Self care is like an oxygen mask ... you must put your own on first!

Right now less people are flying due to the ongoing pandemic but many of you will remember the safety talk before take off & the bit where you are told to put your own oxygen mask on before putting your kid's mask on. I flew for the first time when i was around 16 & I thought this sounded a bit cruel! But having flown many times during my 20s when i lived in Spain I began to understand the reason. It's really quite obvious - if you're lacking in oxygen how can you possibly be of any help to your child, or anyone else that may need your help?

Does this sound familiar? It's pretty much the same as life, which we tend to live at such a pace that it is so easy to "let ourselves go" - let go of looking after our primary needs before looking after others' primary needs, let go of nurturing our own emotional needs while nurturing others, let go of our physical wellbeing while ensuring our dependants are healthy, let go of our own creativity & spontaneity while being super busy working hard to ensure our families have a safe home & food in their bellies.

Whatever your sociocultural background, whatever your current stresses in life, it can be so easy to forget the selfcare! But how can you look after others if you aren't looking after yourself?

So easy to do yet so hard to incorporate into your daily life! But perhaps now is the time to be firm with yourself! If you are a planner this is easy - you can schedule "self care time" into your diary. If you are more spontaneous, write the word "self care" & place it several places around the home so whenever you see it it will jog your memory & you can spontaneously incorporate a few minutes of selfcare in that moment -it doesn't have to be complicated - all you need is you!