How many times, while flying on an airplane, do you routinely ignore the flight attendant giving safety instructions? You might be busy sending that last email, giving your staff on the ground some last-minute instructions or reading a book. You get the idea. But, while you are busy, you may be missing an important flight-safety instruction:
SECURE YOUR OWN OXYGEN MASK BEFORE ASSISTING OTHERS!
Learning to take care of their own needs is often counterintuitive for physicians. After all, most physicians enter medicine because they want to help others, and, often, they don’t think of themselves. The flight attendants give the instructions they do because we must take care of others before we take care of ourselves. This is a basic, fundamental aspect of having a rich and rewarding life.
