Is Self-Care Selfish or Sacred? Healing from Spiritual Abuse Means Tending to This Forgotten Need

You Were Never Meant to Live This Exhausted: 5 Areas of Self-Care After Spiritual Abuse Have you ever noticed how exhaustion has become the norm in the U.S.? It's as if our culture is built around the idea that if you're not busy, you're not doing life right. But I don’t believe this is how God designed us to live. Constant exhaustion isn’t holy. It isn’t noble. It’s just unsustainable. And if you’re healing from spiritual abuse—or any kind of trauma—taking care of yourself isn’t optional. It’s essential. Welcome to When Church Hurts, the podcast (and now this post!) where we break free from fear, rebuild faith, and reclaim our peace. I’m Melodi, and if you’ve ever felt crushed by legalism or controlled by church leadership… you are not alone. And you don’t have to walk this journey alone either. So today, I want to help you take one more healing step by talking about self-care—real, life-giving care for your whole self: body, mind, emotions, relationships, and spirit. And because I love giving you practical support, I’ve included a free resource with exercises and ideas for each area of self-care. You’ll find the link at the bottom of this post. Let’s dive !