Well, well, wellness
It’s Fall in the northeast. I’m sitting on my patio, the air is crisp. I can see my breath. Although I prefer Summer, I’ve learned to enjoy the uniqueness of each season. It’s a skill that’s helped me through some difficult times. I’ve learned to adjust to the ups and downs of my person - physical, emotional, and spiritual highs and lows. It’s become so essential as part of my overall care and wellness.
Although we all have optimum seasons we prefer, regarding weather, work performance, or personal achievement, sometimes caring for ourselves takes a back seat to caring for others. In the first responder world, I find this more the norm than the exception (especially for Chaplains!).
I was first introduced to the term, self care, at the very first chaplain training I ever took. The topic was, Dealing with Difficult Deaths. I’d been in pastoral ministry for 15 years, been to a lot of seminars and conferences and went through seminary, but I’d never heard such an emphasis on caring for myself so I could care for others until I got into chaplaincy. I certainly didn’t expect self care to be part of the curriculum of this course on death. But, as I took more and more chaplain training, the topic was always part of the training.
Self care and wellness have become extremely important to me. Having nearly burned out in pastoral ministry, I’ve now chosen to never go down that road again.
How about you? What are you doing to support and foster your overall wellness? I recently suggested to someone to make small, incremental changes to their lifestyle starting that very day. Too often we want to make huge, unsustainable changes and we get discouraged. For some of us facing health risks, those massive adjustments might be very necessary, under a doctor’s supervision. But wouldn’t it be better to start today, with something small, staying consistent, and then building on that change over time? I think so. It’s what I’ve done and I continue doing. I still wrestle with personal discipline. However, when I look back over the last few years, I can see significant changes that lasted.
What does this look like? First, you should always consult your physician when making significant changes in your diet or exercise. But, how about this: choosing to eat better - like cutting down on salt and sugar intake? Maybe starting light exercise, like walking. Or, getting more and better sleep. How about drinking more water (I’m a huge advocate of staying hydrated). These small things can make a huge difference over time. It’s a lot like digging a well. To dig deep, we make one shovel full at a time. Eventually, we’ve made such great progress that we have well of life to draw from.