As a senior in college, self-care is definitely a topic with which I am familiar. Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed, I usually take the time to meditate, read a book, or indulge in a facemask—anything that makes me feel more centered and a little more human. This emphasis on self-care has also made its way into my academics. On any given day leading up to finals, you can find comfort dogs, free massages, and other stress-relieving activities on campus. All this being said, I truly thought I was a champion of my self-care.

Much of the reason that I was so confident that my self-care routine was sufficient was because I had never discussed it with anyone. The discussion of self-care has become much more prevalent in our everyday lives, especially in academia. However, I realized that much of this “discussion” is just translated into activities for me, and very little talking about self-care ever occurred. I had never had to articulate to someone else what my definition of self-care was and what it meant to my being. This is why, when asked to describe how I participate in spiritual self-care at our last Boston Interfaith Leadership Initiative (BILI) meeting at Boston University, I was completely stumped.

Nevermind that I had never even discussed my self-care routine out loud, but at no time in my life had I heard spiritual and self-care used in the same sentence. Our leader, Tom Reid, had begun the conversation with having us define self-care and how we practice it. The conversation began to flow freely, and it actually felt good to share bits of my self-care routine and listen to the actions others took to reach the same goal. Right as I was feeling more confident, Tom surprised me with posing the question about how we practice spiritual self-care. I, for one, had no answer, but it immediately became clear to me why this question was being posed. If I have time and methods to practice self-care to better myself physically and emotionally, why do I not have any spiritual self-care practices?

I truly could not figure out why this topic was something that I was struggling to grasp. There is no doubt that physical and emotional health are extremely important, but what was I doing to better my personal spiritual health? Other members did not seem to struggle with this concept and had concrete spiritual self-care practices, but I remained silent. Finally, another member of our cohort expressed that they were also struggling with defining spiritual self-care because it was simply not a part of their religious upbringing.

I immediately identified with this. As a member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, I have had a unique relationship with my religion. For my entire life, the majority of our Sunday service has been in Ukrainian, a language that I do not know. While I do not know what is being said for some of the service, I do know that it is meaningful and connects me to my cultural heritage. Even with this language barrier, I did not remember any aspects of self-care ever being mentioned. With my experience in the Christian faith, helping and caring for others has been emphasized since Sunday school. I learned to help others through service and kindness, and it has shaped me into who I am today. For this I am thankful for my religious upbringing, but it took someone else to bring up that the explicit concept of self-care was never discussed in my religious experience.

Leaving our last BILI meeting, this topic was still weighing heavily on my mind and heart. After much self-reflection, I came to some new conclusions about my spiritual self-care that I was unable to articulate during that final meeting. Even though spiritual self-care was not a concept I was introduced to during my religious upbringing, it does not mean I had not been actively participating in it. Going to church has always felt like a spiritual cleansing, and it is the place where I feel the most complete. Sitting in the pews surrounded by my ornate church and icons, with the smell of incense and sound of the choir, every sense is stimulated, but I always feel at peace. My soul feels light, and I am connected to community. This is the spiritual self-care I partake in nearly every week.

It is fitting that one of the most impactful conversations during my time at BILI was during our last meeting. BILI has been one of the best forms of spiritual self-care that I have been fortunate enough to experience. I am not always going to have the opportunity to be in such a diverse room of individuals that challenge and educate me on different worldviews, and it has inspired me to take my religious education into my own hands. Reflection and discussion have invigorated me to become more articulate about my own religious affiliation and those of others. And of course, I will continue my journey to discover what spiritual self-care means to me and incorporate these practices into my daily routine.

Image from the Harvard Pluralism Project.