Take care of yourself: In case of emergency, put your own oxygen mask on first

Have any of you ever really listened to the pre-flight instructions given by the flight attendant prior to departure? Personally, I hate to fly. It kind of scares me and listening to the flight attendant droll on about what to do when a plane crash is imminent does not inspire confidence. But on one particularly long flight I decided that I should listen to what they were saying. After all, if I was going down in the Atlantic, perhaps I really should know what to do.

There was one instruction that especially caught my attention. "Should the oxygen mask fall from the compartment above your head, put your own oxygen mask on first, and then help the others around you." You should take heed of this. Did you know that when the oxygen fails on a plane you only have seventeen seconds of air? Seventeen seconds, then you lose consciousness and are of no help to anyone.

Put your own mask on first. There is such wisdom in those few words. We must be willing to help ourselves if we want to help anyone else. Yet we do just the opposite. We spend so much time taking care of everyone else, that we frequently forget to take care of ourselves! We want to solve everyone else's problems and take on every volunteer opportunity offered to us. After all, don't we all want to be the star that shines the brightest?

I can't tell you the number of times that I have burned myself out by failing to put my own mask on first. It's easy to become so busy solving everyone else's problems that you ignore your own need for rest, restoration, and time away. And that easily leads to burn out, anger, and resentment. Our value does not lie in how many problems we solve on behalf of others. Our value emanates from the divine spark that God placed in each of us. That is the source of our inner light. But that light can easily be extinguished if we do not learn to be still, nurture ourselves, and listen to God.

Perhaps it's time that we all learn to nurture ourselves. And in so doing, we will better be able to help those around us. Discover and nurture you own inner light by treating yourself as kindly and with as much compassion as you do those around you. What would nurturing yourself look like? For me, putting on an oxygen mask involves photography, sitting quietly in my garden, and saying "no" to those projects I'm really not passionate about.

How about you? What would putting on your own mask first entail? Would you have a cup of hot tea in the morning before everyone else gets up? Would you have a quiet dinner with your best friend? Would you take time out for an early morning jog around the park? Make a list of ways that you can nurture yourself and start doing those things today.

May God who makes all things new, strengthen you and renew your spirit.

Resources: life is a verb by Patti Digh

I would love to hear some of the ways you go about nurturing yourself. If you would like to share some of your ideas, please leave a comment below.