My daughter is obsessed with water, and taking one cup to fill another. I’m sure it’s a toddler thing. But the other night during bath time, she was pouring the water back and forth, and she suddenly looked in the empty cup, and exclaimed, “Where did it all go?!?”
Maybe it was my tired pregnant mama brain, but it made me think about that saying, about cups being half full or half empty. I thought, but what happens when your cup feels empty? (Yep, I told ya I was tired; hang with me here). What happens when you feel drained and exhausted? How do you ‘fill your cup’ again?
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How can we refill our cups when we’re tapped out?
For us mamas, I think that can be tough. We spend so much of our days juggling so many different demands, whether we work outside the home or inside it. We’re cleaning house. We’re doing laundry. We’re carting our kids to and from all their many activities. And, let’s be honest, some days, it just feels draining, like there’s a leak in our cup that can be difficult to patch. (Am I taking this analogy too far yet?)
Even so, I think it’s important that we find a way to do just that. Because filling our cup — taking care of ourselves — not only helps us be a better mother, wife, and whatever else role you may play, but also makes us so much happier too.
So, how do you fill your cup in between the demands of every day life?
For me, it used to be settling in with a good book, or binge watching TV, honestly. But as a mama to a two-year old, that isn’t as easy to do… if I’m being honest, I get 10 minutes into anything relaxing like that and I tend to fall asleep (even if it’s at 8:30 p.m.)
But I have found ways that give me a sense of peace and in turn, help me feel like, well, me again.
Some Self Care Ideas to Help Us Refill
Girl’s night out help a ton — with all the adult conversation that comes with it — but I’m talking more about the things I’m able to do for myself on a somewhat regular basis.
- Coloring. Adult coloring books, like Secret Garden, for me can be relaxing and help me clear my mind.
- Reading. Cuddling up with a book, including self-help ones, seriously, even if it’s only a few pages at a time, help me focus on the positive and what I’m grateful for (like the book “You’re a Badass,” which I’m currently making my way through page by page).
- Morning routine. Even with a toddler underfoot, there are few things that I make sure I do every morning. (To be honest, I’m not sure how this is going to change once baby two arrives on the scene, but for now, that daily routine can really affect the rest of my day). That includes a hot shower, which goes a long way to waking me up. Then, putting on makeup is also a time to focus on myself, if only for a few minutes. And then there’s a few yoga stretches and breaths.
Each one of those ideas helps me bring me back to myself.
It still feels kind of strange to say/write “bring me back to myself,” if I’m being honest. I thought I knew myself pretty well before becoming a mom, but I don’t think I did nearly as much as I do now. But that seems like a topic for another day…rather, the point of this post and ‘filling your cup’ talk? Take care of yourselves too, mama. Your future self (and even your family) will thank you for it.
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