Welcome to the Church of Nebula Sunday Sermon. My name is Haja Mo, coming to you from the ever-inspiring Los Angeles, California. Whether you are soaking in the warmth of the sun today or you're taking a moment of quiet in your busy life, I'm delighted you’ve decided to spend a part of your day with us. This week, our focus shifts inward as we discuss "Nurturing Your Body, Mind, and Spirit: The Importance of Self-Care - You Deserve It!"

Self-care is the art and practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, particularly during periods of stress. It is truly essential, yet too often overlooked. Let’s unpack this concept through stories and steps that help embody this nurturing practice.

Meet Lydia, a vibrant soul and a community volunteer here in sunny Venice Beach. Lydia has always put everyone before herself. Whether organizing beach clean-ups or helping at the senior center, Lydia was constantly on the move. Then, about a year ago, Lydia experienced burnout. She was tired, her enthusiasm waned and she felt lost. Recognizing these signs, she knew it was time to pivot her focus towards self-care.

Step One: Recognize the Need for Self-Care. Recognizing the need for self-care is truly the cornerstone of beginning to nurture oneself. For Lydia, this step came not a moment too soon. She noticed that despite her love for community service, her energy levels were dwindling, her mood fluctuated more than usual, and her usual zest for life seemed dimmer. These were her body and mind's way of signaling that something was off balance.

Acknowledging that you can't pour from an empty cup is about understanding that your reserves of energy and compassion are finite. When you constantly give to others without replenishing your own resources, you're setting yourself up for a crash. This adage serves as a metaphorical reminder that if there’s nothing left inside of you—if the 'cup' is empty—then there's nothing you can offer to others.

For Lydia, the key to implementing this first step was in her acknowledgment and acceptance that she wasn’t invincible. She needed time and activities that were dedicated to recharging her own mental and physical batteries. It was about giving herself permission to put her needs on her priority list. Just like in safety demonstrations on airplanes, where you're advised to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others, self-care is about ensuring you are well, so you can be of service to those around you.

What Lydia—and indeed, what everyone—needs to understand, is that recognizing the need for self-care isn’t selfish. It’s a necessary act of survival and compassion towards oneself. When you are well-cared for, the energy and love you can share with the world come from a place of abundance, not obligation or depletion.

Just like Lydia, you too deserve to be cared for, by the most important person in your life—you. It starts with listening to your body and mind, noticing the signs of fatigue or stress, and taking them as seriously as you would take a loved one’s problems. Whether it’s feeling irritable, experiencing sleep disturbances, or simply feeling ‘off’, these are all cues that shouldn't be ignored.

Taking that first step towards self-care means making a commitment to look after yourself. It means scheduling it like any important appointment, and treating it with the same respect and urgency as you would any critical meeting or family commitment. Because at the end of the day, how fully you can experience and contribute to life is directly tied to how well you care for yourself. So, take a note from Lydia’s book: acknowledge when your cup is starting to run low and take the time to refill it. Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you for it, and paradoxically, you’ll find you have so much more to give.

Step Two: Prioritize Physical Care. Prioritizing physical care is a vital step in the self-care regimen that can dramatically improve one's overall well-being. When Lydia chose to incorporate morning walks along the beach into her daily routine, she wasn't just exercising her body, she was also refreshing her mind and reigniting her spirit. The rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the shore and the gentle touch of the ocean breeze weren't merely pleasant; they served as a natural form of meditation, helping her focus on the present moment and clear her mind of clutter.

This poignant experience at the beach highlights a crucial lesson in self-care: nurturing your body need not be a laborious task. The benefits of simply being in a serene environment, where you can soak in nature’s beauty and tranquility, are immense. This underscored the idea that physical care is holistic—it benefits the psychological and emotional facets of our being, just as much as the physical.

Starting with something as straightforward as deep, mindful breathing can be incredibly powerful. Deep breathing is a technique rooted in various traditions as a quick and accessible way to reduce stress and center one's self. By focusing on taking slow, deliberate breaths, you enhance your oxygen intake which improves brain clarity and calms the nervous system. It's an instant reset button that you can hit almost anytime and anywhere.

Furthermore, integrating gentle stretching into your daily routine can serve multiple benefits. Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, which is crucial to maintain a healthy range of motion in the joints. Over time, with consistent stretching, your body will become more supple and less prone to injury. Additionally, stretching can be a form of active relaxation that helps reduce tension in muscles, promotes relaxation, and enhances mindful awareness.

Lydia’s implementation of simple physical activities like morning walks, breathing exercises, and stretching is an excellent blueprint for anyone looking to begin their journey towards better physical self-care. Each of these activities can be adapted to individual needs and environments. Whether it’s replacing a beach walk with a stroll in a nearby park, practicing breathing techniques during a break at work, or stretching while watching TV, what’s crucial is making these activities a regular part of your life.

Remember, every little bit counts. The aim is to build a routine that feels less like a chore and more like a cherished part of your day. This approach not only sustains the practice in the long run but also reinforces the joy in taking care of your physical health. The integration of these seemingly small actions accumulates, leading to significant enhancements in your health, energy levels, and general well-being. Like Lydia, you can find rejuvenation and vitality through simple, consistent acts of physical self-care. It’s about making that commitment to yourself, to honor and nurture your body with the respect and care it deserves.

Step Three: Cultivate Emotional Wellness. Cultivating emotional wellness is an essential component of overall health and self-care, as it influences how we interact with the world and perceive our experiences. For Lydia, journaling served as a vital tool in this endeavor. Each night, she ferried her thoughts from mind to paper, creating a tangible expression of her internal world. This practice allowed her a deeper understanding of her emotions, serving both as a mirror and a map, reflecting her feelings back to her and helping navigate through them.

Journaling is powerful because it provides a private, unjudged space for releasing emotions. Writing down thoughts and feelings can lighten the mental load, as it feels like offloading burdens onto paper. Moreover, it can bring clarity to confusion, help in problem-solving, and contribute to personal growth by tracking changes and patterns over time. For someone new to journaling, start with a simple routine: dedicate a few minutes each evening to note what you felt grateful for, what was challenging, and any insights about your feelings. The key is consistency rather than content length or literary quality.

Expanding beyond journaling, engaging in open conversations with friends or a counselor is another potent way to cultivate emotional wellness. Regularly talking to friends provides a sense of belonging and shared understanding. It can affirm your feelings and offer new perspectives. If the situation calls for a deeper exploration, speaking with a counselor or therapist can be incredibly beneficial. A professional can offer unbiased guidance and tools to manage emotions constructively. They create a safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be explored and understood without judgment.

What is crucial here is finding an expressive outlet that resonates with you. It might be journaling or conversing, or it could be something entirely different, like art, music, or dance. Creative expression is another profound way to explore and communicate emotions. For instance, painting or playing music allows emotions a flow, a rhythm to unfold naturally without the need for structured language, yet offering profound psychological relief and insight.

For Lydia, journaling was crucial to her emotional wellness journey. However, her practice underscores a broader principle applicable to everyone: regularly creating space to reflect on, express, and process your emotions is fundamental. This could mean setting aside a few minutes in your daily routine to meditate, think quietly, or engage in any activity that helps you connect with your inner emotional state.

In essence, emotional wellness is about connection—connecting with yourself through reflection, like journaling, or connecting with others through heartfelt discussions. This process helps to recognize, accept, and manage emotions, paving the way toward a more balanced and fulfilling life. By actively engaging in these practices, you nurture your emotional health as diligently as you do your physical health, creating a more harmonized self-care routine.

Step Four: Feed Your Spirit. Step Four in the journey towards a healthy, harmonious life involves feeding the spirit. This step transcends the physical and emotional aspects of self-care, venturing into the realm of the spiritual, which can often be the most profound yet the most overlooked area of personal wellness. Lydia, realizing the importance of this balance, found solace and rejuvenation through meditation classes at her local community center. This new practice provided her with a structured way to quiet her mind, reconnect with her inner self, and find a sense of peace that daily life often disrupted.

Meditation, like Lydia discovered, is a powerful tool for spiritual nourishment. It involves focusing the mind and eliminating the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This practice can enhance your awareness of the present, reduce negative emotions, and grow a stance of observer in your own life, which can help in recognizing your core values and larger purpose. For beginners, guided meditations available through apps or local classes can offer an accessible gateway into this practice. The key is regularity and patience, as the benefits of meditation typically accrue over time.

However, spiritual nourishment isn't one-size-fits-all, and it's crucial to explore various paths to discover what truly resonates with your soul. For some, this might mean engaging in prayer, which can serve as a profound connection to a higher power or deeper values, providing a source of comfort and strength in times of turmoil. Prayer can be a personal dialogue that anchors the day, offering moments of gratitude, guidance, and peace.

Alternatively, spending time in nature can be a deeply spiritual experience that recharges the spirit. Whether it's a walk in a local park, a hike through the mountains, or simply sitting by the ocean, like Lydia does on her morning walks, being in nature can help you feel a sense of expansiveness and connectedness to the larger world around you. This practice, often referred to as "forest bathing" in cultures like Japan, has been shown to reduce stress hormone production, improve feelings of happiness, and free up creativity, along with boosting the immune system.

Beyond these practices, spiritual wellness might also involve engaging with art, music, volunteering, or other activities that lift the spirit and provide a sense of meaning and fulfillment. It’s about tapping into activities that elevate you, that make you feel connected to something larger than yourself, and create a sense of harmony and tranquility in your internal life.

Making time for spiritual nourishment in a busy schedule isn’t always easy, but it’s as crucial as any meeting or appointment. Lydia, for instance, marks her meditation sessions as non-negotiable times in her calendar, just as she would important work commitments. This not only ensures she stays consistent but also prioritizes this practice as essential to her overall well-being.

In summary, feeding your spirit is about finding and nurturing those activities that connect you deeply with your inner self and the broader universe. It's a vital step in a well-rounded self-care regimen that supports a fulfilled, balanced life. Whether through meditation, prayer, nature, or other enriching activities, these practices provide the necessary food for your soul, enabling you to live not just with physical and emotional health, but with spiritual vitality too.

Another encouraging story comes from Chris, a young entrepreneur running a bustling café in Downtown LA. Amid the chaos of managing his business, Chris neglected his health and personal life. His resilience took him far, yet he felt something was missing. This was until he stumbled upon the art of quiet meditation and regular digital detoxes.

Step Five: Embrace Mindfulness and Meditation. Chris began his mornings with 10 minutes of meditation. This small change brought a profound impact on his clarity and focus. If you’re new to this, start slow, perhaps with a guided meditation found online.

Step Six: Regular Digital Detox. Once a week, Chris disconnects from all electronic devices for several hours. This digital break frees up space for him to connect more deeply with his loved ones and his own thoughts. Why not designate time away from screens and see how your perspective changes?

As we wind down today’s sermon here at Church of Nebula, remember that self-care isn’t selfish. It’s essential. It makes you more resilient, more efficient, and most importantly, happier. It allows you to live fully and give generously.

My name is Haja Mo, and as you step into the new week, I encourage you to embrace self-care with open arms. After all, “Taking care of yourself doesn't mean me first, it means me too.” May your week be filled with moments of peace, love, and care. Blessings to you all until we meet again.