Please, put on your oxygen mask
Holiday season — you don’t have any time, I know. I get it. So I’m making this brief. Just give me one minute, ‘kay?
In the midst of holiday stress — whether that’s the good kind of stress or bad — you have to — absolutely HAVE to — create time to care for you. It has to be on your list … and not last. And not pushed off, day after day, until tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.
In short, remember this sentence as you fly through your days — please, put on YOUR oxygen mask.
Many of us, mostly women, would put the oxygen mask on our kids, our spouses or partners, our families, our friends and, heck, even the nice person we met standing in line — all while we were running out of air ourselves.
When you are out of air, you can no longer do any good for anyone. When you’re out of air, your health is headed straight downhill. When you’re out of air, you’re going to have to fill back up before you even get back to today, let alone your dreams for tomorrow.
Don’t have time, you say? If you’re laid out with an illness, are you going to have time then? Are the stars going to align somehow so that everything else manages while you lay in bed? Probably, and you know what? That can happen easier if you plan to use this time to be well than if you have to react to time to be unwell.
So, please, before you crash and burn, put on YOUR oxygen mask.
What small difference can you make today?
“We must not,
in trying to think about how we can make a big difference,
ignore the small daily difference we can make which, over time,
add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”
~ Marian Wright Edelman
And a child can lead you to be well
It’s holiday time, and one of the most magical parts is watching an excited, happy kid. I always felt that Christmas was designed for children. I loved watching my kids get up (even after my limited sleep sneaking out the presents and such!) and discover their presents under the tree, go through their stockings, be surprised and have lots of fun.
A healthy, happy kid – pure joy. So, the thought came to me: Do you want the Cliffs’ Notes version of how to be happy and whole? Go imitate a happy, healthy kid for a while!
When they’re happy, they’re HAPPY! If something gets them down, they cry for a bit, but they recover fast. If they’re sleepy, they curl up and nap. If they’re hungry, they search out food. If they’re not hungry, they stop eating. They run around. They shout for joy. They play. They laugh. They really, really live life.
And, yes, as an aside, I know this isn’t truth for every child on our planet. My holiday wish would be that every kid could enjoy health and happiness and pure love. Thankfully, many do. To the the rest, I send them courage and warmth and the will to go on to hopefully find all this later in life.
So, back to a generally happy, healthy, whole kid. All kid, all the time! If you have one (or two or three or …) in your life, observe. Enjoy! Play with them. Learn. Try that persona on as an adult.
Feel free to be over-the-top joyously happy instead of a solemn, well-behaved, disciplined adult.
If you’re sad, express it. Don’t slip it under the rug with all the other problems that soon will crop up as health issues.
When you’re tired, please sleep. Just 15 minutes will restore some of your well being. Even sitting down and resting quietly will help. (And breathe some, too.)
Take care of yourself.
Treat yourself gently.
Respect what you need.
Don’t put yourself last. It isn’t selfish to care for yourself like you’d care for a loved child. It’s needed so you can remain well and continue giving back to those around you.
Don’t put this off until you have “time.” The time is now.
Allow nature’s healing
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.”
~ John Muir
Lessons for life and wellness
Wellness – what does it mean to you? Does it mean there are veggies on your plate? That you went for a brisk walk today? That you sat down and got quiet for a few minutes to offset the day’s stress?
True, it does involve that. But it also involves much more. That’s why I talk about whole life wellness. The above matter; so does a lot else. A perfectly healthy plate does not equal a perfectly healthy life.
So it’s important to toss in other ingredients that lead to enjoyment and fun and inspiration. Because that’s what creates whole life wellness. Better yet, that’s what creates a life you enjoy. Because who wants to live long while chained to a life you can’t stand?
Along these lines, I thought I’d reprint one very famous column from a fellow Ohioan, Regina Brett. And, no, despite all the forwarded emails, this smart woman is not 90-plus! She’s in her 50s and first wrote 45 life lessons, then added five more upon turning 50 in 2006. With all credit to Regina Brett and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, take a moment to read, then embrace these lessons:
Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
When in doubt, just take the next small step.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
Pay off your credit cards every month.
You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
Overprepare, then go with the flow.
Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
The most important sex organ is the brain.
No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
Always choose life.
Forgive everyone everything.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Believe in miracles.
God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.
Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
The best is yet to come.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
Yield.
Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
