One often speaks of recovery after training and work out, but also as a form of relaxation in times of stress. To miss out on periods of mind relaxation is a trap that is readily available especially for you giving, caring souls out there. Those of you that really like to give of your time, your energy and your care. For you the art of emotional recovery is vital.
One of my most valuable lessons when it comes to emotional recovery is something I experienced many years ago during a meeting with a manager at on of the largest non-profit organizations in Sweden. I had the illusion of these kinds of people as the height of altruism, giving and unselfishness. In the true meaning of the word people who always gave of themselves to help others.
I had signed up as a volunteer with this organisation and when I received this lesson in relaxation I was about to drop my jaw to the floor. This person across from me who I idealized so much said: “next week I am headed to the south pacific for a two week relaxing vacation”.
I remember some of my first thoughts being something like, how can you leave all these needy people on their own and take off to go lay on a warm beach somewhere on the other side of the world?
What he said next was what made this conversation stick in my mind for years afterwards and work as a guiding star on emotional recovery ever since. He said: “if you do not take care of yourself first, you are not able to help others”.
It is so simple and to the point. Today I think about this lesson every time I sit in an airplane and the person doing the safety instruction says “put your own oxygen mask on first before attempting to help others”.
Of course we talked some more about this afterwards, but the phrase above and this person become a mentor when it came to taking care of my own health in the midst of my desire to give to others. With good emotional recovery and mind relaxation in between the quality of giving becomes so much greater.