Keep Your Cup Full
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

Keep Your Cup Full

You can't help others if you can't help yourself.

620
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16681163@N05/25227238614/sizes/l
Flickr

Think of yourself as starting out with a full cup. Over time, your cup slowly empties as you do things for other people. The problem is, sometimes you're doing so much for others that you forget about yourself. Everyone else is taking from your cup, and eventually, it will be empty. When your cup gets empty, you burn out. So how do you prevent your cup from being empty?

The simple solution, and the one that most people have a hard time doing, is taking time for yourself. We're put into so many scenarios where we're working with and trying to help other people that we forget that we need to take care of ourselves too. If our cups are empty, we're not able to help other people -- but as much as we should focus on keeping our cups full, we don't.

In college, you're doing a lot of things -- from academics to extracurriculars, to work, to trying to be social and have a healthy lifestyle. That's a lot of opportunities for your cup to be emptied. Not only do we try to figure out how to balance all these things, but we try to figure out how to keep everyone we know pleased at the same time. Unfortunately, this costs us time for ourselves that we desperately need.

We need time to fill our cups back up. This sounds harder than it really is. You don't need to go on some weekend-long break from doing anything. Sometimes, you just need to take a moment to do something for yourself. This could be sitting down and watching your favorite show or treating yourself to dinner one night. It's the simple stuff that fills your cup back up and allows you to help others.

As important as it is to have your cup full for others, you also have to remember that you have control over who is taking from your cup. You make the decisions on what to do with your time -- so don't do things that you know you'll regret or give your time to people who don't deserve it.

It's your cup, and you have every right to fill it up and keep every drop to yourself.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
the beatles
Wikipedia Commons

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

Keep Reading...Show less
Being Invisible The Best Super Power

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

Keep Reading...Show less
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

94575
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments