ore than ever, awareness of self-care has increased and continues to create a pivot in our society, as seen by the rise in the number of self-care publication articles. However, we are also seeing an upward trend: burnout, with more than half of all employees facing moderate to high levels of burnout. Whatever the occupation, from white-collar to stay-at-home responsibilities, burnout is a serious consequence of imbalance in one’s life.
What can we do about this? What actions do we take to improve our mental and physical health, ultimately enhancing our quality of life as we balance the responsibilities of work and life?
To begin, self-care involves various areas of one’s life:
- Physical
- Psychological
- Emotional
- Spiritual
- Personal
- Professional
Physical
We must learn to put the brakes on. More importantly, we must learn to do so consistently.
When God created all things, He modeled the act of rest for His children to understand the importance of taking time to rejuvenate and re-energize (Gen. 2:2). He did not create humanity as robots that can keep going without burnout; humanity has its limitations and must be mindful of them. Individuals must take the time to rest from their work as God has modeled. This is a holy act since God Himself took time to rest from work.
We can incorporate physical self-care and rest by getting enough sleep, putting away the electronics for a set amount of time, exercising, eating healthy, and trying new, relaxing hobbies.
Psychological
What we feed our minds shapes us and powers our thoughts, ultimately affecting our behaviors. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil. 4:8 NIV).
It is interesting to note how detailed our Creator is with every aspect of our lives (He loves us indeed), considering how His Word guides us in each of these areas. Medical experts tell us that positive thinking helps with stress management and reduces anxiety, and this goes hand in hand with God’s Word, as seen in the quoted Scripture above.
Practicing gratitude, positive thinking, journaling, and being intentional and selective with what we see, listen to, and read are some ways to practice psychological self-care.
Emotional
Let us learn to acknowledge the purpose of our emotions. When we understand why we feel what we feel at any given time, we will have taken a step in the right direction toward emotional self-regulation. Emotional self-regulation allows us to channel our feelings in healthy ways that benefit our mental health and reflect our loving Lord and Savior through our actions. To do otherwise would be like a city without walls (Prov. 25:28)—vulnerable to attacks and at risk for endangerment.
Deep breathing techniques, exercise, fun hobbies/activities, creating boundaries, and a strong social support system aid in healthy emotional self-care.
Spiritual
As disciples of Christ, spiritual self-care is a given. Spirituality involves going beyond ourselves and drawing near to the heart of God and His will for our lives. Our focus is on God’s heart, and the interests of Jesus are front and center. In a world full of “me, me, and me,” we choose to decrease (John 3:30) and distance ourselves from the self-centeredness that can easily encroach on us.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Rev. 3:20 NIV).
Without our lives filled with Him—Life—we are, in essence, walking corpses. By responding to that knock on our heart’s door, we allow Life to enter; we open ourselves to intimacy with our Lord, who can satisfy and fill any void. This, in turn, leads us to purpose and destiny in Christ.
As with all things that are worth our time and pleasure, we must be intentional with spiritual self-care and keep the fire lit (Luke 12:35) by cultivating our relationship with God through prayer (Ps. 145:18), knowing who He is and gaining wisdom through His Word (John 1:1), and engaging in community (1 Thess. 5:11), our spiritual support system.
Personal
Is it easy to answer the question “Who are you?” without describing our occupation or talents? When we engage in personal self-care, we take the time to learn who we are—our identity—beyond any titles or what others may perceive about us. We dig deeper, finding that our identity resides in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Then, it becomes much easier to answer the above question. However, when we don’t take this time for personal self-care, we can be like the swaying of leaves in the wind, with no sense of direction and a chameleon-like approach to life.
Personal self-care can include taking the time to learn who we are (as believers, our spiritual self-care plays a major role here), figuring out personal life goals and how to achieve them, learning new hobbies, practicing setting boundaries, and cultivating healthy friendships and relationships with loved ones.
Professional
The majority of our days are generally spent at our careers or jobs. Sometimes, we fall into the workaholism realm, where we have no work-life balance. As a result, we burn out.
God, in His infinite wisdom, commanded us to take time away from labor and rest (Exod. 20:8–10). He knows how much our bodies can take; after all, He created us! We have this choice: listen and obey God to balance our work-life responsibilities, or we suffer the consequences, such as health problems, emotional fatigue, and decreased productivity, affecting others as well.
We must be intentional with our lives and understand the balance needed to live productively and healthily. This includes setting boundaries, leaving work at work, learning to say no, taking sick days when needed, and not working during time off.
Creating healthy habits for our mental health ensures an intentional way of living that glorifies God and provides positive results for our bodies, minds, emotions, and spirits. We enhance our quality of life, thus being contributing members of society and His kingdom, shining God’s bright light on a dark world with recharged batteries as a result of intentional and consistent self-care.
Amy Velazquez, M.A. in Professional Counseling
