Put Your Own Mask On First
Did you know an empty car doesn’t run?
We were taking a flight for our family weekend getaway. I’ve flown many times, but this trip was different. I began focusing on the flight attendant and her safety warnings. “Put your mask on first, then help those around you.”
Put your mask on first, then help those around you.
Those words stuck with me throughout the trip. Later, I mentioned to my husband, the seasoned business traveler, that those words really resonated with me.
Related Post: When God Answers With An Oxygen Mask
These safety instructions are pertinent not only to airline safety but also to life. If we don’t care for ourselves first, we can’t care for others. I’m a recovering people pleaser and it’s in my nature to give all that I have to others until I physically can’t give anymore. When you don’t take the time to care for yourself, you eventually get to a point where you can’t care for others.
Taking Care of Yourself
At (a month shy of) forty, I had to learn what self-care was. My recent experience with shingles taught me I have to put my mask on first before I assist those around me. I was pouring out of an empty watering can, no longer able to be who I wanted.
Life sidelined me, but in the middle of this episode with shingles, I found God was there, holding me while I rested. It wasn’t sleep that I needed; it was fewer commitments and less pleasing others. Instead, I filled my time in the Word, filling myself with rest. There was no rushing around, there was no more piling on just one more thing. Instead, I found time to sit and be. I went back to the things I enjoyed, reading books and catching up with family and friends. There was no pressure for me to perform for others. All I needed to do was to be still and recharge.
You may not have experienced the pain of shingles, and friend, I hope you’ve not had to endure them. Maybe it’s been overwhelming or overextending yourself to please others that has caused you to burnout. We can’t work ourselves to exhaustion and keep going without recharging.
For years, people have told me to take care of myself, that self-care is important; while others have told me self-care is selfish. Both parties were right. Self-care is not only important but necessary, and it’s okay to take time to care for yourself. It took me (almost) forty years to realize that.
Is Self-Care Biblically Based?
We must all feed our bodies and soul with goodness in order to produce good fruit. If we overwork our bodies beyond their design, we cannot fulfill the commandment to love God, our neighbors, and ourselves. We aren’t showing ourselves love if we never take care of it.
Apostle Paul shares with the churches of Galatia, “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:14, NIV). We are called to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves.
Paul also writes to the church of Corinth, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NIV). We should strive to glorify God in all that we do—even mundane things. It should always be for His glory, meaning it is important to take care of the bodies and minds that He created.
Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be extravagant. There are many simple things you can do, like taking five minutes each day just to be still or taking a peaceful bath, stretching my body, and unwinding my mind. Cook a healthy meal and enjoy a walk in nature. We have to love ourselves in order to fulfill the calling of loving others.
Today, I encourage you to join me in putting your mask on first and doing one act of self-care before you help those around you.
Reflection Questions
When was the last time you did something for yourself?
How does taking care of yourself (self-care) look for you?
Do You Struggle with Chronic Illness?
Hope in the Healing
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Are you frustrated and exhausted from the all-consuming aspects of chronic illness? Are you discouraged and losing hope?
In Hope in the Healing, Brianna Barrett shares her journey through chronic illness. This 40-day devotional shares Brianna’s own struggles as she gives encouragement and hope to those walking similar paths.
