Self-Care

It’s finally June! (Hands up – crowd roar) After the year I’ve had … sorry, scratch that. After the year WE’VE had, I am so thankful to be here in June. Apologies to my coworkers, friends, family, and church. I have not behaved myself very well but rather cried, complained, and grumbled my way through this year. I am surprised you haven’t started ignoring my texts or avoiding me when you see me coming. I have not been a very positive person. A HUGE shout out to all of you who have listened with a sympathetic ear, a gracious heart, and caring soul. If it were not for you, I would be much worse for the wear standing here in June. But here I am. Here WE are. We made it! And I am so glad.

It’s going to take a while for the stress to completely melt away. So, in the meantime, let’s help it along by practicing some of that self-care we are always being encouraged to do.

S – Sleep. Most everyone is sleep deprived these days. Stress, anxiety, worry, too much caffeine/sugar (for those of us who stress eat), all contribute to our inability to get enough Zs. However, it is important to rest our bodies and our minds. Lack of rest exacerbates all the above-mentioned health issues and even can cause more. Remember, God’s got us covered. Shut those eyes and catch up on some sweet rest.

“When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.” Proverbs 3:24

E – Eat and Exercise. God has blessed us with an array of delicious and healthy foods to eat. Our body relies on what we eat and drink to function properly. Now that we have a bit more time to plan and shop, let’s make our plate colorful (as in fruits and veggies, not Twinkies and Ho-Hos). When it is pretty to look at, it’s most likely healthier and more fun to eat. Let’s remember to pull out that grill, too. Everything tastes better when it’s cooked over a fire. Time to enjoy God’s bounty!

Let’s not overlook that four letter word – exercise! (LOL) Truthfully, we will feel better and stronger if we take some time to exercise every day. It can come in many forms: stretching, yoga, Tai-Chi, walking, weightlifting, ZOOMBA, sports, or gym routines. Finding something we enjoy is key. Exercising our mind is important, too. A few ways we can do this is through Bible study, learning to do something new, reading, and doing puzzles. We’ve gotta keep creating new synapsis!

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God,” 1 Corinthians 10:31

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1

For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.” Proverbs 8:11

L – Love yourself. This is a hard one for many of us. Have we ever been completely happy with ourselves? Don’t we all start the year with resolutions to change or improve something? Let’s not forget the grins and giggles of getting older: wrinkles, sagginess (EVERYWHERE!), gray hair, losing hair where we need it and growing hair where we don’t, aches, sweating in weird places and at odd times, tiredness, etc. We are not as young and perky as we used to be. Don’t stress. We are all in this boat together. It’s O.K. to pamper ourselves and enjoy things that make us feel good: sitting on the porch in the evenings with a glass of tea; getting a pedicure; going for an early morning walk; playing a Pandora station from our teen years; getting a new haircut; trying a new color of nail polish; or whatever else makes us feel special. God loves us, so we should love us, too.

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” John 15:9

F – Forgive and Forget. Oooh…this is a hard one whether we need to forgive ourselves or forgive others. And then, even when we do forgive, it is even harder to forget. Before we know it, we’re having a bad day and find ourselves drudging up all those wrongs again (for me, it’s usually when I’m doing housework for some reason). It’s like the saying about arguments: You bury the hatchet but leave the handle sticking out. We are ready to pick up whatever wrong that was done and rehash it over again. But at some point, we really must give it to God and let it go. Forgiving ourselves or others is often a process, and we might have to do it over and over again. Just remember, if we have asked God for forgiveness, He has forgiven us. If we have wronged someone and genuinely asked forgiveness, it is their choice whether to forgive or not. If not, we shouldn’t continue to dwell on it. It may take more time and prayer on both that person’s part and ours before forgiveness can be given or amends can be made. If someone has done wrong to us, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to forgive them. Then it is time to “move it, move it” along and live our life. God has plans for us!

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Colossians 3:13

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Philippians 3:13

C – Be cheerful. I think we all have days when we find our thoughts drifting to sad memories or depressing scenarios that may or may not have happened yet. There are days when our stress level is so high, it knocks aside any happiness that might come our way. Those are the days we just don’t care. We think, “Can we just get the day over with and go to bed?” But too many of those days are very bad for us. Even though we can’t always control what is causing the stress, we CAN ask God to take away the feelings of stress and give us peace. Then, we can do something that makes us happy: making an ice cream run to Braum’s, watching our favorite sitcom, reading from our favorite book, or buying a new one, writing (wink, wink), cuddling with our spouse, going for a drive, taking a trip to our favorite store, calling or meeting a friend for coffee, meeting with our ladies or men’s church group, etc. Think of it as medicine. It even says so in the Bible.

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

A – Ask for help. This is another hard one. Let’s face it, no one else will do things like we do them. You know the saying, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” Although this may be true, we can’t do everything by ourselves all the time. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help. Even if the towels get folded wrong – I mean “differently”; the dishes are loaded in the dishwasher wrong – oops, sorry, “differently”; or a couple of loads of laundry are left in the dryer to wrinkle – uh … “done differently”, it’s O.K. Life WILL go on. Remember, God doesn’t expect us to do everything, so we shouldn’t put that pressure on ourselves, either.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

R – Be Renewed. The word renew means to make “new again”. Geeze! If that were only possible with physical things, including my physical self! LOL! But we can renew our spirit and our mind. We can let go of all the sad thoughts, personal regrets, pet sins, wrong-doings, negativity, and stress, and be renewed through God’s power. He can make our spirit right again. Spending time reading the scripture and praying are the best ways to do this. Also, laying everything out before God- our worries, fears, uncertainties, sins, plans, desires, etc. This allows us to make room for a clean heart and a renewed spirit. It’s like a good spring cleaning of our spiritual house!

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10

E – Enjoy God’s Blessings. An important part of self-care is celebrating the blessings which God has given us. He knows how hard life is. He’s lived it. He sees the battles we fight. He’s fought them. He understands our feelings. He’s felt them. He loves us and wants to bless us. He’s already given us all of creation to enjoy. But he continues to bless us even more. It does our heart good to reflect on these blessings. When we do, we quickly realize there are too many to count. Our cup is overflowing.

“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6: 30-33

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38

“And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” John 1:16

So, when we meet again, hopefully we have all had the chance to practice some self-care. I wish all my co-workers and school friends a wonderful and well-deserved break and want to wish everyone a safe and happy summer!

*God Bless!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8SPwT3nQZ8