What are the top three things to know about self-care?

When I was asked this question recently, I started to answer, then almost immediately went off on a tangent. Maybe it was our good conversation. Maybe it was the berry tea lemonade. But for whatever reason, it was another one of my “coulda woulda shoulda” moments, when in retrospect I wish I had said something else. So now that I’ve had a chance to think about it, this blog post is my better answer.

#1. Self-care is personal and may look quite different from person to person. While everyone needs the same basics like food, water, and sleep, our self-care needs and preferences may vary. So for example, to relax, I like to do the New York Times crossword puzzle. I have a calendar that gives me a puzzle each weekday and one for the weekend, and I do the larger New York Times crossword in the Saturday newspaper too. For me, this is good self-care. Others might find it too much like work or too boring. It’s not the kind of self-care they want or need.

For more on self-care as part of our life and work, please see my seminar on Self-Care While Caring for Others.

#2. Self-care embraces the whole person. It’s about caring for our physical health and our mental health. It includes our emotional and spiritual health. So while I think of my New York Times crossword as good mental and intellectual self-care, it’s not a total self-care package. It’s just one element. I also like to cook and eat healthy foods, garden and go for walks, do step aerobics and weight training, spend time with friends and in Christian community, engage in worship and Scripture and personal prayer.

For more on a Christ-centred framework for total self-care, please see Four Gifts: Seeking Self-Care for Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength.

#3. Our self-care practices may change over time. I’ve been doing the New York Times crossword for years, and don’t expect to stop any time soon. But my self-care practices have changed in other ways. I tried running, but didn’t stick with it for long. I used to read cozy mysteries from the library, but haven’t picked one up in years. I used to journal every day, but once I started blogging and emailing family and friends, I found myself journaling less. Now I might let days or even weeks go by without an entry. There’s nothing right or wrong about these changes. Sometimes, as my dad used to say, a change is as good as a rest.

If you’re looking to change things up, or just interested in different self-care practices, please see my blog posts on 25 self-care ideas for heart, soul, mind, and body.

Writing/Reflection Prompt: Given these three things you need to know about self-care, here are three prompts for you to consider: (1) What is uniquely you about your self-care practice? (2) In what ways are you caring for yourself as a whole person? (3) How have your self-care practices changed over time?

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