Fill Your Cup First to Escape Chronic Stress
Sometimes when we’re stressed, we enter a sort of survival mode. We just do what we have to do to get through, to move on to the next task, to get through the day.
The week.
The month.
If we’re not careful, the month turns into a year and one day we look up and realize that stress is just eating away at us. Sometimes literally. It’s bad for our bodies. It’s bad for our minds. It’s bad for the people we love and care about.
We don’t have to embrace the stress and accept it as a part of our lives, though. There are some things we can do to escape the chronic stress that so many of us live with at some point in time.
I’ll share a few tips for unburdening yourself of chronic stress that runs your life over the next few weeks. I use these techniques in my own life and I share them with my clients, so they’re kind of tried and true.
The first tip is fill your cup first.
You’ve probably heard it the saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” before. It’s definitely true. When you’ve got nothing left to give, it can be difficult to see a way out, a life that isn’t so bogged down with the stresses that accompany everyday life. By filling your cup first, you can get a better perspective.
Even the concept of taking time to fill your cup can seem overwhelming when your plate is already full. The thing is, filling your cup doesn’t require a grand gesture or a week-long Hawaiian vacation. Little things, maybe even just a couple minutes a day, can help you feel less wrung out.
How do you start filling your cup?
First, choose a time for ‘you time’. Choose a time where interruptions are unlikely. Logistically speaking, this can seem kind of impossible, but it’s worth it, so choose a time when you can be completely alone to recharge.
Next, protect your time. It’s important, critical to taking charge of your life and your well-being. Promise to protect your time out loud to yourself. Share with your family that your special time is sacred and explain to them that you need that time to be your best self.
Last, decide how you’re going to spend the time to positively impact your life, your mood, and your relationships. Find an activity that you love, one that brings you peace or inspires creativity. You might consider journaling, taking a walk outside, meditating, yoga practice, or some other relaxing and uplifting activity. Have some ideas? Write them down so you don’t forget them. Keep the list. You don’t have to do the same thing every day, and you can refer back to it when you’re having a difficult time figuring out what your heart and mind need to let go of the stress.
Simply taking time to yourself to do something you love, even if it’s just for a few minutes, is a baby step towards taking control of how you feel and react to what life throws at you. The more often you take this time to yourself, the more likely it is to become a habit. It’s also more likely that the people around you will respect your special time when you respect it by observing it regularly, as well.
XO
Sarah
PS: Don’t let a stressful couple of weeks turn into a stressful couple of months. We can turn it around with a 90-min Ease Strategy Session. This is the only opportunity to work with me one-on-one right now. Experience the difference of more Ease in your life by booking a session here.
