Drained, Vulnerable, And Depended On? You Need a Restorative Practice.

Aunt May was right, “You’re not Superman you know…”

The Pitcher is Empty

A toxic trait of mine is that I’ll typically always try and help someone even if I’m gassed myself.

Something that I’ve always heard that I don’t practice enough myself all the time is the common cliche.

You can’t pour from an empty cup.

Very true. I might be helping others at a detriment to myself.

That often doesn’t matter. Sometimes you need to be that rock for someone else or lend a helping hand when yours are already occupied.

We don’t want to destroy ourselves in the process whether it be mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, or morally

All of the parts that make you you need to stay intact. We also don’t want to leave our companions and loved ones out to dry.

With all that being said, let’s talk about some ways to combat fatigue!

I’m Tired, You’re Tired, What’s Next

Alright, my cup’s empty. Your cup’s empty. Who’s loaning water to who now?

Often in this scenario, folks would power through. We both know that’s not a good idea. One friend would put on a strong face and try and cheer the other up.

Why don’t we look for alternatives that are restorative for both of you?

This is going to require honest communication between you and your friend. You both need to be honest about being sapped.

From here we can have an open dialogue and meet in the middle for an activity that will benefit you both.

My friends and I like playing video games together, we love watching movies together too, listening to music together, and even sitting on our phones in the same room together in silence we enjoy.

The activity itself doesn’t matter it just needs to be something that you both enjoy. It doesn’t have to be flashy. Unless you want it to be. Who am I to deny the 2 of you a spa day 😶‍🌫️

Maybe you two don’t have as many activities in common that you can lean on. Looking for opposites can help too.

I personally love to cook, bake, host, and make cocktails. I have friends who love to eat but don’t enjoy the cooking aspect that much.

A dinner party is a good way to get us all together and is restorative for all of us.

The goal is for neither of you to pour here. We want to replenish the both of you together and at the same time.

I Gotta Take One for the Team

Sometimes option A isn’t feasible. Sometimes that friend that needs help, NEEDS help.

All of that effort that we put into trying to restore both of you needs to go into you.

We’re not powering through. We’re powering up.

Don’t make excuses. Take care of yourself.

Do what brings you energy, do what makes you happy.

If you don’t already have one, take this as a sign to start building a restorative practice.

This won’t be the first or the last time that you need a break.

Having a practice ready to go can help in times of need.

A stressful day, a friend in need, a bad day at work, the universe deals you a bad hand.

Being able to uplift yourself is important.

Meditate. Do yoga. Take a walk. Have a snack. Get some sleep. Take a break. Eat something. Listen to music, listen to a podcast, listen to an audiobook.

It doesn’t matter again what the activity is.

Replenish yourself so that you can forward that energy on.

I’m a big fan of walks to clear my mind. I also like meditation. When all else fails Disney movies and a nap do wonders.

I often joke that I go out on Friday and Saturday and the other 5 days are for me to recover.

They often say there’s a little truth in every joke. I need those 5 days. Even if it’s not 5 days exactly. I personally know the importance of rest for me.

I want you to find that for yourself. Find your practice.

From there being there for yourself and your mental will be a lot easier. Subsequently helping another will also take a lot less of a toll on you.

Fill your cup.

I hope that you enjoyed this article! If you did please hold down the applause button as long as you can 👏🏽 (Really! Hold it! 😉)! Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts! Share with a friend or colleague! If you’d like to hear more from me please follow! Finally, please buy me a beer to keep me motivated! It all means the world to me! Cheers!

Check out another one of my articles if you have the time!