RE-SETTING OUR PRIORITIES, PART 2: #2 SELF CARE

Romans 12:1-2
Mark 12:28-34

Where on your priority list does self care fall?  With our relationship with God, how far down the list does it appear?  Is it on your list at all?

Why have it on a priority list whose aim is to help us fulfill all righteousness?

Suppose you have a quarter cup of water each day to give to your responsibilities at home, church, work, school and your volunteer commitments as well as to your family, friends and other significant relationships.  Everyone is thirsty for your time and your attention, and they all want their glasses filled to the brim.  Not only can't you give them all they want and deserve, you have nothing left over for yourself.

That's why I believe #2 on our priority list should be self care.


Sometimes, I'm more concerned about taking good care of my husband, my cat and other people than I am about talking care of myself.  What about you?

One of the problems is that we've distorted our view about the worth and value of our physical existence.  When God created human beings, God gifted us with a mind and a body as well as a soul, and pronounced it good.  We are both physical and spiritual beings.  Romans 12:1-2 tells us that even our bodies have been created for holy purposes and implies the interconnection of body, mind and soul.

Another misconception we may have is that self care is the same as selfishness.  It's not, in fact, it's the prerequisite to loving others -- love your neighbor just as well as you love yourself.  If we don't care for ourselves, how can we care for others?

Holistic self care which includes mind, body and soul is the key to our health, wholeness and giving our best to God, our families and the world.

As we look at improving our self care, here are some things to help guide us.

Mind

Romans 12:2 warns us about not allowing the world and its influences to shape how we think and act. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are the books we read, the movies we watch, the music we listen to, the people we spend time with and the conversations we engage in.  So choose wisely what we feed our mind and allow to shape our life because that stuff hangs around like a bad tattoo.  It is only through God's unconditional love in action in our lives through the Holy Spirit (we call that grace) that our minds can be renewed and our memories healed.

And speaking of God ...

Soul

Spiritual self care is keeping #1, our relationship with God through Jesus Christ, number one.  We do that by consistently and intentionally staying in love with God through person prayer and devotions and by attending worship and participating in small group spiritual growth opportunities.

Body

When we think of physical self care, we think of nutrition and exercise, right?  Well, that's just half of the picture.  There are two other important factors we overlook,  Like paying attention to weather alerts, we need to be aware of:

PHYSICAL SELF-CARE ALERTS!

Dehydration

I really enjoy caffeinated beverages, like coffee and soda.  Unfortunately, caffeine is a diuretic, and I drink far more of these than than I do regular water.  As a result, I, like 75% of Americans, are chronically dehydrated (Survey of 3003 Americans, Nutrition Information Center, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, 1998).

The human body that God created is made up of 60% water.  Dehydration impacts digestion, absorption and transportation of nutrients, circulation, bowl and kidney health and maintenance of body temperature.  It also may cause crankiness, problems with memory and concentration and fatigue.

Drinking enough water will:

• Help control calories and help with weight loss;
• Keep skin looking good;
• Energizes muscles;
• Improve our over-all health.

Increasing our liquid intake of non-caloric, caffeine-free beverages and eating more fruits and vegetables are smart self care moves.

Sleep Deprivation

Over 20% of Americans may suffer from chronic sleep loss or untreated sleep disorders.  We know that lack of sleep can make you look grumpy and foggy, but have we thought about the impact it makes on our health and our safety.

Not getting enough sleep puts us at risk for heart disease, heart attack, strokes, obesity, diabetes and depression.  It also causes the body to release too little human growth hormone which affects the appearance and thickness of our skin, muscle mass and bone strength.

Sleep Deprivation is dangerous.  It impairs our reaction time, attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning and problem solving.  It dumbs us down, and not sleeping for 24 hours has the same affect as a blood alcohol level of .10, the legal limit in most states.

Sleep deprivation is a factor in on-the-job accidents and in disasters like the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the 1986 nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl, to name a few.

Lack of sleep is deadly on the road.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety, drowsiness is a a cause in 100,000 auto crashes and 1,550 crash-related deaths a year.  The problem is greatest among people under 25 years old.

Sleeping medications are not the best solutions.  What has helped my husband and I has been shutting off the TV and computer and limiting activities one hour before we go to bed, having a regular bed-time routine and going to bed at the same time every night.

When we make self care our #2 priority, we're not being selfish.  Self care is essential to thriving as human beings and being the people God has created us to be.  When we are renewed and revitalized through our relationship with God through Jesus Christ and holistic self care of mind, body and soul, we are empowered to give our best to God, our families and the world.

Sources

"Dehydration in Adults,"http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/dehydration-adults#1.
"6 Reasons to Drink Water," http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water#1.
"10 Things to Hate About Sleep Loss," http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/10-results-sleep-loss#1
"Sleep Facts and Statistics in USA," http://www.sleepphones.com/statistics.