Many of us struggle to slow down and take time out for ourselves in today’s fast-paced world. With the never-ending demands of family, career, church and community involvement we end up exhausted, as walking zombies. The busyness starts as soon as we wake up and before we know it the day is over. It seems that there needs to be more hours in the day to do all the tasks we have to do. The day ends we go to bed and repeat the cycle the next day. Is that the ideal way to live? Certainly not. In all the busyness of life, we must remember to stop and take time for ourselves.
I am reminded of the words of a chorus which says that our body is the temple of God and needs the greatest care. As such, we care for it to the best of our ability. We must take proper care of ourselves so that we can be in the best place to take care of others. You can’t pour from an empty cup therefore it is your duty to be at your best so that you can be a blessing to others. When you board an aeroplane, the flight attendant gives instructions on what to do in case of an emergency. Very importantly, you are cautioned that the first thing to do, should an emergency arise, is to put on YOUR oxygen mask before trying to assist anyone else. This is very instructive. We have to learn to care for ourselves before caring for others.
According to VeryWell Health, ‘self-care is the practice of taking care of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of your life to promote health and wellness.’ Self-care is a broad term which encompasses several areas of a person’s life, namely hygiene, nutrition, lifestyle factors such as exercise, living conditions, income levels as well as treatment for illnesses.
Contrary to what some people might think, self-care is not selfishness or self-indulgence. Instead, it is an act of loving and caring for yourself, which is vital to your overall health and well-being. There have been many misconceptions about self-care and I would like to take this opportunity to clarify a few of them.
Firstly, it is felt by some that self-care involves spending excessive amounts of money. Nothing could be further from the truth. It does not have to be expensive at all! What about buying your favourite flavour ice cream as a treat to yourself for successfully completing that gruelling project at work? Take the time to slow down relax, breathe, put your feet up and savour the taste of your rum and raisin, while enjoying the flood of endorphins and dopamine, the feel-good hormones, after a job well done is an act of self-care. And guess what, you don’t have to break the bank to do it. Taking the time to rest, recuperate and focus after a major achievement can provide the fuel, fire and motivation needed to tackle the next project, big or small that comes along.
Secondly, some people mistakenly think that self-care involves booking going on a lavish vacation. No!. You don’t have to be on vacation to take care of yourself. Find the time to participate in hobbies and other activities which can relax and calm the mind. It may mean carving out some me-time, away from everyone else for an hour or two, even half an hour if time is limited. It may be difficult, but it is essential. Your body and mind will thank you for it. I encourage you, no matter how busy you are, to make self-care a priority. No one can do it for you. It is YOUR responsibility. Make time for you!
As soon as I have completed this blog, I will be taking an early morning walk, enjoying fresh air, and sunshine while admiring nature, God’s beautiful handiwork.
How will you practice self-care today or this week?