Buried by Burdens?

When I felt buried by all I had going on in my life, I tried every trick in the book to find 'balance'. But it turns out, balance wasn't what I needed. It wasn't until I discovered this one critical key that I finally found relief.

There have been times that have been particularly heavy for me on a personal front, and I have found it difficult to be there to support and encourage others - both at work and at home. I know that many people experience days, weeks, maybe even months or years, where they struggle with the difficulty of life and the many needs assailing them. Maybe you know this feeling too.

So often, the cry of our heart when we're overwhelmed like this can be, "What about me? When will I have time for me?" Yet we see the list of things to do, we see the needs of our children, our friends, our family, our work, the organisations we support, and we bury our own needs to do all that we feel we are expected to do. We feel like life has become too heavy, and we don't know how to get ourselves out of this mess.

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The Airline Philosophy

Feeling buried is not nice. One day as I was talking with a friend, I ended up 'vomiting up' all my pain and stress of my endless lists of things to do and the needs of those around me. She listened with compassion, and then reminded me of the 'airline philosophy'.

When passengers board an aeroplane, one of the first things that the stewards will do is the safety briefing. Part of the safety briefing tells passengers what to do if the cabin begins to lose oxygen. The stewards say something like, "In the event of an emergency, oxygen masks will drop down from the overhead lockers. You must fit your own oxygen mask first. Then assist children or those around you."

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The reason behind this is that if the oxygen level in the aeroplane cabin has dropped and you don't put your mask on, you're going to end up passed out on the floor. And if you're passed out on the floor, you can't help other people. Indeed, others have to come to your rescue!

The thing is, this is true in life as well. It is precisely when things are busiest, when the needs and demands on our time are the greatest, that we need to look after ourselves first. Because if we end up - literally or figuratively - passed out on the floor, we can't help anyone. Being proactive in fitting our own oxygen mask FIRST then enables us to meet the needs around us.

'Oxygen Mask Time'

The best thing we can do to be there for the people and needs around us is to take time for ourselves, to put our 'oxygen mask' on, and recharge our mental, emotional, and spiritual 'lungs'. It doesn't have to be a lot of time. Even 5, 10 or 15 minutes of downtime on a regular basis, switching off from all our worries and to do lists, can do wonders for our soul.

Everyone has different interests and likes. Your 'oxygen mask time' may be watching a TV episode or reading a book. It may be going for a coffee. It may be sitting outside to watch the sunset. It may be going for a walk in a park, or looking at flowers. It may just be stopping - doing absolutely nothing at all. For me, one of my big things I love to do is photography. So when I need an 'oxygen mask' moment, I'll grab my camera and head outdoors.

Guilt Free!

It doesn't matter what you do, that time for yourself is precious. And it is guilt-free, because by taking that time to put your oxygen mask on, you're equipping yourself to be a better parent, partner, family member and friend that can assist and support those around you.

What about you?

I would love to hear some of the ways you take time to put your oxygen mask on - please leave a comment below!