Love Yourself First

When boarding a plane recently, I was listening to the flight attendant give instructions in case of an emergency:
"If the plane should encounter trouble, the air masks will drop down from above you. Do not panic, it is a precaution. However, before you put a mask on your child or anyone else, please put on your mask first."
While seemingly inconsequential at the time, thinking back now I realize how this little piece of wisdom can make a large impact on our daily lives.
Women most often give and give; often thinking of themselves last.
They are the first to get up, the last to go to bed, and the ones that often give their all.
Are women the only people who do this? Definitely not.
We know many people in our lives who seem like an endless source of giving. Who think little of themselves or what they need; always saying they like to help, or its no problem they can do it.
These givers give their all.
But unfortunately the most important person they should be giving to they give nothing. And that person is their self.
While giving can be it's own reward, we always need to remember to reward ourselves. We cannot continue to give and give if we don't give back to ourselves.
Imagine if we all carried around a bucket filled with our essence. If all we do is give, it will come to a point where our bucket will be empty and we will have nothing left to give. Including to ourselves.
Those who give selflessly can end up loosing themselves.
Parents and especially mother's often fall into this trap. And what happens?? They look like a shadow of who they used to be.
They give up spending time on themselves, their appearance, health and sleep.
They don't go out anymore, relationships often suffer, and they become an empty shell, simply pieces of who they used to be.
I'm not suggesting that we shut everyone out and become narcissistic and selfish.
However I am strongly suggesting that you love yourself first and foremost. Because if you don't, who will be there to do what you do when you've run yourself to the ground?
Like the flight attendant said, "put the mask on yourself first".
To love your child properly you need to be at your best, and the same goes for everything else. If you suffer so do those around you.
We teach those we love to eat healthy, exercise, take their medications, form healthy relationships, take time to rest and recover among so many other important lessons.
We need to teach ourselves these same lessons.
Make a pact with your self to minimum once a week to take at least two hours to do something entirely and purely for yourself. Do not let anyone guilt you into not getting it. It can be something as small as taking an UN-interrupted bath, going to the gym, treating yourself to a special indulgence or taking a nap. But take it, and take it every week. Make it part of your routine.
You will quickly come to see how everything else around you also seems to do better, the better you do.
You will be happier and so will those around you.
Then take a day for yourself once a month to love yourself the way you deserve to be loved.
You deserve it; Love Yourself First.