Our last blog post featured why helping others starts with self-care. Now we take a deeper dive into how to use self-care strategies to fuel your momentum and impact.
The Power of Self-Investment: Your Oxygen Mask First
In aviation, there’s a crucial safety instruction: “Put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others.” This principle extends far beyond air travel—it’s a powerful metaphor for life and personal effectiveness. When we implement self-care strategies, we create a sustainable foundation for helping others and maintaining our well-being.
Many of us pride ourselves on being caregivers, achievers, and supporters. However, constantly putting others first while neglecting our own needs leads to burnout, decreased effectiveness, and diminished capacity to make a meaningful impact. Think of your energy like a bank account—you can’t keep withdrawing without making deposits.
True self-investment isn’t selfish; it’s strategic.
Research shows that individuals who practice regular self-care strategies demonstrate greater resilience, better decision-making abilities, and more emotional availability for others. This includes setting healthy boundaries, maintaining physical health, nurturing mental wellness, and engaging in activities that replenish your energy.
Consider how self-care strategies help you stay well-rested, properly nourished, and emotionally balanced—allowing you to be more present and effective in supporting others. By making yourself a priority, you’re not taking away from others; you’re actually expanding your capacity to give.
How Josie Stopped Seeing Self-Care is Selfish
How Josie Stopped Seeing Self-Care is Selfish Josie, a young woman in her twenties, came to me for help with her weight. Her life revolved around her work as a manager. She told me that she skipped breakfast and lunch and ate mostly in the evening. During the day at work, she ate a bite of a croissant and had a small spoonful of gelato. By the time she met with her boss at 5:00 p.m., she couldn’t think clearly. She had brain fog and she really wasn’t able to concentrate. Her boss noticed her lack of concentration and said, “You really need to eat more regularly so you have the energy to keep going.”
We collaborated on ways Josie could use self-care to concentrate better at work. I suggested and Josie decided to make it a goal to prepare and eat a small breakfast at home and pack lunch and fill a bottle of water to take with her to work. These simple self-care strategies made a huge difference in her focus, energy levels, and productivity at work. As a result, Josie had the energy and the stamina to concentrate at her job. She also had more energy for workouts, she lost weight and felt stronger.
How to Start Making Positive Changes Now
What can you do to stop running on empty and how can you start implementing self-care strategies that improve your energy and well-being? Create a dedicated time, 30 minutes to focus on YOU and reflect on what support and strategies you need to create lasting positive changes.
What signs tell you that you’re running low on emotional or physical energy? How does this affect your ability to help others?
Describe a time when taking care of yourself first actually helped you better support someone else. What did this teach you?
What is your biggest barrier to prioritizing self-care? What beliefs or circumstances contribute to this?
Click here our last blog post, Why helping others starts with Self Care.
Need More Support Now?
If you’re ready to prioritize YOU and start implementing self-care strategies that boost your energy and productivity, I have an exclusive invitation for you. I’ve just opened 2 spots for my transformative 30-minute Sweet Life Sessions, and they typically fill within 24 hours.
This isn’t just another free call—it’s your first step toward sustainable self-care that makes you more effective in every area of life. To book your free 30-minute Sweet Life Session – click on this link.
Here’s what makes these sessions special: 100% of my past clients wish they’d reached out sooner instead of struggling alone for months or years.
Looking forward to connecting with you soon!
With love and joy,
Kay
Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN is a licensed Nutritionist-Dietitian and a weight loss coach with 30+ years of experience in helping people lose weight and develop healthier relationships with food. She coaches her clients nationwide providing weight loss planning, video check-ins, and more. Schedule your free consultation.