Self-Care Part 1
January 11, 2026
Self-Care Part 1
We invite you to join us in this week’s Daily Reflections series on “Loving Ourselves.”
If we are not well physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually, the quality of our lives diminishes. Illness, injury, and hardship may come to everyone, but when they arise from self-neglect, we must bear the major responsibility. Caring for our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls is not self-indulgence or drudgery. It is sacred stewardship.
Yes, for whatever reason, many of us place ourselves last on the list of things to care for. Through my years of working closely with dear souls, I have learned that one of the greatest afflictions of humankind is a lack of self-love which causes self-neglect and even self-inflicted suffering.
There are two primary expressions of self-love: that of the ego and that of the soul.
The Ego’s Self-Care
The ego takes care of us by protecting us from its fears and by pursuing its desires. Its fears are anything that threatens its plans, its story of who we should be, and how life is to unfold. Its desires are the means to fulfill that story. The unhealthy ego’s self-care is not evil; it is limited, and unconscious thinking. However, it keeps us alive and functioning. But as a mental structure, it cannot bring us wholeness. It may care for us in many healthy ways, but when unhealthy, it may care for us in non-productive ways— the two extremes are self-neglect brought on because other things are more important to the ego, and self-absorption which neglects others and one’s soul.
The Soul’s Self-Care
The soul approaches self-love differently. It begins by tending to our spirit. It knows that when our spirit is dark, wounded, or when its fire is dimmed, every other part of us suffers. The soul’s first work of self-care is to bring light to our darkness, heal our wounds, and rekindle the fire of our divine essence. This happens through union with the Divine and harmony in relationships. The soul’s fears differ from those of the ego. The ego fears failure to reach its desires; the soul fears only disconnection from the Divine.
The ego desires satisfaction; the soul desires union with the Divine. When the ego learns to serve the soul, self-care becomes a sacred act—an expression of love that aligns us with our true nature and purpose.
To be kind and gentle with ourselves is a primary task of spiritual discipleship. Loving ourselves is to love a part of the Divine. Our spiritual practice sensitizes us to take care of that expression of God that we are.
This week, we will reflect on self-love and self-care, exploring their connection to the spiritual life.
Spiritual practice: Journal about your soul’s wounds, its darkness, or times it has felt separated from the Divine. What have you done—or can you do—to bring it back to light, heal its hurts, and re-ignite its sacred fire?
Self-inquiry: When have you felt most connected to the Divine? What was awakened in you during those moments?
Prayer:
Dear God, help me love myself in ways that draw me closer to You. I pray for awareness of the fears and desires of my ego so that they do not dominate me. Awaken in me sensitivity to my soul’s life and its longing for You. Amen.
