You’ve probably heard over and over again about “self-care” and why you should do it. Personally I really got in touch with this concept last summer. I’ve spoken to people about this and read and listened to different perspectives on this subject. Each person has valuable information that you can take from it to apply to your own life.

The bottom line is that “you” are important and you need to think about yourself and take care of yourself the way you would anyone else. For many people, this is an extremely difficult thing to do, but for a parent of a special needs child, it seems unreachable, impossible, even insurmountable. We (and I include myself in this category) have so much to juggle every single day. There’s school stuff, paperwork, many different kinds of appointments, homework, communicating with people on different matters. Honestly at the end of the day, you are just physically and mentally exhausted. Often I find my mind going over my “to do” list for the following day when I am trying to get to sleep.

With our daily “to do” lists already a mile long, adding something else to it can make you feel even more stressed out. Stress is real and it affects all of us in different ways, but one thing that it does to all of us is that it affects our bodies in a negative way.

To be honest, I am still trying to figure all of this out in my life. What I can tell you is that at this point in time, I have taken some positive steps towards self-care. I try to exercise during the week. I also try to take walks (without my dog whenever I can, so that I can walk a little faster). I have started to take a little bit of time daily to just relax on my own and I have been reading as much as I can because it is something that I really enjoy doing. I think self-care can include little moments for yourself. For some people, it may be a special coffee or drink they get and just enjoy the moment whereas for others it may be connecting to nature. I think the important thing is to try to remember yourself and that to do something for yourself each day is not selfish, but essential to our well beings. God wants us to care for ourselves the way that He cares for us. Something else I engage in on my own is prayer. The great thing about prayer is that you can do it anywhere at any time. God is always there to listen and He sees and hears everything.

On my journey with self-care, I am truly just learning what I need and how I can help myself each day. I want to be better, but I am also grateful for the baby steps that I have made so far. On the days I don’t do anything, sometimes I feel bad, but sometimes I just tell myself that it’s okay and leave it at that. God encourages us to practice self-care. The Lord calls us temples of God

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple?
Don’t you know that God’s Spirit lives among you?
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person.
God’s temple is holy. And you all together are that temple.”
1 Corinthians 3:16-17

“Don’t you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?
The Spirit is in you, and you have received the Spirit from God.
You do not belong to yourselves.
Christ has paid the price for you. So use your bodies in a way that honours God.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Our bodies are holy. Because our bodies are important, our Father in Heaven wants us to take good care of them. He knows that we can be happier, better people if we are healthy.

Do the best you can each and every day to take care of yourself!

Shelly Wedge
Exceptional Families Coordinator