August Mental Health Tip of the Month
I’m Too Busy to Take Care of Me
Most of us have an overwhelming schedule, especially if we’re still raising young children, and we will often take care of everyone else first and put ourselves last. This can be so detrimental to our health. Self-care is vital to our overall health and we need to make it a priority. If we’re not taking care of ourselves, we’re not healthy, and if we’re not healthy, we’re not going to be healthy for anyone else either. We have to make the time to take care of ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Due to our busy schedules, we have to be intentional about setting aside the time necessary to take care of ourselves. Caring for our mind, bodies, and spirit are a part of honoring God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Regardless of what we may think, self-care is not selfish. It’s actually a stewardship that enables us to be able to live and love well which is what God wants for all of us.
Mental Health
What we think about matters and can control a lot of our mood, behaviors, and energy levels. We can get burned out easily when we worry and focus on things that we have no control over. What we focus on can keep us focused on the positive things in life or the negative, the choice is ours. Part of our self-care is knowing how to focus on the right things and learning when to give our mind a rest. In Philippians 4:8 NIV Paul says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Sometimes doing something physical and allowing your mind to rest can be a great way to reset and help clear your mind so that when you come back to the responsibilities that require mental energy, you can think clearly, concentrate, and not be distracted by unhealthy things.
Emotional Health
Emotions can take a toll on our overall health especially when we find ourselves in times where we are overly emotional. When feeling overly emotional, part of our self-care is taking the time to feel the emotions, taking those emotions to the Lord, and allowing Him to give us the peace that we need and to help us to heal. In Philippians 4:6-7 NIV Paul states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When we’re feeling emotional, we will often look to other people or things for our happiness and joy. Our peace, happiness, and joy cannot be dependent upon other people or things, our joy comes from the Lord. In John 15:11 NIV Jesus says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” When we look to other things and people for our joy, we will never be satisfied or fulfilled. Our joy is only complete in and with Jesus.
Physical Health
Getting adequate sleep and rest, eating a well-balanced diet, and exercising are what keep us going physically and mentally. If we’re not getting enough sleep or rest, we can become physically and mentally exhausted, have difficulty concentrating, and difficulty staying awake and alert which can cause us to fall asleep at dangerous times or make bad decisions that we wouldn’t normally make. Even Jesus took the time to rest (Mark 6:31) and if He needed time to rest, how much more time do we need? God created the Sabbath so that we would have a day to rest (Genesis 2:2-3). We weren’t created to work all of the time and not take some time to rest and have fun. We need to make time for recreational activities and create some balance between work and enjoyable activities. The more joy we experience, the more energetic we will feel and the less burned out we will become during the work week. Staying hydrated, eating healthy meals, and exercising create less fatigue and a healthier body which leads to less physical and mental health issues.
Spiritual Health
Taking care of our spiritual health is not something that we often think about, but it is just as equally important as the rest if not more so. When we’re taking care of ourselves spiritually, the rest seems to fall into place. In Matthew 6:33 ESV it states, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God already knows what we need, when we need it and how much we need. If we will seek Him first, He will add what we need. So how do we “seek first the kingdom”? We spend time with God in quiet time, prayer, and reading the Bible, filling ourselves with more and more of Him. The more we are filled with the Truth of God’s word and with His presence, the easier it is for us to stay focused on the right things and the easier it is for us to do the right thing.
Conclusion
In Ecclesiastes 3:1 it says that, “There is a time for everything..." There is a time to work, a time to rest, and a time for renewal. We need to be in balance in every area of our life and that includes making time for self-care. Our priorities should always be in the correct order…God, Family, Self, Work, Serving Others. When we get these out of order it creates a lot of imbalances in our lives which can create mental, emotional, physical and spiritual problems. The more balance we can maintain, the healthier we will be and the easier it is to enjoy our life and be able to love on others. In John 10:10 NIV Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” We cannot let the ‘thief’ steal our peace or our joy by keeping us busy and preoccupied with the worries of this life. Instead, we need to focus on Jesus and let Him show us the abundant life that He has given to us so that we can walk in the freedom that He died for us to have!