Nepsis: Attending to Ourselves in the Age of Anxiety

Today we are exploring an ancient command with urgent modern relevance: Attend to yourself.

Saint Basil the Great reminds us that this practice, called Nepsis or watchfulness, is the key to healing our anxious, distracted lives. We live in a world that constantly pulls us outward into endless scrolling, productivity pressures, and carefully curated online personas. The Fathers would not see this simply as busyness but as a deep spiritual crisis.

We feel anxious because we neglect the one thing truly ours to give to God: a healed and attentive heart. But Saint Basil’s wisdom calls us back to the inner life.

To attend to yourself means to watch your thoughts, guard your heart, and continually turn back to God. It does not require great feats. It begins with simple practices: a minute of silence, a brief prayer, a pause to reflect on God’s presence.

We invite you to join us as we uncover how this ancient command can reshape our prayer life, renew our focus, and restore peace in our relationship with God and others.

This is not about adding more to your already full plate. It is about learning a different way to hold the plate. May God grant us the strength to attend to ourselves and to find His peace within.