Several years ago, I had a "real" conversation with my older sister who is both a licensed psychologist and lawyer. I was sharing with her my own struggles with compassion fatigue and feeling overly stressed. She gave me some great advice that I practice each day. Some days are better than others, but I strive to adhere to her recommendation. She told me to "be full." "Fill your cup up and work to keep it that way. You cannot come from a place of depletion."
I welcomed those words then and I encourage my clients to practice being "full." Far too often, many people feel empty. They feel empty in their relationships. They feel empty in their careers. They feel depleted as parents, caregivers and empaths. Some view their "cups" as half empty. As such, it will be very difficult to feel energized, motivated, powerful, even alive, if your power source is only half full. Therefore, you must be deliberate, diligent and intentional in keeping yourself full. Full of hope. Full of love. Full of curiosity. Full of excitement. Full of meaningful relationships. Full of laughter. Full of exercise and healthy conversation. Full of inspired action and activism. Full of life. Full of meaning.
In order to fill yourself up, practice taking some time to evaluate what and who takes away from your energy source. Do you allow people to steal your time? Reclaim your time and fill yourself up. Do you allow people to dump their problems onto you? Reclaim your boundaries and fill yourself up. I, by no means, assume this will be an easy endeavor. Rather, I surmise, that it will be difficult in the beginning to tell yourself that you are worthy to be "full." You no longer have to give from a cup half-full. You no longer have to come from a place of depletion. You no longer have to come from a place of emptiness.
If you would like to see a change, give some consideration to what I am trying to convey and ask yourself these questions. In what ways has my energy been depleted? In what ways am I willing to give myself a re-fill? What will I do to ensure that I keep myself full, as best as I can and as often as I can?
Think about it. Write it down. We'll revisit this theme later. But for now, "Be FULL!"....
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