I’d planned to write a different post, something more inspirational. But I didn’t have the bandwidth for that, so I decided to practice self-care by changing my own expectations. So this post is an update about my summer activities and what’s coming up next on No Trifling Matter.
Starting Strong
Summer is over. The start of a new school year brings an early end to summer for many of us. But now it’s really over. Here in Georgia, temperatures are cooling and the leaves are starting to turn.
The end of summer means it’s back to the grind for me. Being a professor means that my summer rhythm is more relaxed. There are no meetings, no classes, and most importantly, no daily email deluge. I get to ease into the day, exercising, meditating, and even sitting on the patio to drink a cup of coffee before I began work. And I get to focus on work that is especially meaningful to me. This summer, that included launching this Substack, releasing a book and starting a podcast!
Summer is also a season of heightened self-care for me. I’ve come to think of the academic year like a sports season. It’s high-paced and incredibly demanding (both physically and mentally). Summer, then, is my off-season, a period of recovery, relaxation, and recreation. It’s when I recenter after the stresses of the school year and prepare myself mentally, physically, and spiritually for the year ahead. This year, that included having eye surgery, doing a cycle of physical therapy to alleviate chronic pain, and starting CPAP therapy to address a mild case of sleep apnea. It has helped tremendously. I’m still working out the CPAP, but my sleep and energy improved dramatically. It makes me wonder how long I’ve been struggling with sleep deprivation.
Now comes the hard part: keeping the healthy activities of summer going under the demands of classes, committee meetings, and incessant deadlines. This is when I really get to put my self-care rule of life to the test. I already know the rhythm. I’ll start strong, falter around mid-semester, and pick up again just before the semester’s end. Each year, I hope to falter a little less than the year before.
For now, I’m starting strong. The improvements in my energy and pain levels have allowed me to increase my physical activity. I rejoined the wellness center and have been doing water aerobics three times a week over the past month. And I’ve started walking with a group of women in my neighborhood twice a week.
Still, in the mornings I struggle with taking the time for self-care. I wake each day thinking about all that I need to do. I question whether the time spent meditating and stretching would be better spent answering emails. I struggle to say no to meeting requests that would require me to sacrifice my self-care. It’s been a good opportunity to practice my intention for this academic year: being a non-anxious presence for myself. Old scripts are hard to erase. I’m taking it moment by moment.
Sacred Self-Care on Tour
Sacred Self-Care is one month old! This month has been a whirlwind. I had a great book launch event at the Decatur Public Library, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book. Our bookseller, Charis Books and More, sold out of the books even before the event began. And my friend, colleague, and soror Candice Benbow was an incredible conversation partner. Make sure you get her book, Red Lip Theology!
I also kicked off my podcast tour, beginning with Lyndsey Medford’s Crumbling Empires podcast. Lyndsey and I met when she participated in the Collegeville Institute “Writing for Mystic Activists” workshop that I facilitate with Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove (applications are being accepted now for the July 2024 retreat). Lyndsey and I talked about how my journey to self-care began as well as caring for ourselves in the midst of chronic illness, parenting, and activism.
Next up was Kelly Wolfe’s Let It Matter podcast. We talked about why people socialized as female are especially likely to think that self-care is selfish. I offer some biblical and theological correctives to this idea. And we talk about how self-care enriches our relationships with and care for other people.
You absolutely have to listen to my conversation with my friend Lisa Sharon Harper for the Freedom Road Podcast. We talked about why many of us are so tired right now, especially BIPOC, women, LGBTQIA persons. I loved Lisa’s description of Sacred Self-Care as a book that provides “instruction on how to do the Jesus walk in a way that doesn’t kill you, in a way that actually brings life, not death.” The last time that Lisa and I were able to spend time in conversation together, it shut the whole room down. We go deep!
I also enjoyed talking with Dr. David Dault (a Columbia Theological Seminary alum!) for his podcast and radio show, Things Not Seen. David is such a skillful interviewer. He read the book with deep pastoral sensitivity. We talked about how I integrate psychology and theology in my approach to thinking and writing about self-care. We talked about how self-care is both a sacred and subversive practice that supports our flourishing.
After years of interacting online, Kevin Garcia (another Columbia alum!) and I had our first live conversation for A Tiny Revolution. We talked about all manner of things, including the importance of practicing self-care while living under the siege of White Christian nationalism, finding our own spiritual paths beyond religious indoctrination, how we experience Spirit in being present to our lives, and why it is okay to affirm your own goodness rather than putting everything on the Spirit.
You can find these episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
I Need Your Help
Are you reading and enjoying Sacred Self-Care? Please do me a favor and rate the book on Amazon and Goodreads. The ratings help the algorithm get the book in view of more people. So help me help the algorithm!
A few weeks ago, I made my debut as a teacher on the Insight Timer meditation app. After trying multiple meditation apps for my own practice, I switched to Insight Timer a few years ago. The free subscription gives you access to meditation practices from a wide range of traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, psychology, and secular mindfulness. If you follow me, you’ll have access to my guided recordings as well as playlists that I’ve curated. Current playlists include meditations for sleep, body awareness, evening wind-down, creativity, social justice activism, and forgiveness and reconciliation.
Also, please do me a favor and subscribe to “Meditating with Dr. Chanequa” on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Coming Up Next
Next week, I’ll start writing a series about the lessons of fall. The topics may change a bit, but here’s what I’m envisioning.
September 27: Change Is the Only Constant
October 4: A Time to Leave
October 11: Guided meditation on letting go
October 18: Before You Let Go
October 25: You Can’t Always Leave Well
Definitely going to add your offerings to my insight timer line up! Thank you