Have you ever put someone’s else’s needs ahead of your own? We all do it - we’re human, after all. There is a name for this generous tendency. Economists refer to this situation, when one person's well-being cannot be improved without making another person's position worse, as the Pareto efficiency.

One example of the Pareto efficiency is the use of oxygen masks when air pressure drops during an airline flight. If you are traveling with a child, your first instinct is to put their mask on them before fitting your own. However, as every pre-flight safety lecture insists, you must put on your own mask first before helping others. Your first action needs to be to ensure your own health and safety. Sometimes you need to override that generous tendency and think of your own survival first - then you are free to help those around you.

When living with chronic pain, you could be impacting your overall health if you put the needs of others first. It’s okay to give yourself permission to slow down and reflect before saying ‘yes’ to helping someone else to ensure your needs have been met first. Moreover, give yourself permission to say ‘no’ with kindness. It can be empowering to do so.

Do you find yourself taking care of everyone else before taking care of yourself? Do you try to take measures to think of yourself first before saying yes?

Here are some conversations about this topic from the community:

• "I feel that sometimes it is necessary to give yourself "permission" to power-down - for a pre-determined amount of time. I find that I come out of a 24-hour hiatus stronger, more self-aware, and certainly more rested."
• "Re-wiring my thinking has been hard. To not beat myself up about resting and realizing that its a part of healing and that it needs to happen. Things I need to do can wait."
• "So after the two days of yard work, I felt I could either rest for a day or two or force myself to do stuff that I didn't really have the energy for. Guess who opted to curl up in bed with a book and her faithful bestest dog! My dog is pleased with my decision."

Comment below or post on MyChronicPainTeam with ways you've had to put yourself first before helping others.