In spite of my disciplined fitness routine, I was today years old when I realized that I needed to make a choice: self-soothing or self-care. For me, self-soothing comes naturally. A package of gluten-free Oreos, washed down with sugar-free Dr. Pepper while binge-watching Netflix, takes the edge off life’s stressors. None of those things are evil. That’s not my point. My point is that 10k steps, two liters of water, and a good night’s sleep better impact my overall health and well-being.
How about you? What is your go-to? I have to admit that another one of my favorite self-soothing activities is social media. This habit started innocently. My kids are active on social media, and when my youngest was 14, we had all the same friends on Facebook, so I could see what he was seeing. He was a young teen, and I was THAT mother who wanted to keep her child safe online. But today, I have to admit, I check my phone before I go to bed and as soon as I wake up in the morning.
I’m looking at my Bible and my journal and my phone. Something needs to change. Someone needs to change. And what better time than now? What better day than today?
New Year, Same Goals
My goals haven’t changed, but my mindset has. Self-soothing has to take a backseat, or my self-care will continually be sabotaged. Today, I read a book on the treadmill instead of scrolling through Instagram on my phone. I used an actual Bible to read for my devotional time. Whether it’s a new year, the beginning of the month, or you’re just ready for a change, the time is always right to do the right thing.
What is Self-care?
Self-care is an act of stewardship. It involves intentional actions that impact one’s overall well-being, which means choosing what is best for one’s physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV): “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
Our temples need to be well cared for through our stewardship of rest, activities, food, and beverage choices. What we read and listen to influences how we respond to the Holy Spirit and directly impacts our temple’s environment.
Self-Soothing Can Make Us Vulnerable
Too much self-soothing without self-care can lead us to neglect our responsibilities and deeper needs. Scripture warns against overindulgence or relying solely on temporary fixes. The enemy likes to strike when we are vulnerable.
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV): “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
A life well lived is a Christ-centered life. A Christ-centered life requires both intentional care and comforting rest for our temples. Jesus modeled both self-care (prayer and solitude) and self-soothing (finding comfort in the Father during anguish).
What’s Important?
Remembering who you were created to be is important. Being who you were created to be is important. Self-care is proactive stewardship that requires effort to create long-term health and stability, while self-soothing is reactive, offering temporary comfort or relief in challenging moments. Both are important, if used correctly. However, when we rely too heavily on self-soothing to get through every single stressful situation without incorporating self-care, it can lead to neglecting our deeper needs and weaken our intimacy with Christ. I’m going to focus on more self-care this year, how about you?
*For those of you who prayer walk, ponder your choices for self-soothing, and seek God’s answer for a self-care routine.