Cost of Ignoring Self-Care

Imagine this scene: the student next to you in class is coughing and sneezing, while your coworker relies on cold medicine to stay awake and functional. Over the next few weeks, you notice a trend—people around you start talking about "something going around," and many get infected.

Despite the signs, we push through. Our bodies beg for rest, but we ignore the plea, convinced that perseverance is a badge of honor. It's a price we pay for chasing the American Dream.

In our fast-paced society, pushing through exhaustion, stress, and illness is often celebrated. Sacrificing emotional and physical health for educational or professional achievements is seen as valiant. Remarkably, 62% of Americans with paid sick leave still go to work even when they're ill with contagious conditions like colds or the flu.

We might push ourselves for fear of job loss, losing respect, or diminishing our self-worth. Yet, burning out has serious individual and communal consequences. Pushing ourselves to the brink of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion is unhealthy and detrimental to our productivity and relationships. When we run on empty, our capacity to do anything well diminishes.

Neglecting self-care impacts us deeply. Ultimately, this is also a theological issue.

Paul's frustration with the Corinthian church is a relevant lesson. The Corinthians viewed the body and soul as separate entities, believing the body's fate was insignificant compared to the eternal soul. This led to indulgence in gluttony and immorality, with a philosophy of "we eat, we drink, the next day we die" (1 Corinthians 15:32).

Paul challenged this, questioning their disregard for their bodies when God clearly values them. If we doubt God's concern for our physical bodies, we need only look at Jesus. God cared enough to inhabit a human body, live among us, and sacrifice Himself for our redemption. The crucifixion and resurrection, both physical acts, underscore the importance God places on our bodies.

Paul emphasizes this in 1 Corinthians 6:12-19:

“By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? … Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

By neglecting our need for rest and healing, we show disregard for what God cherishes. Who are we to dismiss the bodies that God created and that Jesus died and rose for?

Our concerns about compromising our GPA, career, or the opinions of others are valid, but they shouldn't override our trust in God's care. When we burden ourselves with these worries, we display a lack of faith in God's provision.

Consider this: when was the last time you prayed about managing your responsibilities when you're at your limit emotionally, physically, or mentally? What might God say about your self-care practices?

This issue is significant for many who feel trapped between the necessity to work or attend school and their physical health. Wisdom often comes through experience. Rev. Susan Hetrick of Scottsdale, Arizona, shares insights from her journey.

“I have learned the hard way to listen to my body. Trying to push through injury or illness hurts me and everyone around me,” Hetrick says. After discovering she had a herniated disc requiring surgery, she learned to heed her body's signals.

“The body will tell you when it needs rest, food, or movement. Ignoring those signals is foolish and dangerous. The consequences aren’t pretty. I am a better mother, wife, and pastor when I rest and recover or do whatever my body tells me to do. In the grand scheme of things, I am not so indispensable that the world will fall apart if I don’t participate.”

Ignoring our bodies’ needs can have dire consequences. We must remember that our well-being matters not just for ourselves but for those around us. Honor your body, trust in God's provision, and listen to the signals He has built within you.

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