Self-Care During the Holidays
By Jessica Carter
As the holiday season is upon us, caring for yourself is important now, more than ever. A well-rounded recovery includes meeting your physical, psychological, and spiritual needs.
Let’s explore ways in which we can incorporate spirituality into our holiday self-care routine.
- Gratitude: Practicing thankfulness and appreciation is beneficial in many ways. Research has shown that routinely practicing gratitude improves sleep, metabolism, and stress levels. It also results in increased production of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that produces our reward sensation. Think about ways in which you can practice gratitude and thanksgiving in all aspects of your life, including your recovery journey.
- Forgiveness: As part of the spiritual lens, incorporating forgiveness is an important part of self-care. Unfortunately, an unforgiving attitude can often distract you from the things that matter most, such as gathering with loved ones. As we embark on the holiday season, adding a focus on forgiving others and offering forgiveness to yourself, can be a key step in supporting your recovery.
- Hope: A sense of hope can offer you healing and peace for your recovery journey. It can bring joy when life’s circumstances may make us feel otherwise. From a spiritual perspective, you may find hope in a higher power or becoming at peace with yourself. Most importantly, renewed hope and graceful healing are key elements in maintaining a sustainable recovery.
Spiritual Support at Selah House
At Selah House, we are dedicated to helping women heal from a physical, emotional, and spiritual perspective. We welcome all walks of faith, or no faith, and encourage emotional and spiritual growth in an environment of love that cultivates a positive relationship within ourselves and our higher power. We offer Christ-Centered, clinically excellent programming that accepts clients exactly as they are and walk alongside our clients in their journey to lifelong freedom from eating disorders. We support evidence-based programming that helps clients navigate the purpose and functioning, as well as the underlying source of their eating disorder to encourage long-term recovery. Our clients and families can attend staff-led chapel services, as well as engage in spirituality groups. Additionally, our full-time chaplain meets clients exactly where they are in their spiritual journey and provides a space of unconditional love and support to work toward lasting freedom from eating disorders.
If you are someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, Selah House is here to help. Contact our Admission Team 24/7 or complete our online contact form to discover our Selah Difference.