19/11/2020

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Poet, Writer & History Teacher Jaspreet Kaur

Good morning.

The emotional and psychological impact of the last six months can’t be overstated. Financial pressures, instability, isolation, illness, grief and loss have affected us all to varying degrees. Some argue we’re sleepwalking our way into a mental health crisis, many already starting to feel the effects of this accumulated stress on a day-to-day basis. When many of us have more free time than we know what to do with, self-betterment can become difficult after the seventh day in pyjama bottoms…

I began to question how new the concept of self-care really was? When we were little, we used to call Sundays “hair-wash-day”. Sunday’s would be the day that my siblings and I would have to wash our hair - mine was, and still is, down past my waist, so it would take some time. Mum would then comb out all the knots, apply coconut oil, rub it into our scalp and tie a neat tight plait. I used to hate this tradition growing up, but recently I’ve found that I’ve been leaning into old habits, and finding healing there. I keep my Sunday afternoons as free as possible for this very important “me time”.

In her infamous work, A Burst of Light and Other Essays, Audre Lorde tells us that “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence.” She sees it as self-preservation, even an act of political warfare.

Dear God – help us learn how to care for ourselves better in hope that we can serve as a pillar of support for people we love and in serving God.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh (the traditional ending to a Sikh prayer)