Put On Your Oxygen Mask First
When you fly on an airplane, the flight attendant always gives the familiar instruction “in case of an emergency, put on your oxygen mask on first, before helping others”. Why is this an important rule for ensuring survival? Because if you run out of oxygen, you can’t help anyone else. 
What does this have to do with “fruit-bearing relationships”?
We are all caretakers in some form or another. You may have young children to take care of, teenagers to nurture, special needs family members, aging parents to look after or friends and extended family needing extra time and encouragement. Added to these needs there is the requirements of everyday life; groceries, laundry, work, bills, school, church – the list can go on and on.
It’s easy to spend much of your time and energy taking care of everything and everyone else but neglecting yourself. ( I understand the blessings and benefits of putting others before ourselves and the concept of self-sacrifice and will write about this later). But, if we are sick or exhausted physically, mentally or emotionally, the relationships around us can suffer greatly. I know in my own life, the relationship that can often end up lost in the shuffle due to little time and energy left, is between my husband and I. This is the relationship that needs to bear fruit so that we are working together in unity in all these other areas. I need to have the peace and energy leftover to share together with him.
Consequences of Being Over-Extended
Being too busy or stressed personally not only impacts close relationships, but this busyness can also greatly affect your physical health. When you feel over-extended you can experience burnout, stress, fatigue, reduced mental effectiveness, depression, over eating, headaches, emotional swings, anxiety, frustration, and inability to sleep. All of these can negatively affect your health and could lead to more serious health problems if not addressed.
Basic Stress and Health Tips
I started to research other sites as well as books and magazines and found some very generic suggestions to help combat these negative health side effects of stress and busyness.
A “put on your own oxygen mask” sort of list:
- Get enough rest
- Exercise regularly
- Eat right
- Have physicals regularly and go to the doctor when you need treatment
- Spend time every day on a renewal activity ~ sit quietly at least 10 minutes and:
- Breathe deeply
- Listen to uplifting music
- Read an inspiring book
- Write in your journal ~ for example a gratitude journal
- Laugh! (laughter is good medicine)
- Read the newspaper comics or a funny story
- Buy a joke of the day calendar (I loved Barbara Johnson)
- Watch a funny T.V. show or movie
Focusing on Rest and Renewal
On WellStone Gardens homepage, there are four main fields of wellness…
Nutrition: Food is Medicine, Fitness: Be as Strong as You Can Be, Recreation: Rest, Renew, Recharge, Inspiration: Everyday a New Beginning
All of these areas were mentioned in some form or other in my extended search for this post, but I think this concept of personal rest and renewal is most often neglected.
Anytime I have an opportunity to teach or instruct in person, I love to try to incorporate as many senses as possible (see it, hear it, taste it, touch it, do it….). In “teacher school” we are taught this type of instruction allows for the variety learning styles in any given classroom. This is the way I learn best, (I am a tactile-kinesthetic learner). In my experience, I have found that no matter what the age, everyone seems to retain information better the more involved they are. I know it may seem that I am going down a rabbit trail here for a minute, but stick with me.
A Method you may not have ‘heard’ of ~ The Impact of Sound
Years ago, I was an instructor in an inner-city alternative high school teaching Healthy Lifestyle Choices. I had the opportunity to attend a National Science Teachers Convention and was introduced to information dealing with music being played in classrooms specifically at 60-70 beats per minute.
Research at that time was showing the idea of the “Mozart effect” – that listening to Mozart’s music can make the brain work better – originated from a study carried out in 1993 at the University of California by researchers GordonShaw and Frances Rauscher.
Recent research by OnlineCollege.org, has found that high-anxiety students who listen to classical music with 60 to 70 beats per minute while they study, score 12% more in their maths exams on average. See more…
Several years later, when working with our youngest son who had severe dyslexia, I was introduced to a program called FastForward which worked with sound and frequency and the effect it can have on the brain. I was trained by a school district in this program and I the found research and impact over a wide range of age groups and conditions fascinating. As we worked through this program for a couple of years, we experienced remarkable results with our son over an extended period of time.
I am convinced that sound (music) can positively impact our brains and our overall health. When we are personally needing to renew and recharge so that we have something left to pour into relationships that can bear fruit, music (the sense of sound, and the feeling of vibrations) can be rejuvenating for our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. I recently came across a new program, Wholetones, that I am very curious about and I want to try. I’m sharing the link with you, and will let you know more as I use it. (There is much, much more research in this area out there).
Time Well Spent
One of the biggest issues in this area of rest and renewal can be finding the personal time for it. We’ve all used the expression “I’ll make time for this” or “I need to make time for that.” Our pastor shared in a sermon once that there is no physical way to “make time”. We are only able to “spend time”. Spending time (this requires a personal decision and commitment) refreshing yourself for at least 10 -20 minutes may be the best way for you to “put on your oxygen mask” so that you can more fully enjoy and engage in fruitful relationships. I want to leave you with this song that seems to always encourage me and reminds me to slow down for just a minute and breathe deep.
