25 Spiritual Self-Care Practices and Examples for Soul Care
Self care is often portrayed as bubble baths and dark chocolate. But there is a deeper, spiritual side to self care that needs to be addressed for it to actually be effective. Self care is multi-faceted; spending time connecting with God on your spiritual journey is an important part of your daily life and self care habits if you want to create a life that is full of joy, intention and vibrance!
Types of Self Care
Emotional Self-Care – Caring for your emotional health, noticing what detracts and increasing what helps you feel like the most joyful and peaceful version of yourself.
Mental Self-Care – Managing your mental load, work-life boundaries, and finding ways to give your brain a break.
Physical Self-Care – Attending to your physical body with rest, exercise, proper fuel, massage, reducing negative self-talk and other methods showing kindness to your physical body.
Social Self-Care – Connecting with other people to form and maintain meaningful relationships and positive social connections. These can range from deep friendships, to sibling relationships to how we connect with the barista at our favorite coffee shop.
Spiritual Self-Care – Attuning to your inner self. What does your spirit need less or more of to feel whole, peaceful, and loved. Connecting the taproot of our life deep into God’s presence and keeping company with Him in our everyday lives.
In my own experience struggling as a mom with young kids, self care became a catch-all answer for postpartum anxiety and dealing with the overwhelm of motherhood. But it wasn’t until I began to pursue a life of vibrance that I began to see how spiritual wellness and my relationship with Jesus was the foundation upon which all my other types of self-care needed to be built.
I realized for me to be at my best as a mom, wife, sister, friend, and creative, my spiritual needs had to be addressed before anything else, .
Science backs up the power of spiritual well-being and it’s impact on our mental health. Regularly participating religious services and spiritual practices is inversely correlated to depression rates in United States adults. (So, generally, those who identify as more religious/spiritual have less clinical depression than those who don’t.) And as life circumstances become more stressful, spiritual health and religion become more powerful at combatting mental health struggles!
25 Spiritual Self-Care Practices and Examples
It’s not enough to know it’s a good idea to not ignore our spiritual lives, we have to know HOW to go about doing it! These examples and practices should help! Of course, you can’t implement all of these at once! Pick 1-2 you want to focus on that you think based on your past experience and present lifestyle could make the biggest difference for you. Then try to practice that example daily or at least once a week.
If you feel a practice isn’t resonating with you, revise it. Should you try to pray in the morning on your drive to work instead of right before you go to bed at night? Do you need to clear your calendar better to make time for a weekend prayer walk? After you’ve revised and if the practice isn’t helping you connect with God, disregard it and come back and look for a new habit or rhythm to try.
1. Attend a church service
Attending a religious gathering or church service regularly can be a means of self-care, reflection, and connection. I’ve been involved in church my whole life and there have been seasons where I’ve been burnt out on church. If you are constantly serving, try doing less and simply attending church to receive. Crazily enough the world keeps spinning without you and the refreshment you get from simple being at church may be just the spiritual reset you need.
2. Start a gratitude journal
Journalling is a powerful habit for all kinds of self care! Reflect in writing how you notice the role of the Divine in the things you’re grateful for. Answer the questions “How did God provide what I’m grateful for– either literally or providentially or emotionally?”
3. Set aside time to read your Bible or a devotional book.
Understanding who God is and how He relates to you personally, is the best spiritual self care you can do. Read a chapter a day in the Bible or a devotional reading as a great place to start! Check out: Where to Start Reading in the Bible or 30 Best Devotionals for Christian Women to get started!
4. Begin a daily meditation practice
Here are some ways to get started:
- Find a quiet place and get in a comfortable seated position. Playing soft instrumental music in noise-blocking headphones may help you focus.
- Invite God into the stillness with you.
- Let go of random thoughts as they pop up to distract you. Think of them like clouds drifing past, acknowledge them, but don’t focus on them.
- Focus on your breathing; take deep, purposeful breaths using your belly.
- Repeat a spiritual mantra. “Jesus, You are Peace.” “Shepherd Lead Me.” “I am loved.”
- You can listen to a guided meditation as well like this 10 Minute Meditation on God’s Faithfulness.
5. Consider counseling
Counseling with a qualified health provider who will also take into account your faith and spiritual journey is an incredibly powerful means of self care. Counseling can help you uncover and process spiritual wounds and work towards healing in your life and relationships.
6. Pray.
Prayer is simply talking to God. There are many ways to do it, but at it’s heart it is verbally worshipping God and inviting Jesus to participate, help, comfort and encourage you throughout your day.
- Breath prayers
- How to Pray and What to Say
- ACTS Prayer Model with Free Printable
- Develop a Consistent and Powerful Prayer Life
7. Pair meditation or prayer with physical activity like a prayer walk or labyrinth.
Combining prayer with a physical activity like walking in nature is a wonderful way to reset your spirit.
8. Meet with a small group of like-minded faith
- MOPS or a moms group can provide a sense of connection and community during the early years of motherhood!
- Bible Study — Check out D-groups or BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) or your local church to find a Bible study to join!
- Small group deeper through church to grow deeper in faith community
9. Serve others
Serving creates a ripple effect of positive actions. You give something valuable (your time, expertise, and capacity) and receive a sense of community, gratefulness, and contribution.
10. Complete random acts of kindness
While serving regularly can be a great way to practice spiritual self care, so can doing anonymous acts of kindness that no one else, but the person receiving them may ever know about.
11. Start a journal
Journaling is the act of writing prayers, reflections on your life, creative or art journal, and your unedited thoughts and reactions. This can be a beautiful tool to uncover how God is working in your life and how you are responding! If a blank page intimidates you, check out Stuff I’d Only Tell God, a guided journal I personally use and love!
12. Meet with a spiritual director
A spiritual director is a person who has received training and helps guide your spiritual growth journey. They can help guide you in areas of your spiritual life that feel “stuck” or painful and help you continue growing. A mentor can also help with this in a less formal way!
13. Follow faith-filled and encouraging social media accounts
On average people in the US spend 2-2.5 hours per day on social media. While limiting social media is a good idea, it’s also wise to curate your social media to be an encouraging, faith-filled sphere as well. I actually love learning from other Jesus-followers whether they are moms in the trenches like me or theologians or pastors or writers!
14. Get away in nature
Being in natural surroundings brings me a deep sense of inner peace and closeness to God.
15. Read a memoir or biography of someone whose faith you admire
Here are a few I’ve loved:
- All My Knotted Up Life by Beth Moore
- Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret
- No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler
16. Have Spiritual friendships with fellow believers
Spiritual life is enhanced by a strong connection point of friendship. Friends who are also Christ-followers and committed to living a spiritually attuned life can help you process and integrate your faith into all the daily life stuff (aka job disappointments, marriage struggles, finances, kids challenges).
17. Unplugging
Perhaps no better way to guard your spirit, than to unplug from the digital world. No social media. No video calls. No email. No internet. No cable news. No endless entertainment. In the quiet of an unplugged weekend or week you may find yourself happier, less stressed, and more connected with God and your loved ones.
18. Slowing
The pace of 21st century life is frenetic. Much like we all experienced in the pandemic, slowing down and eliminating non-life-giving things from your calendar can be incredibly spiritually freeing. You may find you never want to re-add those things into your life or after a bit, that a break was truly what you needed to return refreshed. Also, simply slowing down and allowing tasks, responsibilities, traffic, waiting and appointments to take however long they take without feeling the tug of the clock telling us we’re behind or ahead can have a profound spiritual impact. Slowing down reminds us that God is both outside of time and in complete control of time.
19. Worship with music
Play an instrument, listen to worship music, join a choir, and partake in congregational singing as a form of spiritual self care. I love having a catalog of playlists I can turn to for worship, rest, de-stressing, or when I need an extra pep in my step. Music can be a great spiritual self care reset and rhythm to incorporate in your life.
20. Complete a daily examen
An “examen” is simply two questions that help guide our attention to how God is working in our lives. The goal being to draw our attention to experiencing life with God and a sense of His presence in our ordinary moments. Reflect on what moment of your day you are most grateful for and what part you are least thankful for. Another way you could ask this of yourself is when was I most aware of living out the fruit of the Spirit? When was I the least? What was the “high point” of my day and what was the low point? Allow any negative emotions or feelings about the moment and talk to God about what that moment was like. Where was God then, in the good and the bad?
21. Visio Divina
This is an ancient description of connection with God through experiencing or creating art, creation, the 5 senses–it is a way of praying with our eyes as we gaze at the stars, great architecture, a stunning photograph or Niagara Falls. Begin to notice, then stop and respond to God when something beautiful catches your attention.
22. Bible Study
Bible study (as opposed to Bible reading) takes a bit longer and is more about uncovering and unlocking truth of Scripture in the Bible. There are many methods of Bible study and I share a few of my favorite methods here and a few of my top picks for Bible women’s studies here! I’ve also written three Bible studies about the promises of God, hope in the Bible, and God’s faithfulness.
23. Confession and self-examination
One of the hardest, but perhaps the most freeing things you can do to take care of your spiritual health. King David talks about the toll of unconfessed sin in our lives in Psalm 32:3-4, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me, my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”
24. Nourish simplicity and contentment
This self care practice asks us to detach from the status symbols and constant flow of information of the world. A few practical ways you can do this:
- Declutter
- Give stuff away
- Downgrade or eliminate streaming services
- Simplify your wardrobe to a capsule wardrobe or something similar.
- Practice hospitality with your physical blessings (aka let someone borrow your car or lawnmower)
- Be generous with your finances.
- Reduce the activity on your calendar
- Cut out superfluous spending. Try doing a no-spend month and donate the difference to a charity.
25. Memorize Scripture
Hide God’s Word in your heart. Choose a verse that speaks powerfully to you. Read it. Practice saying it out loud until you can do so easily. Be sure to also memorize the reference! (aka the “address” of where it is located in the Bible). You can check out some beautiful printable Bible Verse Cards to help you memorize God’s Word!
Resources for Spiritual Self Care
If you’re looking to expand your spiritual practices check these books:
- Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun. (She offers 75 disciplines with implementation tips, background, intentions, and processes to truly hep you connect in intimacy with Christ.)
- Tired of Being Tired by Jess Connolly
- Practicing the Way of Jesus by John Mark Comer.
- Spiritual Reset Toolkit by Katie Scott
Being attuned to spiritual self care expands our love for God, love for others, and sense of purpose in the world. It helps us be more aware of how God is working in this present moment and how we can partner with Him to bring His love and kingdom to others.
As we lean into a variety of faith practices we strengthen our bond with God and trust in His character. This in turn brings blessings beyond the white picket fence, forever home, nice car, and dream vacation–a heart content, a mind at ease, emotional breadth and stability, and a strong, peaceful body.