Self-care, simply put, is taking care of yourself. It’s giving yourself time to rest and recharge. When you go long periods of time without self-care, it will not only affect your energy but also your effectiveness as a leader.
It is important to note that self-care is not selfish. In his book, Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer wrote, “Self-care is never a selfish act–it is simply good stewardship… we do it not only for ourselves but for the many others whose lives we touch.” Meaning, we first need to care for ourselves before we can care for others.
When we look at the leadership of Jesus, we see He took time to rest and recharge. An example of this was when He prayed. We see this in Luke 5:16: “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (NIV). Prayer was one way that He practiced self-care. It is important to remember that He was the Perfect Leader. However, despite His perfection, He still took time to rest and recharge. Therefore, if Jesus needed to practice self-care, then so do we.
Think about it: What spiritual activities help you rest and recharge—community, prayer, Scripture, worship, service, or something else?
A Leader Worth Imitating, Principle 21: Self-Care
Nick Chellsen 
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