Godly Self-CareНамуна

Not a “One Size Fits All” Strategy

Self-care isn't a "one-size-fits-all" strategy. Your self-care plan will need to be customized to fit your current needs. You don't want to wait until you've reached your breaking point to decide you need self-care. The goal is to take steps each day to make sure that you are taking time to care for yourself for when the stresses and challenges come along.

Self-care is more about taking care of yourself in a world that seeks satisfaction and validation by being busy. Taking care of yourself is individualistic but we can’t leave God out of the equation. It could be taking a prayer walk or reading a book about growing your faith. For others, it could be allowing time to exercise or a trip to the spa. No matter what avenue, the goal is to help you maintain and continually be the best versions of yourself. Moreover, having the ability to make decisions supports a well-balanced and an emotionally healthy mindset.

It is easy to see how the idea of self-care causes pushback within the Christian community. With phrases like "taking care of you" or "you need to put yourself first" associated with self-care, the idea can quickly appear as narcissistic, perhaps selfish and an inward-focused practice. But, like so many things in the Christian life, we must examine our heart's motives behind our actions, determine for ourselves what is driving us to exhaustion. Self-care is no different.

If you find yourself struggling to cope with daily stressors or unable to keep up with the hurried pace of life, that’s okay. There is hope for your future and healing can happen. Another problem plaguing overachievers in today’s world is the near-constant loneliness. Since the pandemic, and since most of us live our lives online now, there are some ongoing unspoken expectations placed on society to do or produce more, more, more. Accomplishing even the most basic tasks can seem like the hardest thing in the world when you are already feeling low.

Self-care may sound simple but it isn’t. Self-care is complex work, and it takes focus, intention, dedication, and healthy boundaries to treat yourself as well as you would the friends and family members you have been taking care of for years. These challenges can be exceptionally difficult, especially for caretakers.