The Wisdom of Self-Care
In a world where we are bombarded by media, a demanding work culture, and loud
polarities, Wisdom is our lifeline. It is our opportunity to settle into our inner knowing. This isn’t the wisdom of IQ or creativity. This is Divine Wisdom. It is our connection to God’s guidance in a way so powerful that we feel it in the pit of our stomach.
Self-care allows us to more readily tap into that Wisdom. When we immerse ourselves solely into the worldly things that distract us from God, receiving guidance appears more challenging. It is not that guidance is not there. It is. But we are so distracted with the life of this world that we don’t recognize
Are you allowing yourself to be still? For me, truth be told, I have the opportunity to improve on this practice. I get so excited about the things God is calling me to do that I break into full-speed-ahead mode. And oftentimes, that mode is at warp speed. My recent experience is that what was supposed to be a week off, I ended up catching the latest cold during that week. No fun excursions happened. Rest was forced. And did I learn from that? Eh, no. A week or two passed and I got sidelined again. This time, with a visit to the emergency room and a flare up of a medical condition that raised its beastly head quite viciously. Honestly, I hate it when I learn lessons the hard way. Yet, here I am. Learning to make being still, practicing self care as a priority. Now I know why there was an entire class on this very thing in seminary!
Scientific studies have shown that we are more productive when we rest. Working more hours does not allow us to get more done. It simply wears on the body and mind. Staying up late to get all the family things done doesn’t help in that manner either. The same results happen. Combining the wisdom of science with the wisdom of Spirit, it is certain that rest is vital, self-care is vital. I know our initial reaction to the notion of rest is, “Oh sure, like I have time to fit yet another thing in!” You shrug your shoulders, flail your hands in the air waving off the thought of such an idea. However, if we respond instead of react, transformation can happen.
Here are some ways we can be creative with time and even find hidden opportunities for mindfulness.
Five minutes - Start by carving out five minutes once a day, then gradually add more five-minute intervals throughout your schedule. Use this time to listen to a favorite song and fully enjoy it. Sing it. Dance it. Or spend 5 minutes doodling or drawing if you enjoy that. Spend 5 minutes in silence. Spend 5 minutes doing stretches.
Mindful moments while in a crowd - how many shades of a specific color do you see? How many different shapes do you see? Or, find only particular shapes. What do you hear? Find how many different textures you can touch.
Guilt Free Naps - take them, even if it is just for 10 minutes. You may not fall asleep but your body will relax.
Buffer-zone - If your day is task driven, take a 30 second breather, literally. Practice breathing exercises to allow your body time to reset.
Digital Time Out - put your digital items away, especially your phone for 15 minutes. Place it in a drawer or even another room if you need to. Practice putting your phone on do not disturb for break periods. Also, silence the notification alerts. We don’t need to pick up our phone every time it goes off. Assign unique ringtones to your 'inner circle' so you know exactly who is calling before you even look at your phone. All other rings can go to voicemail. Even calls from your closest people can wait. If it is an emergency, you will hear that ringtone more than once in that hour.
I want to invite you for the rest of this Lenten season to take time for self-care. As you find what works, jot that down in a journal. Keep that information with you so that you begin to accumulate ways that allow you to reset. When we reset, there is less static in our awareness of Divine Presence.
Shine On Y’all,
Rev. Les
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