A reminder to take care of ourselves, so that we can take care of others! From Daily OM ....

October 26, 2006

Daily Self-Care
Putting Yourself First

We have all heard the instructions of an airline attendant reminding us to put
on our own oxygen mask before we help anyone else with theirs. This advice is
often cited as a metaphor for self-care because it so accurately expresses why
it is important. It seems to say, ironically, that if you can't take care of
yourself for yourself, do it for others. Few situations in our daily lives mimic
the wake-up call of an airplane emergency, so it's easy to keep putting
self-care off-easy, that is, until we get sick, overwhelmed, or exhausted, and
suddenly don't have the energy to care for the people who count on us. That's
when we realize we haven't been getting the oxygen we need to sustain ourselves.
We begin to understand that taking care of ourselves is neither selfish nor
indulgent; it's just plain practical.

Putting yourself first means that it may be necessary to say no to someone else
in order to say yes to yourself. For many of us, there is always something we
feel we could be doing for someone else, and it helps to remember the oxygen
metaphor. You can even encourage yourself by saying "I am caring for myself so
that I am better able to care for others" or some other mantra that will
encourage you. It also helps to remember that self-care doesn't have to be
composed of massively time-consuming acts. In fact, the best prescription for
taking care of yourself is probably small, daily rituals; for example, taking
one half-hour for yourself at the beginning and end of the day to meditate,
journal, or just be. You might also transform the occasional daily shower or
bath into a half-hour self-pampering session.

Whatever you decide, making some small gesture where you put yourself first
every day will pay off in spades for you and the ones you love. The oxygen you
need is all around you; sometimes you just need to be reminded to breathe.


Me:57 H:52 M:28 Got another lawyer last year and filed.
D35,S/D twins28,D22
EA4/04 End? Who knows?
"Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you." — Peace Pilgrim