We all know self-care is important, but it can be hard to make the time for it. Amy Jen Su shares ways to weave self-care into your workday:
One CEO I worked with summed it up best when he said: “Self-care is no longer a luxury; it’s part of the job.”
So, what exactly is self-care, and how do we do it?
Here are some of Su’s main points:
- Define self-care more broadly
- Take out the word “should”
- Operationalize self-care in your day-to-day work
- Notice when you’ve slipped out of self-care mode
Similarly, Courtney Reissig speaks to the reality of work in our day and age. She says, “…so while [my husband] might be on vacation from work, his customers are not. In an ever-connected digital age, work never stops.” She goes on to dive into the subjects of rest and Sabbath and how both work and rest exist for the Lord, not for oneself. She shows us how sometimes rest may look differently than we expect.
In When You Feel Spread too Thin, Christine Hoover encourages us to “steward the abundance.” She reminds us to:
- Praise God for the abundance. “If your ministry or your life has vitality, praise God. If you have relationships and friendships, praise God. If you have more coming at you than you know what to do with, praise God.”
- Check your heart. “Are you spreading yourself too thin because of self-idolatry?” Ouch. A potentially painful question to ask yourself.
- Clarify your people priorities. “After spouse and kids or roommate relationships, who are the people He most wants you to invest your life in?”
- Say yes and also say no. “I’ve learned that a slow response gives me time to ask God about it.”
- Cultivate intersections rather than being a cul-de-sac. “Use your opportunities and influence to connect people with each other…”
- Plan ahead for friendship. “Plan ahead for time with those you consider heart friends.”
Are we facing an epidemic of loneliness? “All too often, what is sacrificed at the altars of ‘work’ and ‘family’ is friendship (and sleep). In the process of reporting the piece, Baker comes to realize that he is, in fact, ‘a textbook case of the silent majority of middle-aged men who won’t admit they’re starved for friendship, even if all signs point to the contrary.’” Philip Lorish goes on to speak to the “crowding out” effect technology is having on our person-to-person relationships and the reasons a Google Hangout just won’t cut it when it comes to meaningful relationships.
Next, we have 25 Signs of a Healthy Leader. The article is meant to be used as a self-assessment tool and contains statements like:
- I get enough sleep
- I exercise on a regular basis
- I spend time in God’s Word and in prayer on a regular basis
- I listen to others well (including my spouse and children)
- I am not in debt or have a concrete plan for getting out of debt
- I forgive myself when I make mistakes
Some strong words to consider here from Chris Thomas:
We have forgotten how to be quiet. We have long abandoned the notion of developing stillness as a way of life. These joint disciplines have somehow slipped from grace and tumbled into the dark closet of the past.
Like all things unknown, we’ve become afraid of what’s lurking in the darkness.
So while we like to dim the lights at an appropriate time in the service and pull down the levels on the band while we all sing “Be still and know that I am God”—the reality of that statement is often a mystery to us.
Chris continues to give some encouragement on how to turn down the volume knob in our own lives.
Lastly, seasoned pastor Todd Gaddis shares “nineteen matters I will give special attention to as I head into the home stretch.” Here are some favorites:
- Build margin into my schedule
- Find a new hobby
- Speak positively
- Dig deeper in the Word
- Remember the Sabbath
- Please God first.
More grace-paced life links here.