“ Meanwhile, Jesus would slip away to deserted places and pray.” -Luke 5:16
It’s not always what you do but how you do it. As someone who struggles with how to actually implement self-care this idea has helped me understand in a new way.
For me, exercise has been a concrete example to practice self-care. For years I have exercised because that is a way to counter any excess calorie consumption. It felt like a punishment for eating rather than a form of self-care. Recently, I have been thinking of exercise as something I can do for myself, while still showing great compassion and care for my body. I find that intentional movement falls into the category of self-care as opposed to self-comfort (See Sherah-Leigh’s post on Monday!). I am now able to see exercise as a way of effectively decreasing my anxiety and stress for the day. When I exercise am saying to my body, “Thank you for speaking to me and getting me through the day.” I am trying to listen to her and become aware of what she needs. This new attitude has helped me think of new ways I could move with compassion for my body – like swimming.
Are there areas in your life where you need a self-care attitude adjustment? Are there ways you can change your attitude or construct new ways of caring for yourself that help you grow spiritually? What is one concrete thing you could implement this week to move from self-comfort towards self-care?
Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.
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