Imagine a cup. It could be a favorite tea cup or coffee mug, a drinking glass, a beer mug. Whatever you’d like.

Now imagine your cup is a quarter of the way full. Your dear loved one comes along parched to no end and drinks from it. Nothing satisfies and he or she runs off looking for more. Now imagine it is halfway full. Your thirsty loved one comes and drinks from your cup still to no satisfaction. Now imagine the cup is full to the point of overflowing. Your loved one comes along, drinks from your cup, and is fully satisfied and content.

Filling your cup, ie. self care, is pertinent to a happy life. It is essential to your wellbeing, both physical and mental. There is absolutely no way you can give to those around you in the capacity you both need without doing so. That’s not to say you must be 100% everyday all day. Not one bit. We cannot be everything nor have everything all in one day. But, there is something to be said for listening to your body and/or your mind when you are feeling depleted.

Here are a few ideas:

A 20-minute epsom salt bath

A walk around the block(WITHOUT your phone)

Planting your barefeet in nature

A 10-20 minute rest (I tell the kids that “mommy needs to rest her eyes”)

Your favorite workout

A 5-minute sit down or lay down meditation

Yoga

Reading a book, even just a chapter or two. Books have a magical way of exporting you away from reality for just long to enough.

A skincare ritual

Journaling

Doodling

Self care isn’t something that needs to take a long time. It’s not even something that needs to be done alone. If you fill your cup by being surrounded by loved ones, then do it! I just personally need a little quiet “me” time to recharge (that’s the invtroverted extorvert in me).

I encourage you to sit in a quiet space this week and think about how you can fill your cup a little bit each day. Let me know what you come up with in comments!

Peace and Xo,

Dawn