Take care of yourself first, it’s like that airplane safety line: “put on your own oxygen mask first”. When you have air to breathe, you can show up in your life, in all of it. During the holidays, when the family gets together and when you are hanging out with yourself you can breathe.
“Take care of ME first, I can’t do that! I’ve got way too much to get done.” The mind screams. BUT, when the mind gets scared, taking care of ourselves is of utmost priority, more imperative than ever. We must return to our intuition, to our hearts and not get carried away in the endless litany of push through, of family expectations and pleasing others. When you have plenty of oxygen, you keep perspective, keep priorities straight, have patience, see alternate possibilities and ultimately have peace inside. We all know the other way of push through until we collapse. It doesn’t make sense if we stop to consider it yet many of us have repeated the cycle over and over again.
Do you know what it means for you to put on your own oxygen mask first? Do you know how to take care of yourself? Not your partner, your kids, your business, your home but YOU. Self-love, your breath, your ways to nourish you in the midst of a really full life.
2 Strategies to put on your own oxygen mask first:
1. Set a 15 minute timer and hang out with yourself. Sit still until you know on a gut level how you want to move. Not based on your list, old habits or on anyone else’s expectation. Just enjoy this very moment. It’s only 15 minutes.
2. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Write down what must happen today(include self-care) and make a separate list for what would be nice to have happen. Get clear on your priorities, stand up tall, take care of yourself in the midst of all of the things you ‘have’ to do. If you put yourself high up on your list, you will reap great rewards in productivity.
Take care of yourself first and you will have much more to give to your family, your life and the world.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week! Enjoy yourself!