PHII Director Vivian Singletary recently gave a TEDxEmory talk, “Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First: Women’s Health in a Modern World.” Her presentation offers three actionable ideas for women to reposition themselves on their list of priorities. Vivian encourages listeners to take the concept of putting on one’s own oxygen mask first beyond a flight emergency. “I want us to apply it to our everyday lives and to our health,” she says.
“As women, we are the experts at putting everybody else’s mask on, leaving little time and oxygen for self-care,” Vivian acknowledges in her talk. “So, I ask you: Who’s taking care of you while you’re taking care of everybody else?”
The actions Vivian suggests for self-care apply to all gender identities and emphasize the need for prioritizing one’s own health before others.
