My Mask First Revisited

Dear Friends,

My mask first.

I’ve been thinking a lot this week about the post I wrote a couple weeks back, and about what it looks like to put our own mask on first, to take care of ourselves so that we, in turn, can take care of others when needed.

Here’s the thing, there isn’t one right answer on that, is there?  Taking care of ourselves looks vastly different to different folks, but also to ourselves day to day.  One day it could very well be a yoga class and a bath, and the next it could be making that doctor's appointment that you’ve put off for months.

But, no matter what it looks like, I think it’s about paying attention to our own individual needs without pushing those needs to the side, without dismissing them as less important than the needs of those around us.

For me a few weeks ago, self-care looked like giving up a couple of classes so I would have a little more space in my week for other work responsibilities.  Self-care also looked like moving a meeting from the coffee shop where we planned on going, and instead taking a walk under the cherry trees while meeting since they were still in bloom.  Self-care looked like writing a hard email even though I really didn’t want to write said email.

No matter what your self-care looks like this week, I hope you will be aware of your own individual needs.  I hope you will see that your needs are valid and real, and that your version of self-care is important.

I hope you care for yourself deeply this week, my friends.

Love
Krista
​