I’m willing to bet that you love your kids.
I’m also willing to bet that there are times when you feel run down.
Times when you feel like you’re dragging.
Even times when you don’t think you can keep doing this “mom thing.”
Chances are that when you feel like this you’re trying to pour from an empty cup.
And it’s hurting your kids.
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Pouring Into Your Kids Is A Good Thing
Let me first make this clear: pouring into your kids is a good thing.
It is a good thing to pour love into your kids.
It’s a good thing to pour your time and energy into your children.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
It’s good for your kids to know that they can come talk to you about anything. Knowing that you care about them and love them is good for them.
Knowing someone is always in their corner and willing to fight for them is good for them.
You Can’t Pour From An Empty Cup
The problem with constantly pouring into your children is that if not refilled, your cup will eventually begin to run dry.
The more your cup runs dry, the more difficult it becomes to muster up the energy to pour into your little ones.
Eventually, if you run dry for very long, you’ll inevitably begin to pull from the energy that is keeping you healthy and well.
You’ll find yourself exhausted all the time.
It will be difficult to be happy with your life as a mom, as you constantly struggle to be a “good” mom.
The danger of trying to pour from an empty cup is that you will likely begin to feel more frustrated. More impatient.
You may find yourself yelling at your kids more. Struggling to get through the day without losing your patience over things that in the grand scheme of things, really aren’t that big of a deal.
And you’ll probably start to feel some mom guilt about it. Guilt that you can’t keep it together. Guilt that only fuels your frustration more and turns the whole thing into a viscous cycle.
Is this starting to sound like you?
It sounds like me, sometimes.
Take Time To Refill Your Cup
How do you get out of this rut?
How do you not feel mentally and physically exhausted all the time?
Is there a way to pour into your kids and still be happy?
If you want to support, love, and pour into your family without running on empty, there’s a relatively simple answer.
(Note, the answer is simple, not necessarily the execution of it.)
In order to constantly pour into your family without constantly running dry, you have to constantly be refilling your own cup as well.
But how in the heck do you do that?
Find something, ideally a few things, that breathes life back into you. Then make a pointed effort do those things regularly.
Maybe it’s spending a few minutes reading every day. Or your favorite hobby.
For me, it’s blogging and reading (don’t know what to read? Check out these posts).
Prioritize The Things That Breathe Life Into You
I know. Here comes another wave of ridiculous mom guilt.
Often as moms, we tend to put aside the things we like or want to do for the sake of our kids.
That sacrifice is not always a bad thing. But, constantly sacrificing your own well being is not healthy for you, your children, or your family.
The things you like to do are what breathes life back into you, so that you can in turn pour into your family.
It’s what keeps us moms happy, healthy, and energized.
Frankly, your family needs you to be doing the things that refill your cup. Because without a full cup, you can’t in turn pour back into them.
Make Time In Your Routine To Pour Into Yourself
Don’t confuse refilling your cup with being selfish. It’s not.
Make the time in your daily routine to invest at least a few minutes into yourself.
Literally only a few minutes and don’t know what to do? I recently wrote a post on some activities you can do in 5 minutes that will help to refill your cup.
Don’t let your cup run empty.
Make the time to refill it.
If you don’t have some already, establishing healthy routines with your kids will go a long way to help you find the time and energy to invest in yourself.
Refill your cup regularly–don’t let it go empty.
Do you struggle with an empty cup?
Do you struggle to refill your cup? Or have you a pro at taking care of your mental and physical well being? Share with me in the comments below–I’d love to hear from you!
I have been feeling this way for a LONG time now. I finally started getting back into exercising along with reading and even though I feel even more exhausted at times, I do feel much better compared to before. Still working on keeping it consistent so that my patience won’t wear so thin with my littles : (
Thanks for sharing, Yvette! I definitely understand and can relate to the lack of patience at times. Sometimes the physical exhaustion is worth it if it puts you in a better frame of mind. You got this mama!
WOW! This hit me hard! The other day I had like a complete mental breakdown and full on yelled, no screamed at my 2.5 yo to pick up his toys. I could tell it scared him and hurt his feelings because he didnt understand why I freaked out in him like that. Then I went to my room sat on the bed in the fetal position rocking and crying. I felt so bad for hurting my sons feelings like that! My husband took both our boys (we also have a 7 month old) out for a few hours and I was able to regroup myself and regulate. I am going to try to have more “me time” so this doesnt happen again! I dont want to just be a good mom, I wanna be a good me!
Thanks so much for sharing Chloe! I understand the feeling completely–I’ve lost it a few times with my toddler as well, and it made me feel so bad. I’ve found that making regular time to regroup and do things I enjoy helps me to not get so run down and impatient. I definitely encourage you to find that time to “refill” yourself–I really think it will make all the difference! You’re doing great!
This hits home.. I’m 23 yo with 3 daughters of my own and a step daughter. Me & my partner have only been together 1 year and we share a child and just moved in together. Life gets very hectic sometimes!! After my youngest (3 months old) i went into ppd & it was REALLY bad for about 3 to 4 weeks. I recently started getting into routine in our new place and waking up earlier, going to sleep earlier.. TRYING to do more things I keep procrastinating about and taking my time in the shower / with my after shower routine. Cleaning and laundry helps prevent anxiety about my living space too so that’s good. What I’m trying to say is that *slow progress is better than no progress* and it’s definitely worth it to be your own person as well as a mom. I’m learning more about myself daily !! This is just what I needed to read.
Thanks so much for sharing, Ash! I’m so sorry that you’ve had to deal with PPD. Having kids can be hard enough at times, and I can’t imagine how much more difficult that has made it. But you’re absolutely right–any kind of progress is a step in the right direction, and that’s what counts. I definitely encourage you to continue to learn more about yourself and take the time to take care of yourself. Routines are a fantastic place to start, by the way! Feel free to reach out to me if you need any further encouragement or support!