The reason I created a blog/business called “Whole Self Care” is because taking care of ourselves is important, not selfish. When we take care of ourselves, it enables us to better care for those around us.
If you don’t take care of your own garden, you will run out of fruit to give to others.
I often think about the scripture passages which describe how Jesus would take time to be alone to pray before going out to serve others. He took time to be refilled before ministering to others. If the one who was never selfish or sinful took time away from serving to be rejuvenated by the Father, it isn’t selfish or sinful for us to do the same.
It is all about intention. I’m not saying avoiding or ignoring the concerns of others is self-care. It does mean taking the time to be refilled before serving others.
Self-care means many different things for different people. It may include getting enough sleep every night, going to the doctor if health issues arise, getting enough nourishment from food to give you energy, taking a walk around the block to relieve stress, leaving white space on the calendar…the list goes on and on. We have varying needs at different moments in our lives.
Because of how I’m wired, my body favors “fight or flight” mode. Once I get in this mode, it is hard for me to get out of it. For me, self-care means being intentional with how I live my life in order to avoid living in stress. Of course, things arise outside of our control (like waking up at 3:30 a.m. catching someone trying to break into our cars—true story), but I’ve had to learn to be more aware of what triggers my stress response and take action accordingly.
I caught myself this week being overly zealous and then wondered why I felt like I drank 2 pots of coffee. In order to be efficient with my time, I seek to find clever ways to get things done. I listen to books/webinars while I wash dishes. I have what I call “GSD” (get stuff done) days where I seek to demolish my “to do” lists. I work on trainings/courses while putting on makeup. Being productive with my time keeps me from feeling overwhelmed, but sometimes I struggle to turn it off.
When I was feeling guilty this week for watching a TV show instead of not doing X, Y, or Z, I had to remind myself I needed it. My body was screaming for me to shut down so it could reboot. I had to remember taking time for rest and play is self-care. The “to do” list would be there tomorrow, and the world wouldn’t crumble if I took time to be intentionally unproductive.
What does self-care look like for you? Where do you struggle the most, and what comes easy to you?
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