Published 24 Jan 2025
It's tough out there
Take care of yourself, dear friend
A blog post Women Scholars and Professionals
There is a lot going on in the world these days, and for many of us, we’re feeling the weight of it all. How do you manage it? Between the daily tasks, the incessant news, the demands of work, and the relationships we all try to nurture, it can be a lot to carry. We at Women Scholars and Professions are keenly aware that times like this require radical self-kindness — and there is no better way to start than by getting a good night’s sleep. We’re reminded of Tish Harrison Warren’s call to treat adequate sleep as a spiritual discipline, receiving those nightly eight hours or so as an opportunity to surrender our to-do list and “embrace the limits of creatureliness.” Why not begin tonight?
“In our increasingly technological, workaholic, image-barraged, caffeinated, entertainment-addicted, supercharged culture, remembering our limited, embodied creatureliness is a difficult and necessary part of discipleship. ”
Just as our bodies need quiet and rest, our minds need it as well. Might we encourage you to indulge in a novel, a story, even an audiobook? There is something viscerally restorative about retreating into the words of another, especially after working diligently to complete our assigned tasks, inside and outside the home. Ashley Hales reminds us that the gift of fiction can heal one’s fissured soul in ways that we might not expect. So cozy up under a blanket and pick up that book. It’s good for you.
“Should we feel guilty for reading when the world can feel like it’s crumbling? Most definitely not. Reading not only prepares us for engaging more gently, truthfully, and effectively in our ‘real lives,’ but also helps form our loves.”
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