What is true self-care? Well, first let’s ask, What is our “true self”? The answer lies in discovering that at the core of our “self,” we find God, the absolute, divine all-power and presence. And then we discover the healing impact this understanding can have in our lives. To care for ourselves is to keep the cup of our lives so filled that it can overflow to others.

True self-care starts and stays with knowing ourselves as God knows us. Sometimes, to fill our cup with this awareness means emptying out mistaken beliefs about our identity to make room for a fresh, uplifted, spiritual understanding of what we are. To engage in this kind of continuous care and maintenance of our health and harmony is to feel a deep rootedness in God, the only Life and Mind. Self-care is really God being God—divine Love revealing its constant goodness through its own self-expression, you and me. This is true of everyone else as well, because we are all God’s, Mind’s, individual divine ideas.

This self-care has biblical roots. Jesus identified these spiritual priorities for humanity: “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Matthew 22:37–39, New King James Version). In pointing out the primacy of these two commandments, Jesus highlights three areas in which to focus our love: love for God, love for ourselves, and love for others. Care for ourselves is therefore not a luxury but a necessity, despite how often we might tend to put it off, thinking that if we finish our responsibilities (laundry, bills, dishes, etc.), then we can take a moment for ourselves. It’s really the opposite approach that is needed.