What Does the Bible Say About Self-Care?
Do you struggle with taking care of yourself or putting your needs as a priority?
Taking the the time to preserve our mental, emotional, and spiritual health is HUGE right now. Any normalcy or routines of life we’ve had before 2020 have drastically changed for a time frame unknown. That in itself, the unknowing what to expect, the outcome of all of this causes heightened anxiety! It seems harder and harder to catch a break from all that’s going on in the world to escape the realities of what’s going on around us.
I recently had the privilege of being apart of the 2020 Christian Women’s Virtual Self-Care Conference. I was one of the 55 plus women speakers teaching workshop from body image, to eating right, to taking care of the forgotten areas of our hearts. I was beyond blessed learning from these women and the messages God had given them to pour into others. The main takeaway of the whole conference was God places high priority on self-care. Jesus modeled this for us while he was here on earth.
What Does the Bible Say About Self-Care?
In the gospels, there is a pattern, there’s a message, then a miracle, a message, then a miracle. In Luke 5:16, Jesus withdrew to a lonely (desolate) place to pray. Why? Because he had just healed a man with leprosy. The news spread of Jesus’ ability to heal and the people wanted more. Jesus retreated because He didn’t come to earth for people to ONLY SEE the miracle of HIS HEALING. He also wanted them to HEAR the message of HIS TRUTH, that He came for people to have life and have it to the FULL. Seeking ONLY the miracle doesn’t allow for growth within us. Jesus didn’t come to earth to DWELL among us to show off, or perform a bunch of miracles. He came so we could also hear His message of joy, love, peace, hope, freedom, and salvation. When the crowds came looking for Jesus, He retreated.
We as well, can retreat to places of solitude and prayer to replenish, be restored, hear God’s voice and just be still with HIM. We don’t have to keep performing, doing more to earn His love or to love us more than He already does. Investing in ourselves so we can invest in others will reap rewards more than we could ever imagine.
What Are You Struggling With?
Are you struggling with procrastination, self-doubt, and apathy right now? Then you may need a boost in your dopamine levels. Dopamine is the reward hormone in your brain that motivates you to achieve your goals, reinforces good behavior. When all things life related are converted to on-line or cancelled, when decrease our dopamine ‘hits,’ that keep us motivated! When procrastination seeps in (like it does for me), and you’re feeling unmotivated, set your goal and reward yourself at the end (like put a book you want in your amazon cart and buy it when you’ve reached your goal). It will keep those dopamine levels up!
Are you struggling with loneliness and depression? Chances are your serotonin levels may be decreased. Serotonin is our happiness hormone and makes us feel significant. When activities and celebrations get cancelled, our happiness levels levels go down when we don’t have much to look forward to. Increasing your Vitamin D intake by either supplements and/or UV light has been proven to improve serotonin levels.
Are you struggling with stress, strained relationships, and decreased immunity? Oxytocin may be the culprit. Oxytocin is the ‘bonding hormone,’ which creates intimacy, trust, and builds healthy relationships. We need each other. We were meant to be together. We miss out on those human connections and interactions when we have to be isolated. This is why there has been a puppy surge and all the SPCA’s are empty. Petting an animal increases oxytocin levels! Experts recommended to maintain oxytocin levels by giving 8 hugs a day!
The burnout we are all experiencing is real and need to find ways to reduce our stress so we don’t cause further damage to our bodies. How we treat ourselves matters and to those around us. Your family needs you. Your loved ones need you. Be gentle with yourself and others at this time. These are some stressful times. Being real with how the pandemic is affecting us is crucial to our well-being. Emotional honesty is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. If you’re feeling lonely reach out to someone, pick up the phone, be intentional, let someone know how you’re feeling. Are you feeling depressed, increased anxiety, overwhelmed? Ask for help. Don’t wait for a break down to happen to take care of yourself.
God is in control. He is the greatest Restorer and Healer. Trusting in what He is able to do is vital to our overall well-being. You are loved. You matter. You are worth it. Want to know more what the bible says about self-care here are 100 Bible verses about Taking Care of Yourself by OpenBible.info.
Give yourself permission to take care of you. You won't regret it. Click To TweetDo you make self-care a priority? How or in what way?
Are you able to give yourself the gift of emotionally honesty?
Did you miss the Self-Care Conference? Watch the Re-cap Below of the conference’s highlights.
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