The self-care series was so good to write, and it's so where I'm at and what I need right now, that I couldn't just leave it be without sharing a few resources that I've enjoyed lately, and who knows, maybe I'll keep coming back to this topic.
And as I've settled on the magic number three, it only seemed fitting to link these up with Amy this week, as they truly are three little things making me happy this week, as I reflect on self-care and how beneficial of a discipline it is.
These all came to me for review, during this same season when God has been teaching me about taking care of myself so that I can take care of others. Coincidence? I think not.
1. Notes From a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider
I wrote a bit about this book (and quoted it) in my first post in the ESC series. Because at the core of self-care is living intentionally in a chaotic world-- that's Tsh's book's tagline and it's basically a description of what I want my life to be. My life and my family are quite chaotic at times. But I can choose to be intentional about how I spend my time and money, what daily life looks like for our family, what we eat and do, and how I meet my own needs so I can meet the needs of my family and friends.
If you've read this or are reading it now, Tsh is leading a casual book club on it in a Facebook group.
2. Mom Seeks God by Julia Roller
I'm going to give a full review of this one next week, and hopefully I'll have finished it by then. But it really goes hand in hand with everything else I've been learning lately. Its subtitle is practicing grace in the chaos, and yeah, wow. (Did I mention my life is chaos?) It's speaking to me all right. Each chapter is a spiritual discipline that Julia is attempting to pursue amidst life, work and motherhood.
3. Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine
I knew this book would be a good fit for me when I read this on the cover: "9 simple strategies to stress less, sleep more, and restore your passion for life." I didn't know it would coincide so perfectly with our self-care series.
"If you feel overwhelmed, tired, stressed, and stretched to the max, burnout is a legitimate threat." Almost every day I feel some combination of those emotions-- and I know I don't want to burn out, not in motherhood, my work, homeschooling, my ministry. So now having finished Crystal's book, I'm going to take some time to go back through each chapter and try to put some of her advice into practice.
"When you start taking steps to live your life on purpose-- saying yes only to the best, setting boundaries and saying no more often, being conscious of how you spend your time and money-- you run less of a risk of breaking down."
The biggest things Crystal addresses that I need to change in my life are goal-setting (I'm still plugging away at April's goals, which was a first start for me), and really figuring out what rhythm works best for me as I balance my life's priorities. It was very easy-to-read with lots of little glimpses at Crystal's life and journey, which I like, as story always makes how-to more personal and meaningful.
Disclosure: there are affiliate links in this post. If you buy through them, I will earn a commission. Thank you for your support! And thank you to BookLook Bloggers, Thomas Nelson and Litfuse for the review copies.