The Importance of Self-Care

This time of year, I often find it difficult to not find myself feeling overwhelmed. There are just so many things to stay on top of. In addition to the regular “grown-up” responsibilities like paying bills, doing chores, and keeping up with grading, the late spring also includes tasks like preparing for final class projects, organizing the biannual student art exhibition, and meeting deadlines for the yearbook. My to-do lists this time of year tend to become dauntingly long. It becomes very easy for me to find myself sacrificing time that would otherwise be spent at the gym, cooking a healthy meal, sleeping, or simply enjoying the company of my loved ones in order to accomplish everything on the lists. Add to that the struggles I sometimes face as I maintain (or fail) at Lenten promises, and it’s safe to say that I often have a lot on my mind this time of year.

There is no doubt, however, that Jesus had a lot more on his mind when we find him in today’s Gospel reading. As Jesus joins his friends Lazarus, Martha, and Mary (not to be confused with his mother or Mary Magdalene) for dinner in their home, he is very aware of the challenging time that awaits him in only a few days. As difficult as my daily “challenges” might seem to me, they are nothing in comparison to what Jesus must have had on his own mind.

As the story describes, Martha served the meal, and Lazarus reclined at the table with him. What’s so interesting about the reading to me, is that despite the looming darkness ahead of him, Jesus still took the time to literally kick back and enjoy a relaxing evening with his close friends. Martha’s sister Mary uses a very expensive perfume to begin anointing Jesus’ feet before drying them with her hair. Although the hair part admittedly weirds me out a bit, that anointing with perfume invokes an image of a relaxing and therapeutic pedicure or foot massage to me.

In this story, Jesus, whom I consider to be the ultimate figure of servitude and selflessness, shows us a rare picture of allowing others to serve and take care of him. It almost seems counterintuitive that the man who constantly puts the needs of others first is suddenly allowing for his own needs for relaxation and comfort to be met. For me, I often find it difficult to remember to take care of myself when I am feeling overwhelmed by my “numerous” responsibilities. It’s worth noting, too, that my responsibilities aren’t all selfless or self-sacrificing like Jesus’ were… but his actions in today’s reading are still a good reminder of the importance of taking care of one’s own physical and mental wellbeing.

We’ve all heard that you can’t truly love someone else until you fully love yourself. It stands to reason, then, that the same applies to caring for others… if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t be expected to care for or help others. It’s important to remember that only a couple of days after getting his feet washed in perfume by Mary, Jesus turned around and paid it forward by washing the feet of his disciples. So while Jesus may allow himself to be “pampered” today, he goes right back to his selfless servitude towards others… leading later this week to the ultimate example of selfless sacrifice. It’s almost as if his evening of self-care gave him the strength & energy necessary to face the week ahead.

So when I find myself bogged down or overwhelmed, it’s my hope that instead of keeping my head down and powering through (to the detriment of the needs of myself and those close to me), I can instead recognize the importance of taking an occasional break for myself. It seems a bit odd in this season focused on sacrifice and serving the needs of others to think about serving my own needs, but perhaps in order to best serve others’ needs, it’s important to remember to take care of some of my own, too. Time spent with my closest friends and family will undoubtedly be more fulfilling than accomplishing everything on my to-do list. And when I’m ready to return to my responsibilities, I’ll be that much more energized and enthusiastic to do so.

Author: Joe Howard. Fine Arts Department