Put Your Oxygen Mask on First — A Season of Listening, Healing, and Purpose. By Dionna Rojas Orta

There’s a phrase we often hear when flying: Put your oxygen mask on first before helping others.

It sounds so simple. But how often do we actually live that way?

I’ll be the first to admit — I haven’t.

For years, I’ve poured into others — working mothers, women in leadership, community members, my family — sometimes to the point of depletion.

But this past year forced me to pause. To listen. To begin the hard but necessary work of tending to me.

When My Body Said "Enough"

Last May, I began experiencing serious respiratory problems.

My breathing became such a challenge that I found myself at the doctor every other month for breathing treatments. I was prescribed equipment and medicine for at-home treatments. I carried a rescue inhaler everywhere and was taking Advair twice a day.

I felt sick — not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually too.

The breathing issues were just the beginning. My ankles were swollen. I was constantly fatigued. I felt heavy in my body and spirit.

Yet, even in the midst of this, I knew that God had called me to support and encourage working mothers and women. I kept pushing, thinking I could somehow power through.

But by the end of last year, it became painfully clear: I could not pour from an empty cup.

A Necessary Pause

In faith and humility, I paused my coaching group and stepped back — not from purpose, but from performance.

I shifted from the business of doing tasks to the deeper business of doing listening.

I was empty, friends. Spiritually. Emotionally. Physically. Barely hanging on.

Motherhood had often kept me distracted, but as my children grew older and needed me in different ways, life at home grew quieter.

And in that stillness, I could finally hear what my body and spirit had been trying to tell me.

An Aha Moment

One conversation with my eldest child opened my eyes:

Yes — the fatigue, the breathing issues, the weight gain — these could be part of aging and perimenopause.

But they were also more noticeable now because my life was quieter. I could finally feel what had long been hidden beneath the busyness.

This season of life is giving me something sacred: space.

Space to listen. Space to heal. Space to breathe.

Doing the Real Work

Now is the time to do the work of putting my oxygen mask back on.

I don’t know what this next chapter will hold.But I do know this: it will require my attention to God, to the details He places before me, and to His plan — not mine.

This is not a season of either/or. It is a season of both/and.

I will steward my body and walk fully in my purpose.

I will live the Gospel — not just speak about it.

I will love like Jesus loved. Advocate like Jesus advocated. Share like Jesus shared. Spread the Good News of our Father through how I live and lead.

But first — I must breathe.

The Invitation

Perhaps you need this reminder too:

Take care of your temple — mind, body, and spirit. Walk boldly in your purpose — not from exhaustion, but from fullness. Let God meet you in the quiet and guide your next steps.

The world needs hope. But first — let hope begin in us.

I’m choosing to do this work now. And I invite you to join me.

With love and grace,

Dionna ❤️