As the saying goes: ‘You can’t pour from an empty cup.’
What this means in essence is that we need to take care of ourselves in order to care for others. This is especially true if you’re a parent or carer.
Parenting is fantastic, challenging, rewarding – it can truly fill our cups up to the brim….but it can just as easily drain our cups dry.
Before we can begin to understand how children’s emotional needs can be responded to, we first need to understand how we can respond and resource ourselves.
So what does this all mean?
Essentially, we need to understand what can emotionally mentally and physically exhaust us and what we can do to fill up our cup and keep from feeling depleted.
Everyday stress and strains can empty out that cup but the good news is that it’s easy to replenish when you know how!
Simple activities can help keep our emotional cup topped up but the problem is, we need to find the time in our day to do them.
And remember, it doesn’t just benefit you! Practicing this kind of self-care demonstrates healthy coping mechanisms for your children as well.
This simple template will guide you to reflect on the things that help you fill up your emotional cup each day.
In the meantime, here are a few things you can do every day to keep your cup full to the brim:
Play a short game you enjoy
Call or text one of your favourite people to chat with
Spend quality time with your pets
Hug it out with a family member
Walks/hikes/runs/swims
Take a relaxing bath
Try your hand at some arts and crafts
If you play an instrument, do ten minutes of practice
Curl up with a book from your favourite author
Meditate
Of course, these are just suggestions so if you have something else you’d love to do, go for it!
Running on empty leaves you with little energy to give and practicing self-care will better equip you to deal with parenting and other life challenges.
Helping your child to understand their own cup will build up their resilience and coping skills for the future too.
