Put Your Oxygen Mask on Before Helping Others

Those words sound so selfish....on the surface.  But have profound meaning and significance when you consider the long-term impact for your own self-care and the care of others

Many in the HELPING and MINISTRY profession need to heed the words, "put your mask on first." Implied in this statement is, "you can't help others until you help yourself." You will be unable to care for others unless you care for yourself.

Self-care requires you to care for your physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually self -"put on my mask first"-before I try to minister to the needs of those around me.  You will have to fight for this because by nature you will want to put the oxygen mask on others before you put your own mask on for the day, week, month and year.

I would offer the following encouragement:

1. Start with Sabbath - God has built into creation a natural rhythm for work and rest. Claim it. Enjoy it. Obey it.  It is a grace gift.

2.  Develop a plan to care for your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self. Start simply.  Set simple achievable goals to help you in each of these areas.  Find a coach to help you if you are having trouble.

3.  Live an INTERESTING LIFE apart from your work, ministry, church, church plant, etc. This is SO IMPORTANT. This can protect you from many unethical situations.

Jesus gave us this simple relational command in the GOSPELS: Love God-with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength-AND love your neighbor as yourself.  You will only see the value of "putting your mask on first" when you see it as the most loving thing you can do to be a "good loving neighbor" and a whole, holy, healthy follower of Jesus.

Grace and Peace

Taking Care of You

Self-care is an important component in beginning any new adventure. The temptation as an entrepreneur is to neglect the care of self as you invest all your time, energy, emotions, health, etc. into getting the new project off the ground. Starting something new is exhilarating but it is difficult to sustain over a long period without proper self-care.

In the Bible, the corrective for constant creation/creativity/motion is the gift of Sabbath. God gives us this gift of REST. Ceasing from the rigors of work so we can rest in the ONE who made it all. The one who sustains it all. The one who gives us the creative genius to dream dreams.

So, as you launch your new adventure, your new project, your new church, practice a weekly Sabbath as self-care. Daily, find opportunities to pause, step away from the intensity of launching something NEW, and rest in Jesus - the giver and sustainer of life. Add to this practice exercise, healthy eating, mental timeouts, laughter, fun, community, etc and you are on your way to a better you.

 

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Tips for a Healthier you and Healthier New Church

Tips. Everyone has them, few of us listen to them. Consider these tips as you consider managing yourself, your family and your new church, full of new disciples:

1. Mange YOUR SCHEDULE, not just your ministry schedule.
2. Shut down. Walk away from the iPhone, iPad , and constant barrage of emails and text, UNPLUG.
3. Keep learning. Read. Ask questions. Never stop learning.
4. Get your workout in and skip the fast food. Schedule your workouts and plan your meals. They go together.
5. Don't skip meals. Fuel your body and mind.
6. Do Sabbath well ( learn to cease, stop and trust God).
7. Pack a lunch. Budget, balance and health.
8. Have hobbies outside of ministry. Discover your identity apart from how you let ministry define you. Unwind, laugh and have some fun. Meet new people and expand the mission.
9. Find a mentor,
10. Be a mentor.
11. Say thank you. Be grateful, always.
12. Get a good nights sleep. Nothing will change your spirit and attitude as much as this. Recharge with 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
13. Declutter. A cluttered space/desk leads to a cluttered mind and life. Detox and keep the space fresh.
14. Don't eat alone, especially at your desk. Network. Meet some new people and learn a new story.
15. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of WATER. Refilling that water bottle 3x a day will also get you up and moving, if you know what I mean ;)
16. Learn to say NO. Establish boundaries and be strategic. Every time you say NO, you free time to engage priorities helpful to moving the mission forward. HOWEVER, never say NO to God. Walk in the Spirit and obey His every word.
17. Make "To-Do" list. Don't try to remember things you promised or things you want. Write it down.
18. Develop relationship with other staff, other leaders, other new church pastors and especially the new disciples of Jesus in the new church.
19. Build ministry/life balance from the beginning into the DNA.

*this list was adapted from Caroline Eaton, a certified personal trainer and editor of Sticky Marketing. It appeared on the UNDER30CEO blog.

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Self-Care: 6 Daily Rhythms/Rituals to Follow to Reach Your Potential

One of the most important things you can do today is take care of yourself. Self-care is critical to be at your best and to give people your best. Take care of yourself today. Love God. Love yourself. Love your neighbor.

Here are SIX simple rituals for your day taken from FASTCOMPANY:

1. Drink a glass of water when you wake up. You wake dehydrated. Refresh your nightly fast with a cool glass of water.
2. Define your top 3. What are the top THREE items you must do today to feel as if you have completed the day?
3. The 50/10 rule. Work for 50 minutes on a single project and then take 10. Use these 10 to take a walk. Rest. Renew. Breathe.
4. Move and sweat daily. Stay healthy and get moving. A 20-minute daily walk is a good start, then go from there.
5. Express gratitude. Keep a journal of what you are grateful for in your life. Then, when trouble lurks you have a simple reminder of how good you have it!
6. Reflect daily. At the end of the day, take a moment to reflect and evaluate your day. Identify some key questions to help give you clarity.

Read more of the article here:

http://www.fastcompany.com/3003586/6-simple-rituals-reach-your-potential-every-day

 

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