Put Your Own Mask on First

I don’t fly much.
I love learning about airplanes.
But I don’t actually enjoy being on an airplane.
White knuckles on every flight. That’s me.

But on every flight I have ever been on, you hear the same spiel from each flight attendant. You know the one… stay in your seat when the seatbelt sign is on, your seat bottom is your flotation device, etc.

The one I want to focus on today is when they talk about a loss of pressure in the cabin causing a release of the oxygen masks. This is followed by the well known sentence, “Make sure to put your mask on first.”

For some people, this may be jarring. Questions surface. Why can’t I help my kids put on their masks first. Why can’t I help the elderly couple in front of me first? BECAUSE. You cannot be effective in helping others if you don’t take care of yourself first.

Do you see where I am going with this?
Taking care of yourself seems selfish 90% of the time, but it is paramount to not only being a productive human being, but you can only truly help other people if you have focused on your health and wellness. IT IS SO IMPORTANT. If you’re burning oil with no sleep and whatever food you have laying around the house, you may be able to feed the kids and walk the dogs, but it won’t be enjoyable. It won’t be a circumstance where your loved ones feel like they’re spending true time with you, rather it’ll be a case of checking off the boxes.

I am 100% guilty of this.
I spend so much time worrying about taking care of the needs of others. I would light myself on fire if it meant someone else could stay warm. Do you see the problem here? A constant focus on everyone else around you without taking care of yourself will lead to self destruction.

You can change the pattern. It doesn’t have to look like bath bombs and facemasks (the non fabric, over the ears kind. It can simply look like taking 20 minutes to sit outside and just breathe. It could be going for a drive by yourself to clear your head. It could be going to get a hair cut or some other activity that energizes you.

You can’t pour from an empty cup.
I get it, I do.
I am a work in progress on this one too.

• B