I love the term soul-care. I love it because Iām not sure exactly what it entails, which allows room for a million different tending, loving images to fill my mind.
When I think of soul-care, I think of doing something for yourself. I think of taking the time to dig through the hard things in an attempt to finally find some healing. I think of spending that extra few dollars for something that will make your skin feel extra nice. I think of going to bed early and then curling up with a novel that inspires you and makes you dream.
I think of taking those extra few minutes in the shower to scrub away negativity and replacing it with clean-smelling kindness instead.
I think of intentionally surrounding yourself with people who love and cherish you and build you up instead of make you feel small.
I want this summer to be a summer of soul-care, for me and for you.
I want it to be a time when we take deep breathes that bring a healing warmth to the places that became cracked and dry during the winter. I want it to be a time where we practice loving ourselvesāwhere instead of pinching our bikini imperfections, we thank them for being so lovely before cannon-balling into the lake.
I want it to be a time where we treat ourselves in a way that we deserveāhonoring and tending our souls with rich books and new ideas.
For me, soul-tending looks like setting boundaries on my work. It looks like saying ānoā when I feel pressure to add another thing to my plate. It looks like putting my computer away early and practicing grace when everything isnāt picture perfect. Itās slowing down and breathing in the moments ā taking time to notice the beautiful summer unfolding around me.
What can you do for yourself this summer that would leave you feeling loved, cherished and taken care of?
What does Summer Soul Tending mean to you?
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For me soal tending might mean doing some
Writing about what I am feeling, and looking
At my side of the sreet to evaluate my own
Character defenses to see how they might
Be contributing to my pain. I recite a check
List like was I jealous, self seeking, selfish,
Self centered. Resentful( masks as dis
Appointed for this dreamer idealist) unkind, impatient, etc. kinda like doing a spring
Cleaning and then forgiving myself and
Asking for Gods forgiveness and then
Maybe sharing my awareness and growth.
I learned this applying the 12 steps to
Recovery from my food addiction..
Soal tending increases my conscious
Contact with God, praying for
Knowledge if his will and the power
To carry that out in service to him. Love
Your blogs Stephanie! Aloha, Teresa
To me, summer soul tending is: reading my beach books..at the pool or curled up on my couch, writing in my journal again and again and again, sitting on my yoga mat and breathing in the peace and breathing out the stress, getting in the kitchen and baking to share with friends over a campfire, strumming my guitar nightly on the front porch, walking the dog, meeting new folks, and getting involved in my new church….its also being compassionate with myself (I’m heartbroken over the loss of a relationship with my boyfriend) and letting emotions out when I need to. Crying, laughing, tears, smiles, all are part of this summer….and country music concerts! I have a few of those lined up to celebrate music! =)
I’m looking to stay at a quaint B&B in Asheville for a night or two =)
This is a hard thing for me. I am sometimes so driven, and so intentional about being who and what I need to be, that I forget to care for myself. God does this for me, often He will nudge me gently, or invite me into an evening of rest or contemplation or friendship. At this point in my life, I’m single and working very hard, and there aren’t a lot of people who are taking care of me. It would be easy to fall through the cracks and I am thankful that God doesn’t let me.
I’m a frequent reader here but haven’t commented much before, so I first want to say I love this blog and your writing, Stephanie! You are so open and relatable and it’s just great! š
For the past four years I have been an elementary school teacher, so summer soul tending has been HUGE for me! Haha! My favorite thing to do in the summer is wake up slowly and start the day on the couch with coffee and either my journal & Bible or an inspiring book I’ve been reading. No rush, no breakfast to throw down as I hop in the car, no stress or to-do list hanging over the time.
I also love to indulge myself in a nice little afternoon nap. I’ve always loved naps, but during my busy school-year life they rarely happen. I’ve even found that I sometimes feel guilty when considering one, like there are other more productive things I should be doing. But in the summer I say no to that guilt and pressure and just close my eyes! š
What I cherish most about summer is its rest, but I also wait with joyous anticipation for my favorite season, fall, which lingers just off in the distance. Fall is busy, but after the slow pace of summer I welcome it and thrive, rested and ready to go! There is so much to be said for rest and its benefits in our busy culture.
Thanks for writing, girl! Happy summer! š
I’m a frequent reader but haven’t commented much before, so I first want to say that I love this blog and your writing, Stephanie! You are open and relatable and it’s just great! š
I have been an elementary school teacher for the past four years, so the idea of summer soul care has not been lost on me! Haha! My favorite thing to do in the summer is wake up slowly, get a mug of coffee, and curl up on the couch either with my Bible & journal or an inspiring book I’ve been reading. This is such a welcomed change of pace for me from the school year. Usually I’m throwing down breakfast in the car and chugging coffee from my to-go cup. If I even made it up early enough for some quiet time, it was likely riddled with the noise in my head. To-do lists, constant time checks to ensure I’m on schedule, and thinking forward to the day ahead.
I also love to indulge myself in a nice little afternoon nap. I’ve found that I often feel guilty about this, like there are other more pressing and important things I should be doing. But a nap rarely ever happens in my busy school-year life, so I push aside the guilt and pressure and just close my eyes.
I cherish the slow pace of summer, but through the process I’m also joyously anticipating my favorite season, fall, which lingers just on the horizon. Fall is busy, but I typically welcome it and thrive, fresh and rested from the season before. There is so much to be said for rest in our busy, task-driven culture.
Thanks for writing, girl! Keep it up! š