Personal Care

Physical Health

A healthy lifestyle enables us to serve God more efficiently. Although we don't have total control to prevent all health problems, we can do as much as we can to be stewards of our health, in order to actively love God and others.

1. Nutrition

Am I regular with multivitamins, medications or supplements (if necessary)?

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Do I need extra of anything, like magnesium or Omega-3?

Tip: study the best sources of magnesium to make sure it’s absorbed.

Which foods should I be eating every week?  

Tip: Make a default grocery list with some staple foods that are necessary every week, and then add extra foods; remember to keep a good ratio of fats, carbs, and proteins.

Are there food combinations I should be including or limiting?  

Tip: Have foods with iron and vitamin C together, but not calcium. Vitamin C helps iron absorb, while calcium can hinder iron from being absorbed fully.

Plan outside activities at a time when I can get vitamin D, or get a supplement.

Tips: (1) Combine with something else in your routine like Bible study or outdoor chores, to save time. (2) Go outside at the peak times for UVB rays.

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2. Exercise

Exercise benefits basically every area of health, and even correlates with lower risk of depression, because it boosts BDNF.

Do I need to improve my level of physical activity?

Start with a small goal if you are inactive. If you have a job that requires a lot of sitting, try an exercise ball.

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3. Sleep

Sleep is not only for our own comfort, but also increases our efficiency in serving God, and may even enable us to live longer, so we can love others to the best of our ability.

1. Have a regular bedtime
2. Prevent being woken up. At night, if you have to keep your phone on for calls for specific family members in case of emergency, you can still keep it on “do not disturb” and make exceptions.
3. Write out your thoughts if there is too much on your mind. Or to be faster, make voice recordings with your phone.
4. Practice PMR: progressive muscle relaxation (look for information online).
5. Avoid white light especially from screens at night; either stop looking at screens 2 hours before bed, or use a screen filter that is tinted orange or red.  Limit sunlight when trying to sleep (get thick curtains if necessary, especially for morning).
6. Visualize or read (with orange screen) to get your brain into a passive state rather than active. Planning, thinking of inspiring ideas, remembering the day, thinking of something entertaining, and of course worrying, can keep us awake.
7. Get the right temperature
8. Exercise! Although it’s listed in the previous point, it’s worth mentioning again because exercise promotes healthy sleep. Just make sure to be done with exercise at least 2 hours before your bedtime, so you won’t have too much energy when you are trying to sleep.
9. Listen to something at a fast pace and then wind down to a slower pace. For example, listen to the Bible on 2x speed, then 1.5, then 1, then .75 in order to help your brain waves to slow down. When you are falling asleep, your brain transitions from beta and alpha waves to theta waves. Starting with a faster pace and gradually winding down (within about 20 minutes) is better than listening to the slow speed at first.
10. Start over with winding down if you're not asleep in 30 minutes. If you've already calmed down but you are not any more sleepy, you might have to get up and start your sleep routine again, because the decline can kickstart  your body into falling asleep.

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4. Water

Am I drinking enough water or other healthy drinks?

Tip: Get a 32-ounce cup to make it easier to keep track of how much water you are drinking.

5. Limiting unhealthy foods

Example: Limit sugar to a certain amount each day or week

6. Appointments

Do I need to make any appointments? (Checkups, scans, or teeth cleaning, etc.)

Where to keep reminders of appointments (calendar, phone alarm, planner)

Note: Although we do have some responsibility for our own healthy choices, we should bring our concerns to God first of all (2 Chronicles 16:12).

Appearance & Hygiene

While we are not meant to put too much focus on our outward appearance (1 Timothy 2:9), there is a place for healthy moderation. The Bible says mankind is “crowned with glory and honor,” and for women, long hair is given for glory.

Don’t feel that you have to keep up with society’s standards of beauty. The more we saturate ourselves in God’s Word, the less the ways of the world will be on our minds. Self-image (at least about our physical appearance) becomes less of an issue when we focus on God’s eternal purposes for our lives.

Do I need to improve my daily or weekly routine for my appearance and hygiene?

Mental Health

1. Do I have support for mental health?

2. Are there any problems I’m worried about?

Is this a problem I can solve, or is it outside my control?

If it’s outside your control, trust God and surrender to His will, remembering Romans 8:28-39.

3. Do I have any negative perspective on any areas of life?

What is something positive I can focus on, when negative thoughts come?

4. Do I have a regular time of rest?

What habits in your life do I need to change? How will I start doing differently? (Example: For time on social media, go to your phone's settings and look for screen time, and set a timer on the apps you need to limit time on.)