Self-care is Self-love

Have you been on an airplane and heard the flight attendant say put on your oxygen mask first?

Did you think about what it really means or did you immediately dismiss it telling yourself: “I can’t do that”?

What does it really mean to put on your oxygen mask first?

 

If you don’t do it, you wont  be able to be there for others when they need you… To be able to help others we must first take care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually. 

 

Giving to others without giving to yourself first is like attempting to make a withdrawal from your bank account when you had nothing in the account to begin with.  That’s called overdrawing. And even if you have overdraft protection it puts you in the negative…

 

If you don’t give to yourself first you’ll have nothing to give. What’s worse is you could burn out or be completely incapable of helping others because of illness or whatever.

 

I received the gift of spending time with my mother several months before she passed away.  It was May 2006 and I had just returned to Canada from Korea with my sons. The cancer she’d been diagnosed with four years before had returned and she had just been admitted to hospital for a few days.

 

One of the things she sat me down and told me was: “Make sure you continue to take care of yourself. Even if other people think that you’re being selfish, do for yourself first. If I had known this my whole life, perhaps I wouldn’t be in this situation.”

 

I had been practicing self-care for many years from doing Assertiveness Training and had always known it was the right thing to do but hearing this from my mom really cemented it in my mind and heart.

 

Here was a  woman who had practiced self-sacrifice her whole life.  Wherever she went people loved and admired her for her generosity. She had always given to others first and many times there was nothing left for herself.  It amazed me that she had been given this flash of insight which she chose to share with me. It touched me in a way that nothing else could.

 

Whether you’re a young adult just starting out in life or you’re older and have been through lots of life take care of yourself first.

Whether you’re in a helping profession or you have children and a family that depends on you or perhaps you’re a very generous person to others - take time for yourself.  Whatever your situation, practice self-care. Your family, home, school, church, workplace, neighbours, friends, community, society, world will benefit from your self-care.

 

 

Tips to start practicing self-care:

1.   Make a note in your planner to have some “Me” time this week.

2.   Take an hour of undisturbed time that you’re going to spend completely by yourself. No distractions allowed. Turn off your cell phone, computer.  Tell your children, partner, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, friends you’re not available.

3.   Take some time to think about the things you enjoy doing.  Maybe it’s watching an episode of Mr. Bean, Sesame Street or your favourite comedian.  It could be drawing or painting a picture.  For some people it’s getting a massage, a bubble bath, a foot soak.  For others it’s going for a walk, swim, hike.  It could be settling down in a favourite chair with a book.  The ideas are as unique as you.

4.   Do something you enjoy for that hour. Notice how you feel after the experience.

5.   Have a “Me time” date every week over the next 90 days. It will change your life.

 

For more ideas on how to practice self-care check out my e-Book “Whose Life Is It Anyway: 10 Tips to Get Your Life On Track”.

If you need one-on-one help send me an email: lorna@lornablake.com and I’ll be happy to help you out.