Tag Archives: help

Secure Your Own Mask First

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When you fly on an airplane there is always a safety speech before takeoff.  And the thing that always sticks with me is, “Please secure your own mask before assisting others.”

That one sentence hit home this weekend.  My parents needed my help.  My husband wasn’t feeling well.  My chonky cat was sick.  And I was limping around on crutches trying to help everyone except myself.

I pushed myself over the weekend.  I did more than I should have. My bad leg got a bit more “physical therapy” than was appropriate.  And I was very aware of that.  But I didn’t do more than I could handle.  I could have tried to do some cleaning at my parents’ house, but decided I wasn’t able.  I should have cooked myself some dinner on Sunday night, but ate cereal instead.  My parents would have liked me to stay longer, but I came home to give my cat antibiotics and make it to physical therapy this morning.  On a weekend when I was busy helping everyone else, I also made sure to take care of myself, at least to some extent.

The “secure your own mask” bit also hit close to home in a different way over the holidays.  It seems like every charity I’ve ever donated to was reaching out for an end of year contribution.  And I wanted to assist others.  But the cost of groceries and heating is making life challenging financially.  So rather than stretching myself to assist others as much as I would have liked, I smiled, politely said no, and proceeded with securing my own financial mask.  It won’t be this way every year.  And it’s ok to say no to charities if you’re not feeling particularly financially secure yourself.

I am hopeful that things will turn a corner for me soon.  I have survived a particularly challenging January.  But it’s only because I secured my own mask first.  Now I can proceed with assisting others.

 

Asking for Help

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I’ve always been rather fiercely independent.  I don’t like to ask for help.  But sometimes it is necessary.  I’ve learned a whole lot about that over the last few days.  On Friday I was limping around the office as my left knee had been hurting a bit all week. But as I was going up the stairs to heat my lunch Friday afternoon, my knee decided it had had quite enough and gave a big pop.  And suddenly I was no longer able to put any weight on my left leg.  I’m enormously grateful to the students who helped me get back down the stairs and to my office.  I won’t know until after some more physical therapy how long this is going to take to heal.  But I do know that I’m going to have to ask for help more often than normal over the next several weeks.  And asking for help is ok.  Everyone has to do it at one time or another.

Most people struggle with money issues from time to time throughout their lives.  And it’s ok to ask for help with this, too.  We aren’t born knowing everything there is to know about money.  It’s a complicated topic!  But there are a lot of resources available to help you decipher all of this.  You can find a basic list here.  For current Penn State students, you can find self-study units on a variety of financial topics at https://financialliteracy.psu.edu/self-study-modules/.  If you want to find more information or schedule an appointment with a financial coach, you can do that at Penn State’s Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center.  Current and former law students at Penn State Law also have an additional resource available through the Financial Education tools offered by AccessLex Institute.  Through this website you can access an online financial literacy curriculum, links to available webinars, and you can even schedule a call with an Accredited Financial Counselor.

I remember a time not so long ago that all of these resources didn’t exist.  I used to spend my time combing the internet for resources students could use to access financial assistance.  And I’m sure that is how my passion for financial literacy education began.  But things are much easier now.  Financial education resources abound.  And if you can’t find guidance on the topic you need assistance with, just let me know.  It’s ok to ask for help! Everyone needs to from time to time.