Take care of your own oxygen mask before helping others….

With all the debates about masks these days, the airlines have got it right;  take care of your own oxygen mask before helping others….

This year has been a struggle in so many ways.  Finding ourselves navigating a pandemic was not something any of us saw coming.  But even without COVID-19, life is a series of balancing acts.  Work presents challenges, relationships require work, and personal self-care often finds its place at the very bottom of our everyday life lists.

Anyone nodding?  Yep, me too.

I’ve noticed I’m falling very short in the self-care category and have been for some time now.  I’ve always struggled with balancing work life with my personal life, but the past five months or so have taken that struggle to a new level. 

Not my choice.  Or is it?

With so few things we can do, visit, and engage in this year, I, like many, have spent a lot of time at home; so, I work.  It's my default.  Starting running regularly in my 30’s helped my balance immensely.  I met new friends, joined in on running dates, joined a running club, and ran countless races.  When I chose to return to school for my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I met more new friends and immersed myself in learning and applying my learning. I’ve been doing very little of what energizes or inspires me.  And I miss it. 

Worse, all this non-stop working is distracting me from other self-care opportunities: 

• Getting enough sleep
• Practicing good nutrition
• Connecting with friends & family regularly
• Remembering and participating in important dates/events
• Puzzling
• Reading
• Writing in my blog

If I expect to be a good/happy/balanced person, wife, daughter, friend, and coworker, I need to take better care of myself.  I have people to care for and take that very seriously.  So why not take self-care seriously?  Why do we so often give up or leave for last the very thing we need most to get through our good days and our bad days?

This day, Saturday, I choose to put self-care back up at the top of my list.  So, I am applying my oxygen mask before helping others;  a walk with Bella, a run outside, a healthy lunch, and...a page in my blog.

How do YOU self-care?