What do you think of when you hear the phrase “self care”? Maybe you are like me and you think of the worldly version like taking a bubble bath, doing a face mask, getting a massage, getting your nails done, ordering your favorite coffee drink, or reading a good book. Or maybe your brain goes in the opposite, more Christ-focused, direction like reading your Bible, spending time with God, praying, Bible journaling, or fellowshipping with other believers.
When Elizabeth, Katelyn, and I were discussing this topic, I was having a really hard time trying to connect those two contradictory ideas and find a way to blend them together to make a well rounded definition for self care. We also discussed including rest and that helped me be able to build a bit of a bridge in my mind. In a lot of ways, the Christ centered version of self care is similar to going to the Lord for rest.
Interestingly, the term self care actually originates from the medical field in regards to taking care of one’s physical health. I find it so interesting that it has turned into a mental health common practice to find things that make a person happy in the moment but have the potential to harm their physical health if they decide that their “self care” is eating a big slice of chocolate cake for breakfast every morning.
As I was trying to think of what direction to take this post, I discussed it with my mom and I really like a distinction she made. She said that we can have self/body care where we take care of ourselves physically and mentally by doing something that helps our mood or our physical health (probably not eating chocolate cake every morning), and then we can have soul care that is more Christ focused. Soul care can involve our quiet time with God, fellowshipping, attending Bible study, or whatever draws us closer to the Lord.
We are instructed in the Bible to go to God when we are tired or overwhelmed and He gives us rest. Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Wow! Isn’t is so amazing that we have the ability to go to our God no matter our circumstances and He gives us true rest for our souls?
So now we get to the tricky part of trying to understand how to mesh these two concepts and practices. The answer to this is so different for each person, based on how we each practice self and soul care. Thinking about how I practice self care in my own life, I had a hard time putting my finger on it, so I started thinking about my weekly schedule. I realized that my routines both at work and on my days off are my own personal form of self care. I know that at the beginning of the week, I go to the grocery store and meal prep for the week while listening to an audiobook. Then during the week, depending on the day, I know generally what I will be doing at any given point in the day. I also have flex days where I am able to plan to hang out with friends, get caught up on anything I have to do, or just have a down day if I had an extra tiring week. Having this routine helps keep me sane, and I know that even if one day goes differently than planned, tomorrow is a new day where I will get a fresh start.
After realizing that my form of self care is keeping a routine, it makes it easier to mesh that with soul care in my mind. When I have time set aside in my daily routine to read my Bible and pray, that takes care of me physically/mentally by keeping my routine predictable as well as taking care of my soul and drawing closer to the Lord. And drawing closer to the Lord in turn gives true soul rest in any and all circumstances.
What is your favorite form of self care? Are you the kind of person who likes to sit in a bubble bath with a face mask on? Or are you the kind of person who reads a good book? Or are you the kind of person who likes to stick to a routine? Or are you the kind of person who needs variety and change in your schedule every week?
What is your favorite form of soul care? Are you the kind of person who just reads the Bible and prays? Or are you the kind of person who journals what you learn? Or are you the kind of person who reads a commentary or Bible study book? Or are you the kind of person who listens to a podcast to understand better?
How can you mesh self care and soul care in your own life?
Abbi