Oxygen Mask

We've all heard the expression “put on your oxygen mask first”.  Essentially if we don’t, we die and can’t care for anyone else.  As moms, dads, people pleasers, human beings, we tend to forget this.  We do, do, do for others constantly and we forget how important it is to care for ourselves first.  This is the recipe for stress, sickness, burnout and resentment.

My husband and I are doers!  We both work full time jobs and part time side hustles, cook almost every single meal we consume, maintain our physical fitness, care for our home, a human child, and dog.  I’m taking college classes and he just took on a promotion at work.  Sometimes on Fridays and Saturdays we are exhausted, burnt out mentally and physically and just so done with the week.  It’s really the perfect recipe for a full-blown Saturday Show Down.

We must take good care of ourselves in order to take care of other people.  We must prioritize ourselves over everyone else.  It sometimes feels selfish and it’s hard to do but it’s necessary.  You cannot be the best version of yourself if you’re not at your best.  What does your best look like? 

For me, it means being honest about how I am feeling.  It means telling my family that I have had a hard day at work and before we jump into dinner routine, I need a timeout and meditative shower.  It means telling my husband that I need him to help with the meal prep this week or picking up the groceries.  It looks like telling my son that I need ten minutes before we can talk about his day because I want to give him my undivided attention and I can’t do that when I am unpacking all of the bags that I took to work that day. 

What I need looks different daily.  Being aware of and communicating these needs has been the hardest part of my self-care journey but the rewards of feeling supported, cared for and closer to my family has ten times outweighed the discomfort.