What do you need? This is a question close friends have asked me recently during a trying time. In the midst of crisis, it’s difficult to know what you need. Here’s where sitting in a quiet space listening brings awareness. The reality is we ought not wait for crisis to be questioning, what do I need? Self-awareness of needs yields health and puts us on a path towards wholeness.

Most of us function on auto pilot, unaware that wholeness is cultivated through nourishment. What do I need may be better stated as what is it that nourishes my heart, soul, mind and body? What is life-giving? Caught up in productivity of doing and serving, we are so distracted that self-care is neglected. I’d propose in addition to distraction, we too often live the false narrative that self-care is selfish. We’ve misread the verses exhorting us to love God and love others by leaving out the clause “as yourself.”

Neglecting self-care is a sure trajectory towards burnout. Warning signs of the need for rest and self-care can look like annoyance, jealously, competitive posture, overly critical of self or others, negative self-talk, retreating, excessive big emotions, outbursts, weariness, etc. Sustaining health requires self-care.

Here are some of the things I’ve discovered I need: a rhythm of exercise, daily silence and solitude, deep connection with close friends, and time reflecting on the Word.

What do you need?

Jen Binford, Coach

Categories: Leadership

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