Self-care is a buzzword nowadays. When I hear the term, my mind immediately jumps to images of women in white, fuzzy robes lounging at a spa with space alien-green goo slathered on their faces and cucumber slices masking their eyes. That’s not fair, I know. Self-care is so much more than luxurious pampering. But many misconceptions about self-care lead us to a) misuse it, or b) not do it at all.
And both are improper for God’s people.
Let’s talk about self-care for Christian teens—what it looks like, what it isn’t, and how you can use it to maximize your ability to serve and glorify God with your life.
Hey, I’m Lauren, author of YA Christian fiction and blogger for teens with higher aim.
In This Article
What Is Self-Care?
To clear up a few misconceptions about self-care, self-care is the practice of looking after your own well-being. It’s a series of concious choices to develop and maintain habits that promote good physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health in yourself.
Diet and exercise are only part of it.
If you’re a teen, up to this point, your parents have likely assumed the bulk of responsibility for your health. Maybe they’ve set limits for screen time and how many cookies you eat after supper. They probably still schedule your doctor appointments and make you go to bed by a certain time. If so, thank them. Overseeing the care of another individual is no easy task.
But at some point, you will need to take the reins and become responsible for your wellbeing, body, mind, and soul. This includes learning how to maintain good habits, set boundaries, accept your own limits, and feed your soul.
Why Self-Care is Important For Christian Teens
As I said in Let Your Life Be a Glimpse of God’s Glory, your main job as a Christian is to glorify God in all you do. If you don’t take care of yourself, your ability to do that is negatively impacted. A well-tuned car performs better than one with bald tires, a loose timing belt, and no gas. A well-fed horse is more likely to win the race than one emaciated.
The person who takes proper care of his or her healthy is better equipped to serve God at full capacity.
So, is self-care selfish? Your mind and body are gifts from God and it’s your responsibility to take proper care of them. In this respect, self-care is not only not selfish, but your duty as a son or daughter of God.
But at what point does self-care become an excuse for laziness or downright selfishness?
When Self-Care Becomes An Excuse
One of the misconceptions about self-care that leads us to either chase it or turn our noses up at it is that self-care equals self-indulgence.
It’s okay to pamper yourself occasionally. Really, it is. If massages and facials, or popcorn and movies, are favorite stress relievers, by all means, make time for that once in a while. But self-care should not be used as a license for continued self-indulgence.
Nor should self-care become an excuse for avoiding all stress. This is life on earth, and you should expect to encounter uncomfortable situations. Think of a work of blown glass and the amount of stress it had to go through to become beautiful. God uses stresses to shape you and build your resilience and trust in him.
Take care of yourself, yes. Take time for renewal, yes. But don’t hide from life.
Have a very narrow comfort zone? See my post Let’s Get Uncomfortable: Mental Toughness for Christian Teens.
12 Healthy Self-Care Ideas For Christian Teens
These self-care ideas for Christian teens will keep you refreshed and ready to do God’s work.
1) Do a digital detox.
Teens in 2025 spend an average of eight hours and thirty-nine minutes on screens every day, with almost half that time being phone time. Your brain and your mental health need a break. Maybe your parents enforce screen-time controls, but why not take responsibility for your own habits?
Check out my post Put Down Your Phone! The Magic of Digital Minimalism for help with this.
2) Practice deep breathing.
Deep breathing is so powerful, it’s one of the first tools experts suggest in moments of extreme stress. (It’s mentioned several times in my post Break the Cycle of Performance Anxiety: Inside the Minds of Pros.) You can try specific deep-breathing exercises (there are lots to choose from), or you can simply take a few moments during the day—especially during moment of stress—to calm your mind and body with slow, diaphragmatic breathing. See how grounded it makes you feel!
3) Spend regular time in prayer.
Self-care for Christian teens must include dedicated time solely for prayer. Put away your phone, remove all distractions, find a quiet place, and talk to God. Bring him your joys and concerns. Lay your heart on him. Bask in the knowledge that he’s listening attentively.
Spruce up your prayer life with the ideas in these articles:
4) Meditate on scripture, hear God’s voice.
Prayer is you talking to God, your Bible is how he talks back. Don’t skip this part or you might as well be talking to the moon. You have the privilege of knowing your God through his Word, and it’s his Word that rejuvenates you and guides you. Daily times spent in scripture isn’t just an ideal. It’s critical.
Posts to help you make Bible-reading part of your daily self-care routine:
5) Give journaling a try.
Before you turn your nose up at this, think of how nice it is to release all your pent-up frustrations and sort through your emotional deluge. Journaling is a constructive way of doing that, even if you never read what you wrote. It helps you process, set goals, and reflect. You don’t have to do it every day to see benefits. A plain notebook will do, but for a little Christian inspiration and visual aesthetic, check out these journals.
6) Get outside.
Enjoy the world as God intended it to be enjoyed in the Garden of Eden: fresh air, sunshine, and nature. Even if you live in the city, a stroll in the park can do wonders for your mental health. Go hiking, visit a lake, walk on the beach. And practice some of that deep breathing.
7) Listen to music.
As a pro-musician, I have always been fascinated by music’s ability to express that which words cannot. Some people create playlists for different moods. Some add in a little dancing (a very effective stress reliever). Don’t worry about what’s popular or what your friends are listening to. If you like Pavoratti, by all means, listen to Pavarotti!
8) Get lost in creativity.
I love to do things with my hands—art, baking, interior decorating, music, gardening, etc. What are your creative pursuits? Taking part in creative hobbies is not a selfish endeavor, as research shows a connection between creativity and mental health. So here’s the permission you need to take up crochetting or learn to play the guitar!
9) Exercise.
Exercise not only improves physical health, but it can also relieve mental stress. Not a fan of sports or weightlifting? Think outside the box. Dancing, water aerobics, raking leaves, washing floors, and jumping rope count as exercise.
10) Adopt healthy eating habits.
An Instagrammer I follow recently made a reel connecting her struggle against temptation with how well she cares for her body. She realized focusing on healthy habits boosted her resilience to temptation. Fascinating, right?
If this is the case, Christian teens have more reason to adopt healthy eating habits than simple physical health. There’s something about the discipline that comes with a healthy diet (and exercise) that builds up your immunity to temptation, making healthy eating a crucial element of self-care for Christian teens.
Check out these 15 healthy eating tips that glorify God.
11) Get some sleep.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teens need an average of eight to ten hours of sleep every twenty-four-hour period, adults seven to nine hours. Are you getting enough? You’d be surprised how much too little sleep can affect your ability to serve God to your fullest—and, conversely, how many stresses can be erased simply by getting enough sleep.
Sleep is one of the simplest, least expensive ways to improve your health. Don’t shortchange yourself.
12) Connect with friends and family.
Everyone needs good friends, and Christian teens need the encouragement and fellowship of Christian friends. You were not made to do life alone. Put down your phone (for real) and spend quality time with these people, fully engaged. You can encourage each other to live healthy lives and serve God with your best.
Is it un-Christian to cut off toxic relationships?
That might sound like a silly question, but consider how many Christians continue socializing with draining friends or that unbelieving boyfriend in the name of witnessing. Yes, you are called to be a witness to the ends of the earth, but laying yourself out like roadkill for a careless person to continually run over is NOT witnessing.
If you have friends who continually drain your mental and emotional energy and leave you confused and frustrated, it might be time to move away from them and seek nurturing relationships. Create boundaries, allow a little distance—cut off the relationship completely, if need be. Then pray for them. You don’t have to have an intimate relationship with someone to still be a witness.
Take Responsibility For Your Health!
You don’t have to have all the answers.
but, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
Check out these other resources that will help prime you to be at your best for God’s work.
Self-Care For the Teenage Mind
- Transitioning to Adulthood: Advice For Christian Teens
- Tell Yourself the Truth: How Teens Can Beat Toxic Thoughts With Faith
Self-Care For the Teenage Body
- Proverbs 31: How to Rise Above the Seduction of Unattainable Beauty
- New Year’s Resolution Success: A Biblical Approach to Fitness For Teens