“You always have to remember to take care of you first and foremost, because when you stop taking care of yourself, you get out of balance and you really forget how to take care of others.” – Jada Pinkett Smith
Our society teaches us that taking care of ourselves first is selfish and not a good thing. Anyone who knows me will acknowledge my frequent echo that, “self-care is not an option – it’s a necessity.” As I promote the importance of self-care, I often share the analogy that, in the unlikely event of an emergency, fit your oxygen mask first, before attending to children or dependents. By putting yourself first, you can more effectively, help your loved ones or those in need. But what does it take to learn when to say yes and know how to say no in order to take control of your life?
If you were to pause right now, and I asked, does your life feel like it’s out of control, how would you respond? Would your answer be that you feel like you have to say yes to everyone’s requests? Or would you say that you find yourself readily taking on the responsibility for others’ feelings and problems? Or perhaps, would you say that you focus too much on being loving and unselfish that you’ve forget your own limitations?
Life experiences, while varied, have taught me many valuable lessons. As an encourager, I have and continue to invest time speaking life to others. Walking in this truth with complete integrity, I acknowledge that there have been times, where I spent more time taking care of others and neglected my self-care. I found myself on a journey of pouring out of my cup, taking care of everyone and everything while leaving little to nothing for myself. Eventually, I found myself at the brink of running on empty. The dangers of allowing our cup to become bone dry can lead to burnout.
Yes, I am very confident that we can attempt to be superwomen, mastering the task of multi-tasking and getting things done. We can often major in achieving our goals, walking in our purpose and mistakenly risk forsaking the most important person on our journey – ourselves. Let’s take a quick peek at some of the signs of an empty cup.
How Full is Your Cup?
With the many hats we wear, it is essential that we take consistent ‘me-time’ moments to refuel, refresh, and rejuvenate our spirits. When you are giving of yourselves to others, no matter what your task is, you must take time to keep your cup full. But how can you know when self-care is lacking? Does it show up as irritability, tiredness or low-energy, frustration or even anger because we have not been “intentional” about working on the personal goals we set for ourselves? The result, most often, is that you can become resentful because of feeling of putting your life on hold.
While the list of signs that serve as warning signals that our cup is empty varies, we must be open to observing how we are responding to self and others. A continual lack of self-care will take a toll on our lives either by way of exhaustion, burnout, decreased focus and a lack of motivation, to name a few. It is vital to take time to learn that you matter.
Action Steps to Keep YOUR Cup Full
To live intentionally and on purpose, we must keep our cups full EVERY DAY! We hear the word “intentional” used frequently in many aspects but what about being intentional about taking time out to keep your cup full? I know everyone around you is busy, or they’re in a hurry, but that doesn’t mean we need to be on that same downward spiral.
I was recently on a conference call, and participants were warmly welcomed to share how they were managing their self-care. Despite the adversity they faced, each woman shared very profound steps they had taken to keep their cup full. I was completely overjoyed!
While the list of signs that serve as warning signals that our cup is empty varies, we must be open to observing how we are responding to self and others. A continual lack of self-care will take a toll on our lives either by way of exhaustion, burnout, decreased focus and a lack of motivation, to name a few. It is vital to take time to learn that you matter.
Action Steps to Keep YOUR Cup Full
To live intentionally and on purpose, we must keep our cups full EVERY DAY! We hear the word “intentional” used frequently in many aspects but what about being intentional about taking time out to keep your cup full? I know everyone around you is busy, or they’re in a hurry, but that doesn’t mean we need to be on that same downward spiral.
To live an intentional life, it is vital that we establish me-time moments by laying a deliberate foundation. Here are some ways I found helpful on my journey to keeping a full cup.
- Dare to be Vulnerable! It’s okay, to be honest with yourself as well as with others.
- Follow YOUR Truth! Know when to retreat. Your mind, body, spirit, family, and friends will appreciate you for it.
- Own YOUR Voice! Un-apologetically say ‘no’ to things that distract you from keeping your cup full and living an intentional life of purpose.
When we establish purposeful me-time moments, they create meaningful opportunities for our commitment to live intentionally and on purpose.
7-Day Action Plan
Pause and Reflect: What do you do to personally keep your cup full? What does life look like for you when you don’t? If there is need for change in order to keep YOUR cup full, be willing to make a paradigm shift to avoid potential burnout or a breakdown.
A Final Step
My life experiences have without hesitation accelerated my genuine eagerness and passion of helping others to keep their cup full. Me-time moments matter. This week’s Call to Action: Please take care of YOU!
Your Mindset and Wellness Coach
