It’s a well known saying “ fill your cup “
what happens if you don’t know how or what if you try and it seems to never get full ….almost like it has holes in
What does ‘fill your cup mean‘ ?
Firstly what does that saying mean. Commonly it’s used as a way of saying that you need to look after yourself, re charge your batteries, do something that replenishes you. When you have a ‘full cup’ it might mean you feel more rested, complete, fulfilled, more content, energetic and you may feel you have more resources to care for your dependents and give to family and friends.
Why is it important ?
Being a parent of small children is exhausting. The majority of parents will agree with this. Caring for little people who are solely dependent on us for their welfare is exhausting, mentally and physically. Therefore, looking after your own body and mind is imperative.
A depleted person is less likely to be able to give, if you are feeling depleted then everything is likely to feel harder work, you will most likely be more irritable and be less enthusiastic to engage playfully with the kids and perhaps feel more lower in mood and resentful. These are some of the many things I hear from the mums I work with, mums who have come to me for this exact reason. They feel all these unhelpful things and don’t know how to make changes.
How do I fill my cup ?
Doing things for yourself. Doing things that make you feel all the positive emotions mentioned above. This is when the term self care might be used. Lots of people talk about self care strategies, and I agree it can be a great place to start.
For example;
- ensuring you get some time for yourself
- have a bath
- read a book
- get a massage
- do some exercise
What to do when a hot bath isn’t enough ?
In my opinion a depleted person needs more than this. A warm bath and a massage will have benefits for everyone but this won’t be enough to restore a depleted person. People will generally get depleted over some months or years, it rarely happens overnight. Therefore the fix won’t happen overnight, it needs to be a whole lifestyle for it to be sustainable and permanent.
Looking deeper on a soul level
You may need to look deeper into your lifestyle and see what changes you can make on soul level. Filling your cup is also to do with;
- living your values
- to be creative
- to dream
- saying no
- saying yes
- not overscheduling
- being kind to yourself
- smoothing through any personal conflicts
- giving yourself space to explore new things
- working out your finances the best you can
- valuing sleep, nutrition and exercise i,e valuing your physical body.
- being open to compromise and change within your family
The list goes on.
I’m not saying it’s easy, or quick, to address these lifestyle issues and the sticking points will be different for everyone. Different people will find they have different areas within their life they want to work on.
What do you need to look at, to enable you to work out how to fill your cup ?
Finding support
If you feel you need some support unpicking where your sticking points are and how to fill your cup, even if it feels like it has holes in it, then contact Emma for some Mother’s Mentor sessions and we can work it through together.
