Put your oxygen mask on first

I love to travel.  Personally, I have learned a lot through my travels.  Not just about people and places but things like being efficient, what I can survive with or without, alternative uses for products and items in my purse, and so forth.   I think one thing that has stuck with me lately is that dance video on Virgin America..you know the safety video.  Not all of it but the part where the adult puts their oxygen mask on before putting one on someone else.  Well, seeing that visually finally made that statement about ‘put your oxygen mask on first’ sink in for me.  I realized I was trying to help someone else and had not taken care of myself.  I had not taken the time to provide myself the basics—Maslow’s hierarchy of needs indicates some needs take precedence over others like food, water, warmth, and rest.  Don’t get me wrong; I was not trying to reach self-actualization, I was trying to be a provider.  Therefore, how can I have the energy to sustain anyone else if I did not have the basics?  The one big lesson I learned this past year is that it is ok to put your oxygen mask on first before helping someone else.

Exhale!