Oxygen Mask Phenomenon

Good Morning! :)

I was sitting at the table this morning, drinking my coffee and enjoying that specific quiet that only comes before 7:00 am, and it occurred to me that, hey... this is important!

Even before I was a mom, I had a hard time understanding why, on airplanes, when they're giving the pre-flight safety speech (that most everyone ignores because they've heard it a thousand times and already know how to buckle a seatbelt!), they say to put on your oxygen mask before assisting others.

Put yourself first? I would think.  Who DOES that??

Certainly now, as a mother, it seems to go against my instincts even more!  Mind you, I've never been in a situation on a plane where the masks were needed but in my mind it seems ridiculous sometimes to even imagine putting my own oxygen mask on before my daughter's!

The reason is pretty simple: without oxygen you cannot function.  The chances of someone becoming hypoxic in the few seconds it would take you to put your mask on before helping them with theirs is pretty slim.  But if you try to put someone else's mask on before yours and run into a problem, you might become hypoxic in the meantime!  And then, if that happens, that child or person that is depending on you would really be on their own!

And I realized just how often I think this way!  And I also realized that this idea applies to more than just oxygen masks on airplanes.

As a person, not just a mom, I need to take care of myself in order to be able to do the things I need to do in life.  Whether that be showing up for work on time, taking care of my daughter, doing my share of the housework, keeping commitments to friends, etc.

In my mommy-life, I think of it less in terms of oxygen and hypoxia and more in terms of sanity.  If I don't take 5 minutes here and there to do something for ME, I'll lose my sanity!  If I don't let the baby cry in her crib for 10 minutes and walk away and do something else, I'm going to go crazy.  If I go crazy and get angry, how can I be a good parent?  

Oxygen and sanity are both very important.

So take the time.  Take 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes.  Do something to keep yourself sane.  If you need help, ask.  It's not a shameful thing to need help.  Nobody can do everything all by themselves!

Oh, and if you're ever on an airplane and the masks drop down... stay calm, and put your own mask on first!  Even if that seem to contradict everything you think you know about altruism.  

Happy Wednesday!!!