topping up the metaphorical cup (the importance of self care)
Do you ever reach that stage where you feel like you have little to nothing left to give? I know I do but I have over the years learnt techniques to try and prevent that from happening. Sometimes things outside of my control affect my ability to do this well, which is kind of where I am at right now. My metaphorical cup is close to empty and right on time for this week’s topic of Self Care, so I am definitely going to be heeding my own advice. Self care is important to everyone, but either as parents and carers of kids with additional needs, or as individuals with additional needs the need for self care, in my opinion, is even greater because of the fact that our cups tend to empty faster.
Cup or Spoon theory?
Whichever you choose they both work in a similar way. The idea is that at your best you start with a full cup or a set number of spoons, and throughout the day or week holes may appear in your cup, or someone may take a sip of your cup, or you might lose or give away some of your spoons. Things like caring, meltdowns, social situations, extra jobs and expectations, stress, appointments and all sorts of things are the equivalent to putting holes in your cup, or giving spoons away or losing them. The problem is that when the cup is empty or we run out of spoons we can feel burnt out and unable to cope. That is why is is so important to keep our cups topped up or replace lost spoons by doing things that are good for us and make us feel good. Doing these things regularly can help to ensure our cups and spoons don’t run low, but as I explained earlier, despite our best efforts sometimes things happen that deplete us nearly completely and this is were refilling our cups and replacing spoons more consciously and quickly becomes more important to avoid complete burnout.
So what can we do to refill our cups?
The answer is really anything that you enjoy and that will benefit you in some way. It could mean going for a walk, chatting to a friend, retail therapy, a nice cuppa somewhere quiet (my personal favourite), having a nice bubble bath, eating well, meditation, exercise etc. These are just examples and not all of them will be for everyone so take some time to think about what might work for you!
But I don’t have time!
I hear you!! I get it!! I don’t get much time either but you are in luck. Self care doesn’t have to involve things that take a lot of time out of your day. Instead of topping up in big chunks of self care we can top up in regular small chunks, just by taking 5 or 10 minutes here and there throughout the day.
…..and remember!
self care is a necessity not an option
This week on my Facebook page and Instagram I will be continuing the theme of self care, sharing other tips and looking at how to recognise the signs that our cups or spoons are running empty.
community and support
If being around others who “get it” and sharing experiences and tips forms part of your self care routine don’t forget to check out our Clubhouse community here, and if 1-1 support is more your thig you can take a look at my Support Packages here.