Two analogies come to mind with today’s post.

You need to put your air mask on first before you help anyone else put theirs on.  

You need to fill up your cup so that you can pour into others.

Why?  Because if you cant breathe, you cant help anyone else breathe and if your cup is empty, you cant fill up anyone else’s.

In short- the people around you NEED you to take care of yourself first to better serve them.  Whether you are a mom, wife, sister, friend, employee, boss, or volunteer – whatever roles you carry in life- your people NEED you to take care of yourself so that you can show up for them!

For me, my cup is full when I intentionally fit in exercise, time with the Lord, read, serve my clients well, spend quality time with my family, and keep our home in order. 

In addition to this, I need my heart and my head to be in the same emotional space.  In order for that to happen, I recognized that there were a few things that I NEED and a few things that I simply ENJOY- both of which were equally as important to commit time to and neither of which should allow space for guilt to kick in.  

Things that I need…

Exercising for my mental and physical health

Time with the Lord

Filling up on foods that fuel me

Staying hydrated

Adequate sleep

Things that bring me joy…

Being the first to wake each morning

Reading

Time with my family

Feeling like I’ve served my home and family well

The above lists are pretty simple, yet these things can often feel the most out of reach and overshadowed by the rush of our day to day lives.

While taking my list into consideration, make your own list. 

What do you need?  Don’t overthink this-basics are good! 

What brings you joy?  Yes, we all would be a little more joyful with more money or a beach front cottage, but again, focus on the basics.

(Save your list because we’ll come back to this on Friday!!!)

Now I want you to consider a few things and be honest with yourself…

Are you drinking enough water? Are you eating ample amounts of fruits and veggies?  Or, are you loading up on sugar, carbs, and take out? Are you sleeping enough? (Moms will laugh at this one but hear me out below.) Are you being realistic in what you can get done in a days time?

Ok, now lets chat about all of the above questions… We’re going to get real here and kick off this series with a good heart to heart.

Water is essential to feeling great.  If you’re loading up on coffee, soda, or energy drinks until its time to make the cocktail of your choice, thats not going to help you feel your best.  Yes water may feel like a chore, but it’s a chore that will pay off the most when it comes to how you feel.  If you’re well hydrated, you’ll be more energized and won’t need that extra cup of coffee.  You wont have as many headaches or feel foggy.  Your skin will be brighter and your body will overall feel healthier.

Tip: I aim for 100 oz a day by using THIS cup, but there are tons of pretty cups online that will make this enjoyable.  I also think THESE cups are a great tool!

Next, It’s only fact to say that we feel the way that we eat.  If we are loading up on sugar and carbs and processed food and take out, then we cant sit back and wonder why we feel sluggish and bloated and tired.  It’s a simple mathematical equation.  But!  When we put in the effort to fill our bodies with good foods, the results of how we feel and function are worth the trouble.  

Tip: I prep all of our fruits/veggies/healthy options the moment we get home from the store.  Having them washed, cut, and stored means that you can just as quickly grab a healthy snack as you could a not so healthy snack.  Some of my favorite healthy grab-able go to’s are apples, grapes, cucumbers, carrots, celery, bananas, sweet potatoes, salad, hard boiled eggs, tuna, and yogurt!  All of which can be prepped ahead of time!  Remember, this doesn’t have to be complicated!  

Now lets talk about sleep.  How many hours of sleep do you need to wake up feeling good?  Whatever number you come up with needs to be the goal each night and we should intentionally plan for it (another area we’ll work on Friday).

If we need 8 hours of sleep to function at our best the next day and we have to be up at 5 am, then we cant stay up until midnight binge watching our favorite shows or scrolling on instagram.  Appoint a bedtime and commit to it!  

Tip: I’m naturally a night owl so this is a challenge, but the nights that I am strict about bedtime lead way to the mornings that I feel joyful and energized the moment I open my eyes. 

Lastly, lets talk about our day to day.  There is a reason we are always running around like our hair is on fire and it usually boils down to unrealistic expectations.  We cram things in and rush from place to place and then wonder why on earth our lives feel out of control.  It’s because we aren’t made to run at max capacity at all times, yall.  Are we being realistic in what we can fit in each day? Take inventory of what you’re putting on your plate each day.

Tip: When I start to feel overwhelmed with “all of the things”, I write them all down to get them out of my head.  (They are usually less scary and overwhelming on paper.)  Once I write them all on one list, I then divide that list between multiple days in my planner.  While it all *feels* urgent, chances are they are not all urgent and can be spread throughout the week.  Then I determine how much time each item needs before I add another item to that day. This gives me a realistic chance to feel like I’m winning each day and making movement on what needs to be done vs drowning in too much to do at the same time and not enough time to do any of it.

Bonus Tip: Remember to honor the time that we have!  30 minutes of white space in my schedule to work on something can easily be wasted away to nothing if I allow myself to check Instagram or scroll through Facebook or google that thing that I just *have* to suddenly know.  Honor the time that you have with intention and purpose and you’ll realize that you DO have the time to do the things that fill your cup up, finish the tasks that are on your plate, and stop letting your day run you.

Ok thats all for today!!  I’ll see you back tomorrow for “Part 3 – Rhythms & Tips That Keep Your Home Life Flowing With Ease”

Hugs! -Abby