Review "Take care of yourself" by Pablo Martinez

There is a small section of my bookshelves that is designated “Helpful books with unhelpful titles”! I think I’m going to be adding this book to that shelf. 

The title is based on Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders, where he writes, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock” (Acts 20:28a). The context is that Paul was predicting that “fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock” (v29). So, for Martinez to reduce these verses to “take care of yourself” seems to miss something of the mutual emphasis of Paul’s encouragement to look out for one another. And that shift in emphasis is probably the weak point of this book. Many of us, in various forms of Christian ministry, know that burnout is not so far off. The Bible’s answer is not to “try harder to look after yourself”. Rather, it encourages us to guard one another. But, in this book, there is just a passing reference in chapter 4 to mutual support and accountability.

That aside, there are many things that I love about this very readable book.  Firstly, it is short! The last thing an overloaded person needs is a long technical book. Pablo Martinez is an experienced psychiatrist, and he clearly has helpful insights into both how people struggle and how to break free from bad habits.

Secondly, the tone of the book is gentle, without encouraging us to be self-indulgent. The first chapter normalises the reality that we are all fragile and in need of rest. The second chapter explains the “empty pool” concept that, when we are depleted more than we are refreshed, we are heading for burnout. It also describes some symptoms of overwork.

Chapter 3 looks at unhelpful attitudes and activities that will leave us drained. In balance to this, chapters 4 & 5 look at healthy approaches to life that will refresh us. Chapter 4 is mainly about relationships with those around us, and chapter 5 looks specifically at our relationship with God.

The third reason that I love this book is that the author packs it with plenty of memorable and godly wisdom. It will especially appeal to those who love imagery. Martinez clearly has an eye for memorable pictures from the Bible, from being jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4) to keeping our own vineyards in order (Song of Songs 1:6b). There are also extra-biblical images, such as the robin’s nest under the waterfall (p.71). 

This book contains many jewels, which have clearly come from hours of mining Scripture and art for rich metaphors. Indeed, one can imagine a companion inspirational calendar with Bible quotes printed over evocative images!

Overall, this is a handy little book that I would eagerly encourage fellow Christians to read and apply to their lives. But I have to confess that I’m a bad example of someone who has read the book, underlined a few inspiring quotations, and then remained largely unchanged in my ingrained habits of over-committing myself. 

There is a brief set of application questions at the end of the book, but the author does not explicitly link them to the earlier chapters. If you want to apply the good ideas in this book to your life, I would recommend working through it, one chapter at a time, with a few like-minded Christians who know you well. You could then help one another to digest the most relevant material and hold one another accountable for changing unhealthy patterns. With the help of brothers and sisters in Christ, this book has the potential to be a catalyst for improved godly balance in our lives and in the lives of those close to us.

“Take care of yourself”  by Pablo Martinez

(Hendrickson Publishers, 2018) 104 pages

£4.99 paperback, £1.99 Kindle.

This article was originally published in the summer 2022 edition of the TFT magazine, Ascend. Click the button below to download your copy.