Why assess my condition before helping with recitation for the dying or deceased?

Assisting with recitation is a good deed and can indeed help the deceased, but you also need to care for your own condition. The wish to help is good. Whether your body, mental state and energy can bear the work must also be considered. You cannot assume that, because something is good, you will remain unaffected however you do it.

In our religious understanding, scripture recitation and dedication of merit involve an exchange of energy. When we hope that the deceased will leave suffering and find happiness, or that relatives and friends will be healthy, our intention forms a connection with them. If we are sensitive and our energy is weak, we may be affected. The setting of assisted recitation also needs attention. It is like someone who can lift only twenty kilograms insisting on helping carry forty. The intention is good, but the task may still exceed their ability.

So the question is more than whether you have time available. Lack of sleep, physical exhaustion, a poor emotional state or already feeling pressure from the roster are reasons not to keep forcing yourself. Being tired but feeling too embarrassed to decline is no reason to continue either. Besides feeling inwardly that you have something to give, you need a physical condition that can support the work. If this is not a suitable time, care for yourself first.

If you plan to help, first do your own practice and establish a steady condition. Afterwards, replenish your energy as well. Sleep, eating enough, exercise, scripture recitation and meditation can all help you recover. Knowing how much you can do now and how much is appropriate makes it easier to truly help others without dragging yourself down by forcing yourself to endure.