Where’s Your Oxygen Mask?

If you’ve ever flown on an airplane, you have experienced the pre-flight instructions provided by the flight attendants for flight safety. Besides telling passengers where the emergency exits are, the staff also advises passengers to put their oxygen mask on first before helping others in the event of a change in air pressure in the cabin. It is interesting that a person has to ensure their own well being first, and then can help others. Ever wonder what would happen if this concept was applied to life outside of an airplane? You might even be thinking this sounds very selfish! In the case of an airplane flight mishap, I must ensure my own needs in order to be strong enough to help the next person. It isn’t selfish, it is insuring my ability to be well enough to help someone in need.

Sometimes a change in air pressure is a good way to describe life’s events crashing in around us. In other cases, our loved ones may be in need of assistance. In these moments, stress, anxiety, fear, and sleeplessness can overwhelm those involved in the crashing down of life. Desperately searching for comfort, one may look for their own support. My question to you is, where is your oxygen mask? I will share that my oxygen mask takes many forms. On a daily basis, it is my spiritual life. Providing me hope, reassurance, and peace, prayer is the oxygen mask that fills my soul. Proper sleep is my source of rejuvenation, giving me balance for a new day. Taking walks with my dog, allows me to be in nature with a living animal that I love. Family, friends, and community provide a social oxygen mask of togetherness.

What parts of your life support your well-being? Where do you find your oxygen mask? Putting on that mask will not only serve the betterment of your personal wellness, but it will also strengthen all aspects of your life. Counseling is a great example of an oxygen mask. In session, you can take in a deep breath of healing, and exhale stress. Making a commitment to your own personal well-being is one of the best investments you will ever make. Here at Olive Branch Counseling Associates, Inc., we can help you do just that. Our team is comprised of licensed professionals, and graduate level interns that would be honored to help you find your oxygen mask, and keep it on.