Showing Up for Myself
My intention for 2024 came in the most unexpected way
Last summer as I was preparing for the launch of Sacred Self-Care, I crowdsourced suggestions for a music playlist based on the book’s themes. I ended up with a 58-track Spotify playlist (as of this writing). Some songs were old favorites of mine; others were new to me. I listened to the playlist a lot for a few weeks, then less so as time went on.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been using the playlist as my morning soundtrack. It was a great way to set the tone for my three-week intensive course, “Mindfulness and Self-Care in the Helping Professions.” It helped me to lead each weekday’s three-hour class session from the inside-out, that is, striving to embody the same commitment to self-care that I want my students to practice. The class ended last week and I’m still listening.
A weekly practice that I have is to spend time on Monday mornings charting out my week. I pull out my planner and put all the week’s meetings, appointments, and family events on the schedule, including my writing time and gym time. [Of course these are color-coded! Is there any other way?] I write this week’s planned tasks (including key self-care tasks) and my weekly intention. For some reason, I often have a hard time figuring out my intention for the week. Maybe it’s because I like my intention to emerge organically. It’s only after the week begins that I am able to figure out how I hope to experience it.
Maybe that’s why Natalie Lauren’s “God Morning” caught my attention as I was getting ready on an intentionless Tuesday morning. I’m still surprised that I’d never heard that song or artist prior to my summer crowdsourcing. It sounds like it was practically written for me. This time as I listened, its chorus caught my attention:
So I can show up for myself
I will show up for myself
Show up for myself
Show up for myself
I will show up for myself. It’s the perfect intention for me, not just for the week, but for 2024 (or until my next intention reveals itself).
Showing up for myself seems like a pretty basic self-care step. But twenty years into this intentional (pun intended) self-care journey, I am finding that I need to show up for myself in deeper ways. My health priorities right now are restoring gut health and activating my parasympathetic nervous system. The two are related. My gastroenterological problems are likely a manifestation of a traumatized fight-or-flight system. I’m thinking about what it looks like to show up for myself with that priority in mind. Offhand it means:
Starting my day with mindfulness.
Using a paleo meal delivery service to help me eat right for my body at least 5 days per week.
Eating in rest-and-digest mode (no more eating while driving or working).
Full-belly breathing and laughing each day.
Standing up and moving around for part of every hour.
Engaging in vigorous exercise 4 days per week.
Practicing yin yoga.
Winding down at least an hour before bedtime.
Work with an energy healing practitioner (e.g., acupuncture, reiki, reflexology).
Maintaining a balanced circadian rhythm.
Saying no to back-to-back meetings to the extent that I can.
Limit my travel speaking schedule, prioritizing events that are strongly connected to my sense of mission with audiences I care about (e.g., Black women and other minoritized groups, historically Black churches/colleges/organizations, faith-based justice activists, seminary students and faculty).
Spend quality time with my immediate and extended family.
Play board games, do puzzles/Legos, color, craft, etc., regularly.
I won’t be able to do all of these things all the time. But I can start each day by deciding how I will show up for myself that day, no matter how busy it is.
Practice Suggestion
What’s your intention for 2024? Maybe it’s something that you consciously choose. Maybe it’s something that chooses you. Maybe you already know what it is and maybe you’re still discerning. If setting an intention is a practice that you’ve never done before, I encourage you to try it on. It can be a word or a short phrase, but it should be something that’s easily memorizable and meaningful to you. Find a way to remind yourself of your intention. I think I’m going to write mine on my vanity mirror.
Coming Soon: Sacred Self-Care Lenten Study
Since Sacred Self-Care started out as a Lenten discipline and social media challenge, let’s observe Lent by walking through the book together. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 14 so stay tuned for details! In the meantime, order your book if you don’t already have it (it doesn’t matter whether you have the print, e-book, and/or audiobook).
Last Chance to Apply for Writing Workshop
Monday, January 29, is the last day to apply for this year’s Writing for Mystic Activists workshop, held July 10-16, 2024, at the Collegeville Institute in Collegeville Minnesota (co-sponsored by School for Conversion). You do not want to miss this chance to spend an all-expense-paid week with me, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and 11 other people who are interested in writing as a contemplative practice for activists and clergy.