In the Event of Perimenopause, Put Your Mask On First

How many times have you flown and heard the flight attendant repeat, “In the event of an emergency, put your mask on first before helping others?” I bet it’s a lot and it’s for good reason. If you suddenly lose cabin pressure, how can you help yourself, your family, friends, or those around you if you didn’t put your mask on FIRST!?

Turns out, this even applies to you if you’re solidly in mid-life.

Here’s a true story. One time I had a patient who was a teacher and had a few dogs that she trained and showed. She had a number of health issues which is what brought her in BUT she refused to put herself first in any area of her life. It was her school, her kids, her dogs, her family…anyone but herself always won out. I could see as an outsider that this was greatly impacting how we helped her reach her goals. Finally I told her she had to AT LEAST be in her top 5, if not her top 3. Most days I wanted her to be AT LEAST at the same level as her dogs as her dogs were rightfully spoiled and loved.

I would bet that you’ve spent a lot more of your life giving instead of taking, nurturing instead of being nurtured, caring instead of getting care, and thoughtful instead of being thought of.

This seems to happen with women over time when it comes to our career, children, family, friends, and obligations. It’s very altruistic for sure but it’s also wearing on you.

That’s why I’m writing this article - to encourage you to put your own mask on first.

Take care of you first at least half of the time or more.

As the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Unfortunately, as you move closer into the postmenopausal state (if you aren’t there already), it becomes more challenging on the body to rebound back from stress, illness, accidents, sleepless nights, work sprints, back to back obligations, and more.

The changes in our hormones makes us less resilient.

You start to compare this new version of you with the younger version of you who could multi-task and handle stress like a pro.

Now you’re feeling a little thread bare, exhausted, and quite honestly…empty.

I once saw a meme that said something like, “I’m just asking for 3 million dollars and a puppy. Is that too much to ask?”

While that might not come true, I encourage you to AT LEAST put yourself in the top 3 of your life. Even if you’re sitting next to a child or someone acting like a child, put your mask on first! Take care of yourself, however that looks. Refill your empty cup.