Take Care of Yourself!

Can I be honest with you? A few months ago, I was running ragged. Physically, mentally and emotionally I was worn out. It was a familiar feeling. A few years ago, I got really run down. The simplest of tasks seemed so difficult. One day, just the thought of my kids asking me another question brought me to tears (literally) because I was too exhausted to think of an answer. That was the day I knew I needed to get myself checked out. After some blood work, it turned out my thyroid wasn’t functioning properly, but I was also severely lacking in vitamin D and iodine which are 2 of the most important nutrients the thyroid needs to function. I had gone to a natural doctor who suggested we retest things after 3 months of supplementing iodine and D. Thankfully, after a few months of self-care, my thyroid healed and I felt like a new person.

That time in my life was an eye-opener for me though. I realized I was running hard and I needed to take better care of myself. I come from a family not afraid of hard work. In fact, we thrive on it! It’s just how we’re made.  I’m someone that could work constantly and find work to do even when there isn’t any. Being forced to stop made me feel… weird…even guilty. I had a flashback one day and I could remember as a kid, my 80-year-old grandma saying, “I gotta move! I gotta do something! I can’t just sit here!”  I remember thinking that this was so crazy, especially at 80, and here I was many years later doing the same thing. After that, I made a commitment to make self-care a priority. I did pretty well, but yet… here I found myself again, several years later….empty and depleted. Not on purpose. Sometimes life brings us things, even good things, that need our attention and require us to work harder than usual, doesn’t it? The problem is, I made the mistake of allowing my self-care practices to diminish completely. I made the excuses that it was just for a season and I needed to press through and not stop until everything settled down. But weeks turned into months and soon tiredness turned into exhaustion. I’m not talking about the normal tiredness you would feel after a hard workout or missing a few nights’ sleep…I mean, I could barely get up a flight of stairs without labored breathing and I would have to lay down before I fell down. It was bad and everything was suffering. Sometimes we run so hard, we lose sight of why we started running in the first place. For me, being a good mom, wife, and pastor, fulfilling with excellence the roles the Lord has placed me in is so important.  I realized then that we can be doing a lot and yet, be losing what is most important because we’re so weary and empty. Sometimes we run so hard, we lose sight of why we started running in the first place. Can you relate?

I know a lot of people reading this may be thinking, “What does this self-care even mean?” Or, “Sounds good, but I’m too busy to care for myself.” Or “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” I talk to so many people that are tired, sick, worn out, and going through the motions of life. They’re running on empty.  I think it’s ingrained in most of us these days to GO! GO! GO! Especially in today’s society. My husband says that today; “busyness is a badge of honor.” Don’t get me wrong, I will always believe in hard work. Being a hard worker is a good quality and necessary in life. But self-care is also a necessity. Sometimes we’re better at taking care of everybody and everything else while neglecting ourselves. But please recognize, that if you aren’t taking care of yourself, most likely everything else in your life is suffering anyway because you have nothing left to give. Here’s an acronym I made for getting and staying on track with self-care

Stop Running

End Guilt                              =    SELF CARE

Look Within

Fuel Up

First, STOP running! Running yourself ragged, running the rat race, and running on empty. This doesn’t mean life stops; because I don’t know about you, but my life doesn’t have a hold button I could push. I have a lot of responsibilities as a homeschool mom and in full-time ministry that I can’t just put on hold. It does mean, however, that each of us needs to make some choices that will enable us to incorporate self-care into our routine. Maybe you’ll have to say no to some things. There were extra things that crept into my life that were depleting my energy. I said too many YESES when I should have politely said NO. We’re not meant to do everything, nor can we. Even if we want to, we only have a certain amount of time and energy and we need to use it for the things we know God calls us to do.

The next step is to END guilt. No more guilt! Know this – you are worth taking care of! Here’s a saying I read, and I think it’s great because it’s a truth that dispels the lie that too many of us believe.

SELF-CARE IS NOT SELFISH!!

Hey, do I need to give you a Bible verse to relieve you of guilt? I’m a pastor’s wife so I got plenty of scriptures for ya! Ok then, here goes…the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and not your own. So then, are you caring for that temple? The Bible also talks again and again about stewardship. We are actually told by God to take care of ourselves, so no more guilt, ok? You have permission to take care of yourself. That also means no more excuses either.

Thirdly, it’s time to LOOK within. Sometimes we don’t even know what self-care looks like for us. I’m not talking about passing out on the couch at the end of a long day or mindlessly staring at the tv, or social media. That’s vegging out, not self-care.  I mean on purpose, proactive, self-care.  We may need to look within and take inventory of our lives. Why do I do what I do? Are the things I’m doing fueling my purpose in life or are there just a lot of things that are leaving me empty and unable to do what is really is important? Self-care may look a little different for everyone, but I do believe it encompasses our spirit, soul, and body. God made us a triune being and each part of us affects the other.

And finally, after looking within it’s time to begin to make the choice to do those things that will FUEL your life. Choose to become proactive about your self-care Do the things that will recharge you and refresh you and enable you to be the best you that you can be.

Below I share a few things that are part of my personal self-care and make some suggestions, but I encourage you to find what works for you.

1. Strengthen your Spirit: I will tell you right now that if you’re not strengthening your spirit you’ll always be running on empty. There is only so much we can do in our natural strength. If we aren’t spiritually filled, we’ll never be strong physically, mentally, and emotionally. God is the source of our strength! A regular devotional time with God restores us in ways that nothing else could. I will be honest – sure there are times I feel I’m not getting anything out of what I read or I’m not hearing God as I want. Everyone faces that at times. I want to encourage you to spend time with God relationally, not religiously. Sit with God, soak in His word and just rest in Him. When I continue to press into Him regularly, God is faithful every single time to meet me where I am and refresh me as only He can. He will do the same for you.

• Nourish Your Body: I’m not talking about going on a diet or losing weight. There are many things we can do, but let’s start simple. I’m talking about getting the nutrients you need to sustain your health and energy. When life gets busy and I start to feel crummy, I look at my diet. I always realize that when I am not proactive about it and life gets busy, I start skipping meals, or grabbing whatever is nearby instead of something nutritious. Instead of water, I’ll have an extra cup of coffee for energy. Just little things that add up and deplete me physically. Our bodies need to be nourished. Simple things like taking a multivitamin, drinking more water throughout the day, or adding a smoothie to your diet are great things to do. Smoothies are my go-to that help me get the nutrition I need. I throw in protein, a handful of spinach, collagen, green powder, probiotics, frozen berries, and almond milk. It’s a great snack that gives me the energy and nutrients I need for life.

• Soothe Your Soul: For each person, what soothes your soul will be different. For me, nature soothes my soul. Taking a walk outdoors. Sitting down by the pool. QUIET soothes my soul. Life is so noisy and I yearn for quiet. But for you, maybe it’s listening to music. Maybe it’s dancing, stretching, singing, taking a drive… Whatever it is, take some time to do things that you want to do but have been saying you don’t have time for. Read a novel. Go out for coffee with a friend. Go fishing! Whatever it is that brings you joy. Just take the time to do it. Watch how refreshed you feel after. I have seen so many people do this – they put off self-care and say well, I’ll wait till I can go on a vacation. Sure, a 2-week trip somewhere may be great, but what about the other 50 weeks of your life. I have found that it’s the simple things that I make time for on a regular basis that refresh me the most. Recently, I read a classic novel aloud every night to my kids for a school project. I was doing it for them, but you know what, I really enjoyed it. I haven’t read for enjoyment in years! I read all the time to study and to teach and to learn things, but I can’t remember the last time I read something for enjoyment. It was great and my mind was refreshed. It was funny because my hubby heard us and soon, he was sitting there listening as well. He enjoyed it too. It really is the simple things!!

•  BREATHE. I know you’re probably like DUH!!!! But seriously. This is a practice I once thought silly, but now do to refresh my spirit, soul, and body. Sit down in a quiet place, close your eyes, clear your mind, relax and breathe. Don’t think about the work you have to do or problems needing to be solved. Just sit and breathe. When I feel agitated or stressed, this totally refreshes me. I picture myself breathing in life from God and breathing out all the garbage I may be carrying. Just 15 minutes. Try it!

There you have it. These things may seem so simple, I know, and yet most people I speak to are not doing any of them. Don’t allow yourself to be caught up in the grind of life so much that your self-care goes out the window. Don’t be like the many people who have their purpose in mind but are missing it completely because they’re running on empty. I don’t want to do that anymore. After a month and ½ of making time for self-care once again, I feel refreshed and able to be my best self. Self-care is important. It’s a necessity. And you know what, you are worth it!

Hey, I’d like to know what you do for self-care? What recharges and refreshes you? Feel free to share by commenting at the end of this blog! Also, if you’re not a subscriber, subscribe below and receive a free gift – “10 Steps to a Healthier You!” So many people have told me, it has blessed their lives.