Love Matters For … Your Own Health

What’s Love Got To Do With It? During the month of February, we are going over all the reasons love actually DOES have something to do with your emotional, physical, and social health.

The airplane attendant always tells you: in the event of a loss of cabin pressure, put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others. The first time I heard this, my immediate reaction was to think, “Well, that’s a little selfish don’t you think”?

This is exactly how many people think about helping others – even when a plane is NOT in trouble!

That is, taking time for yourself seems a little selfish when you could be doing something for someone else. As you take a leisurely walk with friends, a long soaking bath, or just a few moments of peace alone with your thoughts, you may think that this it is so self-indulgent.

But the truth is that you are better able to help others when you have taken care of yourself already. If you are over-tired, over-stressed, or over-burdened by taking too much onto yourself, your decision making will be poorer. Your energy level will be less. And your attention will not be as good as it could be.

This lowered ability isn’t about you, your effort, or even how hard you try. It is about biology. When you are rested and relaxed, your body responds better and you will be more efficient at whatever you’re doing. It’s that simple.

So the first step to taking care of others is to do so for yourself.