Why you need to put your oxygen mask on FIRST!
November 14, 2009 by Deb · Leave a Comment
Recently, I took a flight to Hollywood, Florida to get on the cruise ship Carnival Freedom. While we were preparing to depart from the gate, the flight attendants began their “In case of emergency” speech. There has been a certain part of the speech that has always bothered me. Not just the fact that you can tell by their mono-tone-versed voices that they have said this so many times that most people simply tone them out and don’t even listen. If that alone didn’t bug me, the rest of their instructions always got me upset! The flight attendants always say that if the cabin was to lose pressure that oxygen masks would fall from the overhead compartment. If you are sitting next to a small child that you need to put on your own oxygen mask before you help put on the small child’s oxygen mask. As a parent, that instruction did not sit well with me. My children would be my number one priority in a dangerous situation. My parental instinct and love would kick in to ensure their safety.
So I did a little research to understand why they give us this actual instruction. The information that I found out actually makes this bizarre command an important one to follow. If the cabin was to lose pressure, a person has about thirty seconds until they lose consciousness…more if one has good aerobic capacity, less if one’s out of shape. So, at least I had one advantage!! An adult actually uses more oxygen and uses it faster than a small child, especially in dangerous situations. By putting on your mask first, you actually buy more time to help the small child. By trying to help the small child first, you may end up jeopardizing the child as well as yourself. You could lose consciousness before you managed to put the oxygen mask on the small child. At that point, who will put the mask on your child?? Who will put your mask on?? By putting on your mask first, you increase your child’s survival rate and it saves your life in the process.
We need to make sure that we are putting on our oxygen mask first in our everyday lives. We can become so occupied with serving and meeting the needs of others that we leave little or no time to ensure that our needs are being met. Jesus tells us in John 15, how critical it is to stay connected to Him. If we are not residing in Him, we are not going to be able to bear fruit. If we don’t bear fruit, we pretty much become useless. It may seem like a noble and selfless act to put other people needs first, but you actually may cause more harm than good. We are not going to be of any use to the people in our important relationships if we are empty, drained and burnt out.
Think about how this relates to your health and your kids health. You need to take care of yourself and be as healthy as possible to be able to do the best job possible taking care of your kids.
Honestly, think about it for a second. Skipping breakfast, not having healthy snacks during the morning and afternoon, not staying hydrated, not working out, etc. do not put you in the best spot TO BE YOUR BEST YOU!
I know you do it because you are a good parent and you care so much about your kids that you put all your focus and energy into them. But you are at your best when you take care of yourself and when you are “on” is when you are able to be the best parent, spouse, friend, etc.
Also, your kids follow your lead when it comes to exercise and healthy habits.
When my girls were young they used to attend my classes and “helped” me teach….some of you may remember that! By the way, they are now 21, 20 and 17!!! It taught them that exercise was important and something that everyone needs to do….not just those who wish to lose weight. So please consider the importance of being a healthy role model for your kids and others. This is a priceless gift you are giving.
Invest some of your limited time and energy in yourself and it will pay off many times over for your kids and your whole family.
Here a few suggestions to help put your oxygen mask on first:
1) Make sure you are spending time abiding in Him. (John 15:5) – Focus on quality rather than quantity.
2) Take care of yourself physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. (1 Cor 3:16)
3) Learn to set healthy boundaries. – This means you can actually say no to people. It is not a sin to say no. Jesus, who was perfect, disappointed people. Here’s one way to put it: “Nice isn’t one of the fruits of the Spirit. Being kind doesn’t mean you always say “yes,” it means that you learn to say “no” kindly. (Mark 1:29 -38)
4) To get your whole family having some FUN, try playing the TV game. When a commercial comes on everyone has to do a certain exercise and do a different one every commercial. Take turns letting family members choose the exercise and you may just get fit watching TV. It will probably be the only time I tell you to watch TV so have some fun!
Good luck and have fun!
Deb 
