Self-Care for 2021
Self-care has become so common a phrase that it feels like an overused buzzword which I sometimes find myself skipping past out of annoyance. Or, I think “yes, I want to do that, but when will I have the time?” Yet, we are in a marathon of a pandemic. Our bodies are constantly facing shocks as we learn of the increased rates of infection, the new horrendous total of Covid-19 deaths reported each day, the political situations which continue to unfold in unprecedented ways, and as social justice needs and the work we must engage for our community continue to hit us in the face every time we step onto social media. How does one care for one’s self in such a time?
First, it’s important to recognize that everyone needs more right now than others are able to offer. We need more assurances. More safety. More resources. More love. More time. More of so much. Typically when someone is facing a crisis, the rest of the community can rally around them with support and material goods. When the whole world is simultaneously going through the same process though, we all have deeper needs than can be met. The oxygen mask example from airplane safety instructions that has been repeated in churches, leadership seminars, and every self-help book is all the more relevant today. Please, friends, put your mask on yourself now so you may be present to others later.
So what does self-care look like? For me, it conjures up images of bathtubs or facials. If you have a tub or a mask, use them. It can also be as simple as just sitting in silence for five minutes. I remember at the end of my first term in grad school I was in one of my final classes. I had stretched my brain beyond anything it had experienced since undergrad six years prior. My body had less sleep, less movement, more caffeine, and far more processed foods than it was used to over that term. My heart had broken so many times as I began to unravel the pieces of my story and understand more deeply the ways my theology was hurting me. I was bone tired. My mind was a flurry of assignments, finals to study for, and everything else I needed to get done before leaving the state for the holidays. My professor asked us all to lie down on the ground. She dimmed the lights and played a soothing tune. We all just relaxed. Took spacious, lingering breaths. Let calmness invade our being. I hadn’t had that in many months.
I want that space for you. I don’t know if laying still is helpful to you. For some people it is relaxing, while for others it can be intolerable due to the ways our traumas have informed our bodies to function. If lying still doesn’t sound appealing, have you tried writing? Just five minutes. Self-care in the form of a few minutes of something that feels soothing to your mind and body is the best place to start. You can also try going for a quick five minute stroll. Stretching or doing a few yoga poses. Getting a glass of water or making a cup of coffee or tea, and then slowly savoring each sip. If you have children and need a five minute breather, try engaging them in a show or safe youtube video, putting in earbuds with calming music for yourself, and just breathe. It’s these small spaces that give our minds enough space to keep going. Over the course of a few days or weeks, those five minute breaks will give us enough space to clear a bit more time, or even the creativity to work a mini self-care practice into our normal routine.
Even on my busiest days, I always made an effort to stand by the kettle while making my morning coffee, just as the water came to a boil, and I would watch the view of my window slowly fog from the heat. It was soothing. Restful. A place to take a few breaths and prepare myself for the day to come. Where will you schedule your next five minutes of self care? How can you slowly work them into your routine?
We wish you wellness, peace, and wholeness.
Megan
