Combining the Gospel, Creativity, and Self-Care

A couple months ago, my anxiety returned. With the onset of winter, darker days, and a busy schedule, my body couldn’t seem to handle anything anymore. I felt incapacitated and overwhelmed by tasks that used to come easily to me. I could not even change a diaper without feeling afraid!

This time around, I am trying something different. Instead of solely relying on books for techniques to use when my anxiety surfaces, I talk with a counselor about every other week. So far, we have discussed a few different ways I can resolve my anxious feelings. One of them is making a “self-care toolkit,” a list of ten different activities I can do to help me rest and make me more aware of my environment (see this post for more information about my struggles with derealization). As I made my list, I realized something important and interesting about myself: thinking creatively refreshes me.

Here is my list:
1. Reading
2. Playing piano or ukulele and singing along
3. Writing or journaling
4. HIIT workouts
5. Listening to podcasts (mostly Risen Motherhood, A Delectable Education, and The Briefing)
6. Playing outside with the kids
7. Playing board or card games
8. Drawing or painting
9. Studying artwork or pictures in books
10. Sending notes with Bible verses included to friends and family

As I read over my list, I started to wonder how I could combine these creative self-care techniques with the gospel. This idea resonated with me because as a Christian woman, I do not believe that self-care exists outside of the gospel. We can only find true, perfect, and everlasting rest and refreshment in Jesus. At the same time, God calls us to take care of the bodies He gives us, spiritually, mentally, and physically. We can do that in a number of different ways, as long as those ways honor God and point others to Jesus.

So, here are a few ways I found so far to combine creativity, self-care, and the gospel.

I have liked to read for as long as I can remember. I choose stories about adventures that include a unique cast of dynamic characters with a strong sense of nobility, honor, and beauty. I also like books with vivid details about the world in which the story takes place (think Lord of the Rings). These stories, when written well, show us the necessity of a Savior and the joy serving others brings to the world. These stories inspire me to write my own, which helps me sort out my thoughts, encourages me to use my imagination, and assists my mind in taking a break from the daily cares of motherhood. I hope someday I can read these stories and my own to Samuel and Ruthie, and inspire them to write their own stories, too!

I enjoy taking Bible verses I would like to commit to memory and putting them to music. I posted a few examples on my blog already. This allows me to create something new and different while meditating on the Word of God, praising Him, and remembering His marvelous deeds [1]. I like to share them with my family, my homeschool students, and you! I compose using both piano and ukulele, which helps me stay imaginative when I might languish just writing with one or the other. I also find switching between the two fun and challenging.

Finally, drawing and painting helps me to notice and then consider all the wonderful and unique things God created. In classical education, we “attend” and “express.” When we attend, we give whatever we are doing our full attention so that we can figure out the what and why of what is before us. When we express, we share our own ideas and emotions in whatever form we choose. I like to apply both of these principles as I paint and draw. I attend to God’s beautiful world and reflect on His glory and wisdom, and then I try to express how I feel in my artwork. Many of my pictures focus on the battle between light and darkness, or good and evil, in which light will always triumph over darkness. I like what John 1:5 says: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

I hope this post gives you some helpful and practical ideas about how the gospel directs and shapes every area of our lives. Praise be to God, who guides and teaches us through the Holy Spirit! How do you find rest in Christ? Do you do anything creative to take care of yourself?

[1] Psalm 72:18