By Jeni Huff

Jesus was an exemplary servant of others during his time on Earth but, in his agony, before he was crucified, Jesus stepped away for time by himself to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus recognized the sacrifice he was being called to, but also his need to be centered, prepared, and self-aware.

I’m your typical Enneagram 2. I could tell you what the people around me need, but I can rarely tell you what I need. For that reason, I’m the synod office’s self-proclaimed self-care advocate, checking in regularly on people, asking what they’re doing to take care of themselves, and encouraging a good work-life balance.

I also eagerly coordinate staff fun and bonding activities for the synod. I believe strongly team-care is important, too.

As I write this, I’m on the eve of a seven-week furlough and it’s already heavily booked up with ways I’m going to help other people, but I know I need to take my own advice and try to find time to take care of myself and rejuvenate. As a working mom of two little boys under 3, I don’t get much time for that.

“I would say, check in with yourself on your privilege, take a little time for self-care, and then get back out there and join the fight with more energy and conviction.”

Recent events in the Twin Cities have fostered conversations about whether self care in the midst of fighting racism is a privileged position, afforded primarily to people with security and means. Can we even take a minute to rest when there are people literally fighting for their lives?

I would say, check in with yourself on your privilege, take a little time for self-care, and then get back out there and join the fight with more energy and conviction. I’ll remind you that you can’t care for others if you’re not caring for yourself.

 

IN THE MIDST OF THE chaos that is 2020, what are you doing for self-care? What are you doing for family-care? What are you doing for team-care?

From a recent poll of the synod staff, here are some ideas for self-care:

  • Having a session with your therapist
  • Getting some exercise
  • Buying yourself flowers
  • Eating a good meal when you’ve been living on Fritos for days
  • Enjoying a bowl of ice cream
  • Doing an at-home pedicure
  • Basking in some air conditioning
  • Doing a puzzle
  • Enjoying warm weather and nature
  • Getting some decent sleep when you’ve been up for days protesting or helping protestors

Think about a similar list for you. What self-care practice can you implement into your life?

I also think connecting with others and finding opportunities for laughter are important for us as individuals and to make a more cohesive team. Such things are key for surviving these times where people are increasingly isolated because of COVID-19.

Here are a few activities the synod staff has done via Zoom these last few months:

  • Shared pictures of our home work spaces and guessed which photo went with which staff person
  • Voted for “most likely” categories
  • Played online versions of boggle and trivia
  • Wore a special shirt (or other clothing item) on a Zoom call and explained why it is significant

What can you implement into your team?

If Jesus could take some time away to decompress, you can too.