Born to Bloom, Heal From Sexual AbuseSample

Loving Yourself & Self-Care

What Is Self-Care? Simply put, self-care is the practice of doing things daily that support and strengthen your well-being in body, mind, and spirit. It is the practice of caring for the six areas of life — spirituality, relationships, physical wellness, emotional wellness, finances, and career/service. Positive daily activities and habits that keep us healthy in all these areas are essential to our overall well-being, which leads to balance, a sound mind and a happy life, and success.

Self-care is vital to the healing process. Often those of us who have been “trained” through neglect or abuse to constantly care for the needs of others can be neglectful of our own needs. Perhaps you may have been told that you are selfish and therefore feel guilty when taking some much-needed time. Always remember there is no condemnation in Christ. God certainly will not condemn you for caring for yourself. God is our great example, remember He too rests. He rested on the seventh day from all His labors. It is important for us to find balance and to remember that life is not all about service, it is also about rest, relaxation, and enjoyment.

Self-care begins with our ability to love ourselves as God loves us, to see ourselves the way He sees us, that we are loved, valuable, fearfully and wonderfully made, and pleasing in His sight! God has given you permission to love yourself. He has told us to love others as we love ourselves. We cannot love anyone until we first get healed by loving ourselves.

Learning to care for ourselves is an act of loving ourselves as God loves us. It takes practice and time, but it is worth it! You are so valuable to God! He wants you to love yourself! He wants you to appreciate all the wonderfulness of who you are in His eyes.

When we fail to care for ourselves, it can wear us down. We can become exhausted trying too hard to meet the needs of everyone around us except ourselves. We often grow sick, discouraged, and burned out. Our mood, our emotions, our energy levels, our ability to eat well and sleep well can all be impeded, even affecting our faith and our ability to pursue our God-given purpose.

On the other hand, when we know how to set proper boundaries, avoid toxic people, and watch over our own well-being, we can enjoy our lives more, as well as serve others better.

You are valuable and worthy of caring for yourself my friend! Speak this love over yourself:

I AM caring for my body, mind, and spirit. I AM taking the time to care for my needs. I AM worthy of love and self-care.