You Cannot Pour from an Empty Cup

Regularly taking the time to look after yourself is absolutely essential for your physical and mental health and well-being. This has been a hot topic of discussion online, however, this does not make it any less important; in fact, it only further demonstrates the critical role self-care now plays in our lives. Don’t ignore the importance of taking a moment out of your day to focus on yourself and prioritize your own health and happiness.

That is why I felt that it was important to re-share my Medium article on the blog. If you use the following link to read this article and you are already a Medium subscriber, I will earn a small commission. It might be only a few pennies but it’s better than earning nothing at all. This article is behind a paywall on Medium but I want to make it available for everyone to read.

♡ Medium Article: You Cannot Pour from an Empty Cup

Photo by David Mao on Unsplash

Taking care of yourself with self-care 🧘🌱

I recently saw this topic appear in my newsfeed and it made me contemplate the meaning, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” This phrase can be used when considering your relationship with yourself and the importance of self-care. As much as I think the word “self-care” is grossly overused, I don’t have a better word for what I am describing here.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Taking care of yourself is essential before you can pour your energy into anything else ♥

In order to be there for others, you need to make sure you first take care of yourself. Moreover, when we are not taking care of ourselves, it can be extremely difficult to show up at our best in all areas of our lives, whether it is for ourselves or for others. This is why the expression “you can’t pour from an empty cup” also applies to you as an individual, and not just when discussing how it is important to show up for the people around us. Sometimes you need space to do your own things and focus on yourself, which doesn’t make you selfish.

The importance of self-care

One of the most effective ways to do this is by engaging in self-care on a regular basis. Self-care is defined as any activity that someone does deliberately in order to take care of their mental, emotional, physical health, and overall well-being.

Photo by Ivan Samkov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/

By taking the time to prioritize your well-being and spend time with yourself, you will have the energy and motivation that you need to be present in each of the different areas of your life. Thus, it is important to show up for yourself in every area of your life that is important to you. The following quote resonates with me:

“Self-care is not about self-indulgence, it’s about self-preservation.” — Audrey Lorde

I will tell you one thing many people get wrong about self-care. Self-care should not involve self-indulgence, which entails lavish massages, expensive hair appointments, and other things that require spending a lot of money to temporarily make oneself feel better. On the other hand, self-care is about doing things naturally that will help you to feel good. Spending more time outdoors, exercising, etc. are great ways to look after yourself.

Remember, self-care can be done without having to break the bank. There are a number of ways to make self-care a priority and you don’t need to spend money in order for it to be effective. If you’re in need of some affordable self-care ideas, you might want to check out my hobby blog, www.sereneluna.net, for a few ideas. You can check out my list of affordable self-care ideas here:

♡ Related Blog Post: Affordable Self-Care Ideas

Take It or Leave It

It’s natural to want to be there for your loved ones and friends at all times of the day. However, it often leaves us feeling a lack of balance in our lives which can lead to neglecting our own needs and health. It’s important to take some time for yourself from time to time, so that you can be a better person for the people around you. Moreover, as we all come to rely more and more on ourselves in a world that encourages self-sufficiency, the importance of self-care becomes even more important. We need to have our cups full before we can start achieving the things that we want. Thus, self-care is a fundamental part of our lives.

If you found this article interesting, or even if it just changed your perspective on things, please let me know in the comments below ↓ Your feedback really matters to me.

P.S. You can also connect with me on Twitter (@hellokitty8404) and I encourage you to subscribe to my website at http://www.sereneluna.net so that you can receive the latest updates from me.

Thanks for stopping by! ❤️

Advertisement

15 thoughts on “You Cannot Pour from an Empty Cup

  1. Jasmine ♡ says:

    Wonderful article. ♡ I think it’s so important to be intentional about taking the time to care for ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. ❤️ I love how you mentioned you don’t have to break the bank while doing so!! Do you have a favorite self care activity you like doing? 💗

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Thank you for reading and commenting, Jasmine! A lot of people have the misconception that self-care has to be expensive and lavish, such as expensive spa treatments or “treating yourself” daily. There are plenty of cheap and easy ways to practice self-care that don’t require a lot of money or time.

      That’s a great question! Going for a walk in nature is my favorite inexpensive form of self-care. It helps me de-stress my mind and recharge my body, and when I pair it with a hot drink from a coffee shop, I feel even more rejuvenated. ☕💕

      Like

  2. Nova says:

    I just noticed you followed me. I know you messaged me a while back but at the time I was so sick and sore that I couldn’t think straight. I’m so sorry that it slip and time past. I never got back to you and I’m really sorry if I offended you by that.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Yes, I noticed you changed your website name and I couldn’t find you because of that. You didn’t offend me at all – It’s all good. I think we were communicating over on Twitter if I remember clearly. I’ve been thinking of you and hope all is well with you and the girls. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  3. TheUnknownReilly says:

    I am currently going through this. I’ve had a hiatus from blogging due to health issues. After reading this post, I think I need more time to fill my cup. It’s progress, but not enough to write yet. Thanks for this post!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Pooja G says:

    I’m a big believer in self-care. I think when you’re at your best you can truly be a better person for those around you too. You can’t properly help others when you’re not feeling good. And no it’s definitely not about self-indulgence and expensive things. Your self-care routine can even be completely free.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Roze says:

    Great post thank you. It took me many years as a young mom to learn about self-care and to realize that it wasn’t selfish. It took me even longer to actually work self-care into my weeks and days. I feel it is something so important than many busy, overworked women don’t do enough of as they feel like they should always be busy. Stop! If you don’t take care of yourself you’re no good to anyone else. It’s a tough lesson to learn but its true and so crucial. Thanks for writing about this.

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a Reply to TheUnknownReilly Cancel reply

Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s