Self-neglect Abuse
Self-neglect is personally inflicted self-abuse. Self-neglect happens when an individual becomes disinterested in life and self-care, which leads to an unwillingness to attend to one’s personal needs or hygiene. A major underlying cause of self-neglect can be traced to either some form of life challenge that is past, or ongoing or some form of illness, which can be physical or mental. A survey published in 2021 in the United Kingdom, showed a 26% rise in self-neglect. This is reflective of the increasingly stressful environment and lifestyles we are trying to cope with, which is leading to more cases of mental health challenges.
God’s thoughts on self-neglect
God cares for the lowly, those overwhelmed with life challenges. Life challenges that have put you into a pit can be devastating to overcome and find the mental resilience to pull through. In Job 33, verses 24 and 25, God says ‘Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him. Then his flesh is refreshed like a child’s; he returns to the days of his youth. These are such encouraging and uplifting verses for those who have lost hope and moved into mental, emotional, and physical self-neglect. In times of what looks like utter hopelessness, we have to be like Abraham in Romans 4, verses 17 to 21.
The verses reflect how there was no hope in the physical for Abraham and his wife. It narrates how dead and useless the situation was. Yet, though Abraham acknowledges the severity of the situation, he chose to trust God that is able to give life to dead situations and call those things that are not as though they were. Self-neglect is a pit situation of hopelessness, but like Abraham and David, we have to encourage ourselves in God and choose not to give up on life. We have to fight mental and spiritually for a better tomorrow and hope for a turnaround in our situation. For without hope you will not be able to lift yourself out of the pit that life challenges can put you in, which leads to further deterioration.
What are the signs of self-neglect?
- A lack of interest in or concern for life.
- Self-destructive or significant behavioural changes
- Ignoring one’s personal surroundings
- Personal inability or unwillingness to manage one’s own affairs
- Lack of self-care to the point where it jeopardizes personal health and safety
- Decreased memory, confusion, and disorientation.
- Unexpected or unexplained deterioration in one’s health or living conditions.
- Spending excessive amounts of time alone or isolated from previous activities.
What are the Impacts of self-neglect?
Self-neglect takes the person away from the joy of living and the beauty of life. The individual is left with no interest in life and thus faces a range of psychological, emotional, and social issues. Some of which are –
- Social withdrawal and isolation from others
- Memory or decision-making disorders such as brain fog, dementia
- Misuse or abuse of substances
- Severe mood swings and depression
- Anxiety and panic attacks
In conclusion, do not ignore the signs and impacts of abuses in your life. Doing so limits God’s best for you and your life aspirations. Find ways to start your healing process. Whilst not speaking to experts may not be readily available to you, however, you can begin to take steps towards effective self-healing Christian options like meditation, prayers, scripture declaration immersion, identity in Christ refocusing and retreats.
Christians sometimes wonder how many times a day should Christians pray. It is not so much the amount of time but the intent and why you are praying. The intent should be on building a lifestyle of continual communion with God, on and off through the day. The why is appreciating the importance of prioritising
connectivity with God as a channel via which you can live life victoriously. Realising the importance of the intent and why you need to pray should then form the foundation for the motivation to build prayer as a daily lifestyle.
Remember, life is not a rehearsal. God always wants you to choose freedom in Jesus Christ. To be free, you have to decide to be 100% responsible for the change you want to see in your life, even though you may be 100% blameless for the life challenges you find yourself facing. As such, be ready for change. As the solution to overcoming life challenges will usually involve a combination of spiritual insights and practical professional skills, on things God will show you to do to surge ahead. As always, remain blessed with divine health and wellbeing.
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