As a counselor, I’m always on the lookout for how my clients have been impacted by trauma. Trauma, in its most basic sense, is anything that causes you to feel overwhelmed beyond your ability to cope. Trauma can be acute, like a car accident, or it can be a bit more subtle and undefined, like living through a pandemic or dealing with stressful dynamics at home while quarantined. Trauma can also result from chronic fear or tension we experience as racial injustice, wildfires, hurricanes, social distancing, protests, political turmoil and economic uncertainty converge.
I’ve talked with many people who find themselves unable to handle the hazards 2020 has thrown at them. I’m sure you could rattle off several examples of how you’ve felt overwhelmed this year too. My own list is longer than I thought possible. The questions that I often ask my clients (and myself) is, “What do you need right now? What steps can you take to care for yourself during this time? What is God inviting you to release or take hold of?” These questions orient us toward self-care.
Self-care broadly aims at taking good emotional, physical, spiritual and relational care of yourself, but the truest form of self-care is allowing Christ to care for you. His resources are vast and his creativity is infinite. When we partner with him, we find rest and replenishment in abundance.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,
who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself
restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:9
Self-care begins with prayerfully paying attention to yourself, your needs, your limits and then responding appropriately. In most instances, self-care involves taking inventory of your stress/anxiety/fear/problems and then partnering with God to move towards or away from something in order to reestablish wellbeing.
God created each of us uniquely so there is no formula for self-care – what is helpful for one person might be draining for another. All that matters is that it leads you to deeper peace, joy and connection with God. Spirit-inspired self-care will always rejuvenate and refresh, never causing harm or selfishness.
If you think your soul might benefit from a little care right now, here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- What do I need to step away from right now?
- What do I need to move towards right now?
- What do I need less of in my life?
- What do I need more of?
- How might I say no or use boundaries to create space in my days?
- Which things, projects, people or activities are currently draining me of life?
- Where is God inviting me to explore, rest, create or have fun?
- How did Jesus practice self-care? How can I follow his examples?
Maybe you need a more relaxing bedtime routine or a break from the news. Maybe you need to connect with a friend. Maybe you need to stop only eating Cheetos for lunch. Maybe God is inviting you to deepen your time in Scripture or incorporate daily prayer walks into your life. Whatever it is for you, may you trust the creativity of Christ and partner with him to care for your heart in these difficult days.
