Always remember that you need to breathe...

A very good friend of mine gave me some really important advice a few weeks ago. I was having a pretty awful day and I felt like the world was crashing down around me. So, I did what I had to do and dropped everything to spend a few hours with one of my best friends to try to get my sanity back.

She is very wise and witty and referenced some airplane logic to aid me in my plight: "Always put your oxygen mask on first before you help others."

We laughed about it, but it is very true and logical. If you can't breathe, you can't help the others around you. You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others.

My brain knows all this. Yet, the stress of working full time, raising a child under the age of 5, and the extra things that autism brings to the table with raising said child; it gets to be a real balancing act that sometimes tips the scales and I tend to lose my balance. Or fall of the scale all together.

I didn't even mention the stress of trying to maintain a healthy marriage amidst all this, but we do our best and try to remain a team. Though at times I sometimes feel more like the coach than team player.

So, with the new year upon us, I have decided to make a resolution a little early this year. I will try to remember to always put my oxygen mask on first and take time to do the things that make me happy and healthy. Because if I'm not happy and healthy, I won't be able to breathe.