My Cup Is Empty

Throughout the whole of March I’ve been busy doing things to help other people. Other people’s, weddings, house moves, outfit planning, the list turned out to be much longer than I had expected. I haven’t complained (much!) but I noticed that by the end of the month I was really struggling with my own mental space.

I’ve written a post before where I’ve mentioned that the best way to practise the art of self-care is to remember to check your cup and top it up before it gets too low. In reality what we’re supposed to give other people is the overflow. Taking time out for yourself and doing things that you want to do is not in the slightest bit selfish and we shouldn’t be made to feel that way either.

The truth is, I wasn’t made to feel that way by anyone. I just wanted to help and make others feel happy. In doing so though, I really neglected myself. I felt tired exhausted and by the end of the month, my moods were hard to regulate and I felt a strange feeling of inadequacy. Kind of like I wasn’t good enough, doing enough or appreciated enough.

I didn’t want to delve into these feelings too much because they weren’t true. What was important was that now that I recognised my feelings and thoughts, it was time to change it.

April is a good month for me. It’s birthday month so I like to have lots of things booked into my calendar so I have different things to look forward to. 

I decided to make a list of all the things that I would like to do and prioritise stuff that I can class as self-care and put them into action. Blogging is definitely one of my top priorities. I find content creating cathartic and I’m someone who needs a regular creative outlet. 

Every year I start a gratitude journal too and by the end of the week it kind of dwindles. I think I might just start writing up things I’m grateful for here to keep up consistency. 
So let’s give it a go:

1. Getting the opportunity to see Van Gogh’s artwork in person and learning about him.
2. Being able to choose Chanel as a gift.
3. A mummy who will happily make me packed lunches, even at my big age. 

After a morning of reflection, I’ve come away realigning my thoughts and reinforcing the very true statement that everyone’s timeline is different. It can be so easy to get caught up in comparison and what “#goals” should be (and that’s perfectly normal) but what’s important is to pull away, take some time for yourself and realise that your path and journey is beautiful. Without it you wouldn’t be who you are and wouldn’t have achieved half the things you have.

Huge love to everyone reading this today.