Step One: Love Yourself

by Becca Brokaw

You can’t pour from an empty cup.

I’ve been told this time and time again. “Becca, you say yes to so much but are you taking time for yourself?” Am I taking time for myself?

I’d like to say that the answer is always yes, but that would be a lie. In a culture where our worth seems to be measured by how much we do and how busy we are, it’s hard to believe that taking time for ourselves should be a priority. I fall into this all the time. I go from meeting to meeting, work to class, and homework to bed. I say that I’ll go to the gym, read for fun, go for a walk to the lake, paint, and take a bath, but these things rarely make the cut. There is always something more important to do.

But is there?

We are important. Our bodies are important. Our well-being is important. And we need to start treating ourselves in that way. We need to take time to do the things that relax us, that bring us joy, that fill our souls. And we can’t let everything else get in the way.

We can only fill others when we are being filled.

So, ask yourself this question: “How do I need to care for myself so I can better care for others?” Then take your answer and act on it. Make those things a priority. You’ll thank yourself, I promise.