Sacred Self-Care: Daily Practices for Nurturing Our Whole Selves

by Chanequa Walker-Barnes

A seven-week guide to help you shift your behaviors and create lifelong habits to care for your whole self — mind, body, and soul. "In a world that has cheapened self-care, Chanequa Walker-Barnes provides a valuable, faithful, and much-needed antidote.” —Jeff Chu, author of Does Jesus Really Love Me? Taking care of ourselves is essential, and lately, we’ve started to pay more attention to the ways our physical bodies need and deserve nourishment. But we are not just bodies, we sacred beings, and our souls need just as much care and attention to be healthy. As a clinical psychologist, pastor, and activist, Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes has studied and worked with clients, clergy, seminary faculty, faith-based activists, and others to encourage them to think of self-care as both a divine right and a sacred obligation. She has developed a seven-week guide gathering activities, habits, disciplines, and practices that promote spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, and relational wholeness. Each day includes a story alongside short and simple prompts and scripture passages that help us shift behaviors in the short term and create lifelong habits. Each week walks readers through the following
Also included is an inventory for identifying areas you may need to focus on, and a "Rule of Life" guide to help you direct your self-care practice and maintain it throughout the year. Inspiring and practical, ruminative and actionable, Sacred Self-Care invites us on a journey to craft a sustainable self-care practice to care for our whole selves.

Genres: Self Help, Spirituality, Faith, Mental Health, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity

224 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2023

About the author

Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes is a theologian and psychologist whose mission is to serve as a catalyst for healing, justice, and reconciliation in the Christian church and beyond. Dr. Walker-Barnes has earned degrees from Emory University (B.A., Psychology and African-American/African Studies), the University of Miami (M.S. and Ph.D., Clinical Child/Family Psychology), and Duke University (M.Div., Certificate in Gender, Theology, and Ministry).

Reviews

[David Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as a Lenten devotional. Simple but wonderful practice for lent.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is maybe my favorite book I've read as part of a religious small group to discuss with others week by week (which is how the book is structured) - I normally roll my eyes at "self-care" as just another attempt to sell me something, so seeing someone talk about that exact issue but still find a way to advocate for something richer and deeper was amazing. The ideas are profound and the suggested practices are concrete and, for me, really beneficial (this is not a "get a massage at a spa" kind of book). I'd really recommend it to anyone who has even a passing knowledge of or belief in Christianity of any kind. Thank you for your perspective and experience and for sharing it with us, Dr. Walker-Barnes!

[Vicki Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down the best self-care book I have ever read. Comprehensive, encouragement, addresses self-care in many gracious ways. I'm not exactly the target niche audience that this book was addressed to, however, I found that this added richness to my experience reading the book.

[Richard Propes · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sacred Self-Care: Daily Practices for Nurturing Our Whole Selves" isn't the type of book that I like to read all at one time. It's the kind of book that's intended to be experienced, really, rather than simply read and it's the kind of book that requires integration to be fully experienced.

Sitting down and simply reading "Sacred Self-Care," especially for the purpose of review, somehow feels less satisfying.

This was my initial feeling as I finished the closing pages of this latest book by Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes, a clinical psychologist, author, and theologian whose work in the area of African-American health disparities is particularly noteworthy and whose necessary voice is challenging, provocative, enlightening, and refreshingly relentless in its honesty.

"Sacred Self-Care" is a 49-day interactive devotional that digs deeper than many of the self-care guides and devotionals that emphasize physical, emotional, and mental well-being but overlook soul wellness.

Going day by day, Dr. Walker-Barnes weaves together immersive and meaningful and accessible prompts, practices, scripture passages, hymns, and prayers to help nurture one's spirit and to lead one toward a improved practices of:

Practicing self-compassion
Setting boundaries
Accessing pleasure and joy
Identifying priorities and establishing routines reflecting one's values
and many more.

As someone who has been engaged with social justice for many years in the area of violence prevention/intervention and disability rights, I found myself deeply appreciative of the practical and accessible nature of Dr. Walker-Barnes's exploration of self-care as subversive and reparative in social justice. I found these guides toward daily practice to be surprisingly, well, normal in nature - both very actionable and yet also aspirational. Dr. Walker-Barnes seems to start from this place of recognizing each of us as beautiful and wonderful creations of God and then wraps these practices around building a life that affirms that in our daily lives.

While there is a strong theological foundation to "Sacred Self-Care," it's more relatable than preachy and more a human experience devotional than one that teaches "give it to God and everything will be alright."

Sometimes, everything's not alright.

As I wound down my time with "Sacred Self-Care," I wasn't, to be honest, completely sure how I felt about it. I suppose I've reached this point where devotionals exist with such heightened and histrionic prayers and salutations that I was rather jarred by this gentle, nurturing, transparent, and tender devotional that met me where I was at and affirmed I was worthy of my entire self being nurtured.

After resting with "Sacred Self-Care" for about 48 hours, I realized it was exactly the devotional I needed it to be.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this text as a Lenten devotional— Dr. Walker-Barnes has much to offer the world with her research, conviction, and gentleness.

“We have been wearing the wrong yoke. Ours is not the faith that ends in a tomb on Good Friday. It is the faith that greets an empty tomb on Easter Sunday. It is the faith that meets a risen Christ who bids us to rise with him. This is the faith that sacred self-care helps us to live into— resurrecting faith” (186).

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and gleaned so much from it!

[Renee Davis Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This day by day exploration of self care came at just the right time for me. Dr. Chanequa is thorough, honest, and realistic about the challenges of living a life of self compassion and care, which is counter cultural and even revolutionary. I loved this book, highlighted it in my first newsletter, and have already given a couple as gifts.

[Colleen Aben]

This book has some great selling points. It was used as our church lenten book study and received great reviews. The chapters were bite size and manageable amidst a busy life. There were some great nuggets of wisdom that could be applied. While some chapters spoke to me more than others, there was always something I could get out of the discussion. For time purposes, I read each section as a whole in 30min the day before book club. However, most in the group read one day at a time and agreed it's a book worth revisiting.

[Sharon Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chanequa Walker-Barnes resurrects the lost art of self care. Using scripture and her Christian faith, she shows us that self-care is not only necessary for a fruitful life if purpose, it's a gift designed and ordained by God-- It's biblical! Broken up by week with a different focus, Sacred Self Care gives you a daily reading and practice to perform and reflect on for the day, allowing you to really rework the practice of self care in your life. While I differ slightly in some of the author's beliefs and interpretations, this book as a whole does a good job of providing tools for self care while also giving the reader the knowledge of why it's so critical in our life.
Thank you to HarperOne for the E-Arc of this book, which comes out on 8-14-23

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 49 day devotional with a strong connection to Lent, but the theme is self care and Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes is a needed voice in Christianity. She makes the connection between self care and being able to be an effective Christian using the Bible, her own loved experience, and modern advances in psychology to make her points. I love when she talks about when Jesus says “love God and love others as yourself” because when we love ourselves well, we can then love others well too and she talks about how she was able to better love others as she began caring for herself. This books is packed with so much wisdom.

It’s divided into forty nine day devotionals and every seventh day is a weekly wrap up. The weeks are themed: understanding self care from a biblical lease, caring for yourself physically, emotionally, caring for yourself using self compassion, caring for yourself with boundaries, caring for yourself mentally, and caring for yourself as a life practice. The seven day wrap ups were one of my favorites because she includes a prayer and a hymn from the African Heritage Hymnal that relates to the topic. I love music and found myself wanting to go to YouTube to hear the songs as they were sung.

If I had one critique, there were a couple places on a very few days where it felt like it was getting political. I strongly feel like the whole wide world of Christianity needs Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes perspectives shared in this book, and just knowing the political landscape in this country, there will be some who may toss the baby out with the proverbial bath water when seeing those sentences— and those outside United States of America will not totally “get it”. And truly, both sides of the political spectrum can and will absolutely benefit from the message Dr. Chanequa has shared here. If Christians on both sides cared for themselves as directed here, we might find our country begins to heal as Christians find margin to see all humans as people made in the image of God— but as the author states in the beginning, that starts with us treating our SELF as a whole person made in the Image of God.

I’d like to thank Harper One and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kimberly Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Self-care is something that many of us know that we "should" be doing, but cannot find the time to implement. This book by Dr. Walker-Barnes breaks down a self-care routine into 7 weeks of manageable bite sized action steps. Each week includes a devotional and a theme. Some of the themes include: gratitude, compassion, setting boundaries, and more. Each day you are provided with a short reading on the self-care skill, an activity to utilize to practice the self-care skill, and a short devotional. This book was easy to read and implement. It should be noted that it geared toward one that is seeking a self-care routine that is also devotional in nature. I would have preferred a longer, year long book, but this is a great start. I am looking forward to other self-help books by this author. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Nicole VanderDoes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not one for “self care,” because it is often presented as materialistic or an escape from real life. Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes does an excellent job showing how to care for ourselves in practical, everyday ways. Her insights and prompts helped me appreciate that caring for myself honors God, brings me closer to God, and makes me better able to be in community in healthy, life-giving ways. The more I care for myself, the more I can be an example and support to others in doing the same. My small group read this book and everyone got different things out of it but the consensus was it is among each person’s favorite books we’ve read (and we’ve read a lot!). Now the challenge is to continue putting into practice some of the new things that emerged while reading the book, because sacred self-care is an ongoing, never-ending journey.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an essential book for our life.

I have a hard time sticking with devotionals. I usually put them down after week three. But THISSSS devotional has been a constant part of my journey. I finished it! I looked forward to my time with it each morning and holding its wisdom close. Dr. Chanequa is a woman who has been to the edge of burnout and beyond it as she battled cancer twice and sought her own pathway for caring for herself beyond capitalistic luxury. Every day has a practical guide to what it truly means to care for yourself. From affirmations to movement to boundary setting and beyond. This book gives you the tools you’ll need to show up for yourself over and over again. Keep it with you and cherish it at all time.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how Dr. Walker-Barnes provides a wise and deeply intellectual understanding of self-care and the issues related to it. Yet it was not a dry cerebral book; it was filled with warmth and emotion. And it was incredibly relatable.

It really changed my life!

I especially love how the chapters are laid out. Each chapter gives practical ideas to implement self-care. I found that self-care tends to be a very nebulous concept, so it is especially helpful to have a book with suggestions that are actually doable. I especially appreciate that. Most of her suggestions cost no money at all. Even better, these are suggestions that can become a routine part of life. She asks thought provoking questions in the book which really helps personal growth.

[Samyy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an alright self-help book, but it's nothing revolutionary. Heavily bound to religion, which I think serves only as added baggage. Some good ideas, though mostly incredibly basic concepts like drinking more water, eating nutritionally adequate food, and getting rest. But also, some other ideas about compassion for others, and acknowledging your "enoughness" in the face of a hyper-capitalistic society.

I would say, a good read for anyone very new to self-care, or who views self-care only in capitalistic terms such as consumerism & travel.

[Robert Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes wrote this book for me. Ok, not really, but I felt it was so personally articulated and written that it felt like I had a book that was written, published, and marketed to me. You will find Dr. Walker-Barnes' uncanny ability to call it like it is coupled with her ability to empathize and show compassion. You will see yourself in this book, and it will be holy. Read it and keep it close.

[JA · Rating 5 out of 5]

“At its core, Sabbath is about ceasing from labor. It is also, as [Marva] Dawn points out, about ceasing from arriving, from anxiety and worry, and from the pressure to be productive. Sabbath is an invitation to cease our activity, to rest in God’s peaceful presence, to embrace a countercultural way of living, and to feast on the beauty and joy of God’s world and the eschatological hope of God’s kin-dom.”

[Siv · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! Culturally, our views of self-care swing from "selfish" to "sacrificed for the good of others," when in reality, God loves those God created & would certainly prefer we take care of us. Instead of reading one reflection daily, I read one set of seven devotions per day. It works that way, but also, this would be a great Lenten devotion - & she has it set up to work perfectly in that season.

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacred Self-Care by Chanequa Walker-Barnes gives a lot of good ideas to find a path to peace through mindfulness, spirituality, and boundaries. The spiritual side connects to every part of an individual and this book is thorough and helpful because it incorporates that piece into making a plan to increase one's comfort. The author has taken the time to really help readers in their own lives by making a detailed worksheet in the back of the book.

[Nick Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this once last year solo and then again as a Bible study. I have bought copies and gifted it. My Kindle copy apparently has 231 highlights in it. If I had a nearby rooftop, you would hear me shouting from it. Read this book. Do this challenge (even if, as it did for me) it takes 90 days rather than 40. Walker-Barnes is a human, great, loving, funny author. I think any spiritually minded folks, Christian or not, would benefit here too.

[Maggie Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as part of a small group study at my church. I've been trying to take better care of myself and the holistic approach Dr Walker-Barnes takes is very appealing to me. It was also cool for me to rediscover and renew some practices I was taught in high school to meditate and deal with stress. I highly recommend this book for not just those looking to start a self-care journey, just those who need to take it to the next stage or to refresh practices.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

book for every believer

For many in the “Done” or “gone” group, this is a needed book. Practical and also restorative and healing. ❤️‍🩹 This book is meant to be read slowly, and I’d also say with others. Take it a chapter at a time. Journey into slowing down and to self care and not just read about it.

[Annie Lockhart-Gilroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciate the deeper more meaningful approach to self-care. I worked through this alone and am working on getting a group together to do a group Lenten practice. Since there are so many nuggets in this book and all cannot be incorporated at the same time, this is a book I will revisit over and over again.

[Karen Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide to use to investigate self-care practices as a spiritual person. The whole course is seven weeks and each day you are given a daily assignment grounded in scripture that was very easy to understand and complete. In Week 1 you learn what scared self-care is you move across the weeks to Week 7 when you figure out how to incorporate it into your real life.

[Rebecca Maurer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read through this book as a Lenten study last year and am revisiting pieces of it briefly as I process some possible life transitions and I want to be buoyed by Dr. Walker-Barnes' soothing, knowing, caring voice. After reading this book, I immediately started following Dr. Barnes on social media and Substack, and I am so excited to read the next book she is working on.

[Thomas (Tom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transparent, honest, reflective, spiritual, healing, emotional, impactful, and will stay in my backpack to and from home every day for reference...and by the way, the Lenten Sermon Series and study for my congregation in 2024.

[Anna Tulou · Rating 4 out of 5]

a daily devotional for a season such as Lent, very rooted in Christian tradition, with progressive and liberatory contextualizations. helpful for spiritual seekers, or for ministers and spiritual directors, especially helpful for the tools, inventories, and daily rule guide in the back...

[Brindi Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

7-week devotional self-care guide. this was decent and liked the focus of non-materialistic ($$$) forms of self-care.

[Tanya Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent follow up to Heavy a Yoke! Great book to share with my sacred sisters reading group.

[Kelly Sauskojus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply enjoyed reading this during Dr. Walker-Barnes Lenten study. Deeply thoughtful, especially for chronic pain folks in academia doing a lot of spiritual and community care.