MINDFULNESS – Consider the difference between taking care of business and taking care of yourself.
I asked a friend today if they did anything to take care of them self today.
He gave me a laundry list of the awesome actionable items he did– did some paperwork, hit a quick run, and a lift session.
I was struck by his response: yes, he did great work today, but the things he mentioned was not taking care of himself. They were taking care of business.
Taking care of business is vitally important. You got stuff that needs doing. Probably a long list of things that need doing, one that keeps growing before you finish the next item!
But taking care of yourself is more important. Gotta recharge those batteries before you can drain them.
Spend some time doing quiet and focused mindfulness work– box breathing, mobility, or simple meditation. Maybe read that book you’ve been meaning to start. Maybe you go on a 15min walk through a part of your woods that you haven’t explored quite yet. Maybe you try out a new recipe just for yourself.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure you are choosing it because it will help YOU.
There’s a rule in EMT/Firefighter work– rescuer safety is the first priority. Not because EMTs are scared of dangerous situations, and not because firefighters only care about their own skin. Quite the contrary, if this rule weren’t in place you’d have good people risking themselves even more often than they already do.
This rule is in place because if you get yourself hurt while trying to help someone else, you create an additional victim that needs additional resources and care to manage. Gotta take care of yourself first, make sure you are safe, and then you can help others.
You can’t keep burning that candle at both ends, take care of yourself.
Stew on this and box breathe. See below for some guided 5min practices.
Like this post if you use a barbell to mobilize!
Eugene H Kim 