When Your Cup Feels Empty
Why joy matters most when you feel like you have no time for it
It has firmly been one of those weeks. By Wednesday, I was all out of steam and not entirely sure how much I had left in my parenting reserves. My cup was plummeting towards empty. OF COURSE, the exact moment I voiced this was when our house was struck with a sickness bug.
The universe has a sense of humour if nothing else!
In times like this, when I hit survival mode and focus on just getting through whatever life throws my way next, it is so easy to deprioritise joy.
How can there be time for frivolity when there are so many other things to do!?
When I am busy or drained, joy is often the first thing to fall off my to-do list. I am always the first to start with the mental checklist of excuses… it's definitely easier to cancel plans, stay at home and keep pushing through than to carve out the time for something fun.
But sometimes joy is exactly what is needed to help fill our cups back up and keep us powering on through the obstacles.
Yesterday, I felt that resistance rising amidst the chaos, heard myself making excuses (I'm tired / the kids have been poorly / the weather is crap / I'm too busy / I'll have to change trains / I might not know anyone else there) and chose to say yes to joy anyway.
Recognising life is full-on and still acknowledging the importance of doing something for ourselves can be a significant mindset shift.
I took myself off on the train - and very much outside of my comfort zone - to attend an event with the Amazon Creator Hub (a pr visit). Swapping the school run for a colour-filled workshop full of fabulous, fashionable women was such a tonic!
A change of scene, setting down some of my responsibilities (just for a few hours) and enjoying an evening of inspiring and interesting conversation made me feel a million times better.
Fancy work events are by no means a regular occurrence for me, so other times this might look like a coffee with my friends or prioritising a walk. Maybe I'll work on getting myself out for the solo cinema trip on my 40 before 40 list.
It might look different each time, but there was so much joy to be found in just being me for a bit. It took effort, but it was so worth it.
Do you find it easy to make room for joy when life is busy?
What's one small thing you could say yes to this week?
(You deserve to make time for yourself - even the little moments count)
