I was recently on a flight, and they gave the safety instruction in case of an emergency before a plane took off. I have heard the same thing over and over again, but for some reason, this time I was paying attention to what was being said. I was reminded that in the case of an emergency, I am to put on my oxygen mask first. I then looked over a saw a mother with a child, and I could not help but think, whether she would obey the instructions or not. I always found it interesting, that they tell you to put on your oxygen mask first.

So, one day I asked someone why do they tell you to put on your own mask first. They told me, it so that you can assist others. They said you would be useless to anyone if you have completely depleted and gave away all of your energy before you’ve met your own needs. Take care of yourself first and then you will have the strength to help others.  I started to think about it, it’s the same in life, you have to put your own oxygen mask on first, or you won’t be any good to anyone else.

All of our lives we have been taught to look out for others, to assist others, before we take care of ourselves. What I have come to learn from life is, it is hard to help others when you are going through turbulence in your own life. We must learn to help ourselves and take care of your own needs first and foremost. If you don’t, you and the person you want to help may both go down.

Besides, taking care of others will consciously or unconsciously feel like a huge burden if you aren’t taking care of yourself as well and will eventually lead to resentment. This isn’t good for anyone. So please, please make sure you are nurturing yourself first before you start nurturing others.

You see, self-care is never a selfish act, it is simply taking care of the amazing gifts that God has given you. It’s being a good steward of what you were put on this earth to share with others. We all have our purpose here and special paths to follow. We have all been given an earthly temple to live in; this temple houses our body, mind, and soul. It is our responsibility to take good care of it and treat it with the utmost respect. For, it carries within a special gift, and talents that are unique to us and they were assigned to us so that we can be the caretakers of them.

Old folks use to say, take care of yourself first, or you will have nothing left to lend to others. We must learn to put ourselves first, when it tells you that it is hungry, tired, hurt, sad, lonely, listen, and do something to help that little one within. If we don’t take care of ourselves, sooner or later we won’t be of much use to anyone else—or to ourselves.

Give yourself the most precious gift you can, the gift of self-love. Because, if you are not good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone else.  So, whatever you do, please make sure you are nurturing yourself first before you start nurturing others.

Remember this; you must be a little selfish so that you can be completely unselfish when it comes to others. So, do everyone a favor and remember that YOU MATTER too and start acting like it. Take care of you! Putting yourself first is not a sin, you need to make your self-care a priority. – It’s Just A Thought – Paul Steven Smith (Uncle Paul) - If you want more, please visit www.unclepaulsthoughts.com

Tweetable Moment: “We have all been given an earthly temple to live in; this temple houses our body, mind, and soul. It is our responsibility to take good care of it and treat it with the utmost respect.” – It’s Just A Thought – Paul Steven Smith (Uncle Paul) - If you want more, please visit www.unclepaulsthoughts.com