Sage Advice from Flight Attendants

I've never been in an airplane disaster (thankfully) but I'm well versed in the flight attendants' excellent piece of advice: in case of an emergency, put on your own oxygen mask first before assisting others. I really think this advice is the best, most universally applicable advice ever. Think about it for a minute: take care of yourself first, so that you can care for others.

I had this advice pretty much cemented into my head by my doctor after struggling with severe postpartum depression for almost 6 months (!!!) before seeking help. She calmed me down and told me that if i don't take care of myself I cannot be the kind of mother that my son needs. Light bulb moment for sure. It's one thing to hear a piece of advice from a self help book, or a sound bite from the (sadly over) Oprah Winfrey show, but when you're in the midst of an all-out breakdown in the doctor's office, it seems to finally manage to somehow connect.

So for the sake of passing on knowledge that may help someone else, please take care of yourself. I don't mean materialistically or to the point of over-indulging or neglecting your responsibilities. I mean take a long hard look at yourself and be honest: do you have your head on straight? Is there a part of your life that's long been derailed? Get back on track. Mend fixable relationships. Seek help for your problems. Properly treat medical issues that you've been ignoring. Breathe. Deeply.

Make sure your oxygen mask is on and count to ten. Exhale. Then decide who else you can help.