How the 'oxygen mask rule' can help combat stress

Before a plane takes off, flight attendants outline emergency exit plans. They explain to passengers that if oxygen masks drop, to first focus on putting on your own before helping others. According to Mia Cary, DVM, this 'oxygen mask rule' also applies to prioritizing your personal well-being to help reduce stress which, in turn, will enable you to offer the best care to animals.

"I think the number 1 way [to help with stress] is to own and know that the oxygen rule is legit. We hear that all the time at nauseam so we start to not even listen to it," Cary explained.

"[But] if we truly take care of ourselves first, as the flight attendants tell us on a flight that is turbulent, then we are better able to take care of those around us," she continued.

Along with the oxygen mask rule, Cary expresses another way veterinary professionals can alleviate stress is to abide by the saying, "We have to be self-aware before we can self-care."

"So even if we believe the oxygen mask rule is legit, if we don't really know what matters most to us in terms of our mechanisms for self-care, then when we have time to do it, we won't even know what is important to us," she explained.

To learn more tips on combatting stress for success inside and outside of the clinic, watch the full interview below.