Put Your ‘Oxygen’ Mask On First

Women, especially women over 50, often put themselves last in any day-to-day situation.

There’s always something to be done, somewhere to go, someone to help…and then at the end of the day we are so exhausted we don’t allow ourselves to be that ‘someone’.

Have you ever felt that way or indeed…have you lived your life like that?

It’s an old example however I have always found it one of the simplest yet powerful – when we are on a plane and the safety instructions are being given, they don’t say ‘if you have children please put your mask on first…before putting theirs on.

The reason is obvious. If you don’t have oxygen and are ‘alert’ then you can’t help those around you.

It’s the same in life. If you are run down, stressed, or not feeling great then you simply aren’t going to be able to do anything for anyone else, most of all yourself.

I am guilty of this and as I look back over my life, I can see so many times where I have put everyone else before me and just burnt myself out. When that happened, everything around me has fallen apart.

What has always been an issue with me personally is the guilt. The guilt of not ‘doing enough’ or ‘being enough for others. Worried that those that I have put first would be upset with me or blame me if things didn’t work out for them.

Now in some instances, there has been a fair justification for that however in others, especially the narcissistic relationships I have been in, I have learned that the guilt trips and blame I experienced were for their personal gain and agenda and not as a result of anything I had done. Yet I continued to ‘put them first in an attempt to return situations to ‘happy, healthy.

I’ve certainly learned the lessons as a result and whilst I still have a lot to learn, as we all do in this life, taking time to take care of myself is a priority.

Now more than ever we need to make sure that we are putting our wellness and ourselves as our daily priority. When we do that, we find that everything else we ‘need to do becomes easier and in many cases less stressful.

So today, become an inspiring woman over 50 for others by saying ‘no’ a few times and ‘yes’ to you…then watch the magic of your life unfold.