Is ‘Self-Care’ Christian?

I get this questions often!

Let's define "self-care."

Self-care is the practice of making your physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing a priority in your life. Here's the connotation that self-care has: "I'm only going to focus on me and what makes me feel happy. I will not focus on others, only doing the things I want. And I will justify that by saying I deserve it."

So is the connotation that comes with self-care Christian? No. Let's not do that. Let's apply the correct definition of self-care to our lives and integrate that with our faith.

Think of the purpose of self-care being similar to the purpose of the Sabbath. It should always be a day or an activity that glorifies God. And we glorify in God when we rest in Him.

Secular self-care strays from God's vision of rest when we make it about us, doing what makes us feel good, and justifying it because we deserve it. However, when we look at self-care as a way to glorify God, quiet our souls, and reenergize to continue God's work, we'll not only enjoy self-care, we will be blessed by it.

It's important to note that self-care can be relaxing but it can also be productive. Self-care can look like journaling, listening to music, and drawing. Or, it can look like budgeting, folding laundry, and having difficult but edifying conversations.

I like to think of a crop field when thinking of the balance between relaxation and productivity when it comes to self-care.. There is a time for enjoying the harvest in relaxation and there's a time for tilling the soil, sowing the seed, and watering the crops. You can't have one without the other and that's exactly how self-care works.

If you want to ensure that your self-care stays aligned with God, start with the language that you use when discussing it. Check out the worksheet below to get started. Want to download a pdf version? Right here!