As we enter the new year of 2024, here are four things to keep in mind regarding finding a healthy balance of home and work life. Holistic self-care should be a top priority for 2024. To adequately address all our needs, we should first consider the parts that make us who we are. Humans are made up of four parts which equals a whole person. These four parts are the physical, spiritual, social, and emotional aspects of ourselves.
Physical Part
Mark 12:30 (KJV) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. To fully carry out the first commandment, place your physical body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit at a top priority in your life. The Bible says, “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.” Make sure you visit your primary care physician at the start of the new year for your yearly physical exam. It’s important to know your numbers i.e., body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, A1C. We are admonished to treat our physical bodies with a great deal of respect and honor because it belongs God. We are encouraged to pay attention to what goes into our temples. One of the most important actions you can take for your physical body is making sure it gets the rest it needs. Recent research suggests that adults between the ages of 18-64 should be getting roughly 7-9 hours of sleep. An average of 8 hours a night can extend your life by 5 additional years. Romans 12:1 (KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Spiritual Part
Church makes up a pretty huge part of our spiritual lives. But your spirituality is much more than just attending church. There are some spiritual disciplines that need to be a part of our everyday life outside of regular church attendance. Fasting, praying, meditation, evangelism, Bible studying, and service to others are just a few of the disciplines that guide our spiritual make up. This new year, I encourage you to try something new when it comes to nurturing your spirituality. Consider some not so common spiritual practices i.e., quiet time, solitude, abstinence, and journaling. One you might not think a lot about is the observance of the sabbath. It’s the only commandment that has life giving properties. It was designed to give you rest and bring you closer to God. Consider adding something fresh and different this year to enhance your daily walk with God.
Social Part
There is a lot to be said about fellowship. Social connections to people that we live and work with everyday are important. How we interact with the people around us and those we encounter daily is a direct reflection of our relationship with God. We all need someone that we can safely connect with and be accountable to. The social part is often overlooked when evaluating our spiritual, emotional, and physical self. However, a life that is in balance pays attention to all parts that make us whole. The start of the new year should be a time of reflection for gratitude and reevaluation of your social connections. Research supports the idea that our social connections impact us physically, spiritually, and mentally. According to the CDC, social connectedness can lead to a longer life, better health, and improved well-being all around. A healthy community contributes to your whole health.
Emotional Part
Emotional health can affect how well someone can function day to day or how they are able to deal with change or uncertainty. When discussing self-care, we may forget to include our mental or emotional health. In 2024, I am encouraging you to make your emotional health just as much a priority as your physical and spiritual health. Don’t wait until a crisis arises to talk to a counselor. There is nothing wrong with a yearly checkup when it comes to your emotional health. Many businesses, small and large, are now offering cash incentives for a yearly visit to a mental health professional. This is just one way that we can make emotional health just as important as physical health. Your physical, emotional, spiritual, and social being all impact each other. If one is out of balance, it’s like trying to ride a bike on a flat tire. You can still move forward but it’s not as smooth. Keeping to the spirit of Mark 12:30 that encourages us to love the Lord our God with all our being, I encourage you to pay attention to your whole health.
Originally published in Pentecostal Life