Article December 3, 2018 Issue

The best self-care: Turning to God

Camille Yang

Self-care is a familiar buzzword these days. It refers to when an individual chooses to rely on various kinds of activities for his or her personal well-being. A quick internet search yields a plentiful supply of ideas for things one might do if carving out time for self-care, such as yoga, mindfulness, healthful diets, and taking walks. The whole idea of relying on these ways of taking care of oneself isn’t exactly new, but today the commercialization of this concept has created a ten-billion-dollar industry (see “The Millennial Obsession with Self-Care,” Christianna Silva, National Public Radio, June 4, 2017).

Engaging in self-care is about so much more than normal aspects of personal daily care for oneself. It seems to also be about the desire to take a break, to have moments of solitude for oneself that aren’t disturbed by the news, the routines of daily life, or the noise of one’s surroundings. Life today can be very stressful and busy, and the busier one is, the more valuable one’s time and one’s quality of life seem to be. It’s no wonder, then, that many people are seeking out opportunities to take a break from, well, “life.”

One day, though, when a friend of mine asked me what I do in the way of self-care, I had to pause. My immediate thought was, Who or what is this “self” that lacks care? This thought came from my understanding of Christian Science, which has taught me about my true, spiritual selfhood, which is rooted in God, the creator of each individual as the spiritual manifestation of God. My identity can never be separated from God. The Bible teaches that “we live, and move, and have our being” in God (Acts 17:28). So, I reasoned, if my actual “self” can never be separated from God, I should be more concerned with God’s divine care of me, instead of self-care, or me caring for myself solo.