4 Tips to Filling Your Cup

There is a saying that goes “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Sometimes we’re too busy filling other people’s cups, we forget to fill up our own. Then when we try to pour from an empty cup or from a cup that has very little in it, we get overwhelmed, frazzled, exhausted. We need to be refilling our cups often. Tana Amen shared some tips on how to do that.

1. Find Your Purpose
When you have a purpose in life, you have something that drives you. You make healthier choices, live longer, and enjoy better mental and physical health. But without a purpose in life, you may be prone to depression or loneliness—which can actually shorten your lifespan. To find your purpose, ask yourself just 3 simple questions:

• What am I willing to suffer for?
• What am I most passionate about?
• How do I make the world a better place—or how would I like to?

These questions will help you determine what’s most important to you, regardless of others’ opinions. When you know your values, skills, interests, and strengths, you’ll be on your way to setting and achieving goals, which keeps you motivated and fulfilled.

2. Enjoy Quiet Time
We all know what it’s like to be stuck in “go” mode all day long. As a busy wife, mother, and businesswoman, I know firsthand how easy it is to get carried away with our to-do lists and take little or no time for ourselves. But don’t fall into this trap—it’s a recipe for burnout, stress, exhaustion, and poor health. Instead, try one or more of these practices to carve out some quiet time in your day:

• Meditation
• Solitude
• Mind wandering/daydreaming
• Journaling
• Prayer
• Taking breaks between tasks (try a solo walk outside or 10 minutes in nature)
• Mindfulness
• A creative, relaxing hobby, like knitting

3. Stick to the Basics
Without taking care of your body’s basic needs, you won’t function at your best—which can trigger all kinds of mental and physical health issues. Here are a few ideas for making sure you’re setting yourself up for success rather than depleting yourself:

• Start your day with a workout and a nutritious breakfast with protein, healthy fats, veggies, and fruit. Setting this solid foundation first thing in the morning helps you make healthier choices all day long.
• Practice good sleep hygiene: going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, taking sleep-enhancing supplements if needed, and creating the right conditions for sound sleep in your bedroom.
• Commit to stress-reduction practices. It’s best if you have multiple ways to unwind so you can choose what you need at the moment. Try journaling, meditation, yoga or tai chi, chanting, a hot bath or tea, or listening to relaxing music.

4. Bond with Loved Ones
Since I mentioned oxytocin, it’s important that I add bonding time to this list. Researchers have learned a lot about how much relationships affect our lives—and can even impact our longevity. A study at Harvard that tracked participants over almost 80 years found that close relationships, rather than money or success, were the #1 predictor of a happy, healthy, and long life. The study concluded that close ties “protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes.”

When you create and nurture strong, healthy relationships, you’ll find that you’re happier and more resilient. You’ll promote brain health and help stave off conditions like Alzheimer’s. And you’ll make sure that your cup stays full. Because even if your levels get a little low from time to time, you can rely on the people around you to help replenish them.