easy to dismiss. Instead, imagine opening your travel account and realizing you have enough to book the trip you’ve been dreaming about.
The goal isn’t to pressure yourself into making a perfect choice. It is to make the future real enough that it has a voice in the decision.
Caring for both versions of ourselves
There can be a downside to asking only, “What would my future self do?”
We may imagine an idealized woman who always exercises, eats perfectly, remains productive, keeps her house organized, and never wastes time. Instead of offering wisdom, she becomes one more source of judgment.
That isn’t the future self I want guiding my decisions.
Our future selves shouldn’t criticize who we are today. They can simply help us see beyond the urgency of the present moment.
This is why I think these two questions belong together:
What would nourish me right now?
What choice would my future self thank me for?
One keeps us connected to our present needs. The other reminds us of what we’re creating.
Sometimes both questions will point toward the same choice. Other times, we may need to negotiate between them. Staying on the couch may feel comforting now, but a short walk might leave us feeling better. Finishing one more task may help tomorrow, but going to bed may be the more nourishing choice for both our present and future selves.
There isn’t always one perfect answer. The value is in interrupting autopilot long enough to choose intentionally.
Try the present-and-future pause
The next time you reach a decision point, pause and ask:
What would be a nourishing choice?
What choice would my future self make?
You don’t have to choose what is maximally healthy, productive, or impressive. Look for the next choice that respects the person you are today and supports the life you are creating.
A nourishing choice cares for who you are right now without losing sight of who you are becoming.
Put this into practice
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Research referenced: Rösch, S. A., Stramaccia, D. F., & Benoit, R. G. (2022). Promoting farsighted decisions via episodic future thinking: A meta-analysis. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 151(7), 1606–1635. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001148