Soul-fatigue.
It’s true.
We can’t ‘pour from an empty cup.’
But it’s not easy to step back.
So many are hungry or cold or thirsty for clean water
or scared or homeless or racist or uneducated or abused
or hurting or unwell or in pain or grieving
or unemployed or waiting as a loved one faces death
or are watching time slip by as their own death approaches.
The cumulative effect of it all
can drag us down
or drain our energy
or make us numb
or drain our energy
or make us numb
or make us accident-prone
or even become ill ourselves.
or even become ill ourselves.
When we experience Soul-Fatigue
we *must* take care of ourselves. First.
We must love ourselves enough
to say ‘no’ and to let go.
We must remind ourselves
we are human *beings*
not human *doings*
and make time
to simply ‘be’.
Make time
to fill our own cup
to show the compassion we show to others
– to ourselves
to inspire our heart
to enjoy the arts
listen to, look at and appreciate the simple things of life around us
laugh and play and be carefree
recognize and express gratitude or the blessings we often take for granted.
not human *doings*
and make time
to simply ‘be’.
Make time
to fill our own cup
to show the compassion we show to others
– to ourselves
to inspire our heart
to enjoy the arts
listen to, look at and appreciate the simple things of life around us
laugh and play and be carefree
recognize and express gratitude or the blessings we often take for granted.
Because if we do not
we will become
unable to care for anyone else.
Anyone.
Anyone.
This day and each day
we must take a sip
from the cup of kindness
for and to ourselves.
May we heed the wisdom of the ages
expressed in song and poetry and art
and prose and Scripture and drama
and airlines
which remind us to first put our own oxygen mask
before helping another put on their oxygen mask.
We must take care of ourselves
which remind us to first put our own oxygen mask
before helping another put on their oxygen mask.
We must take care of ourselves
in some way
every day
so we diminish
reduce
eliminate
reduce
eliminate
Soul-Fatigue
© June Maffin
www.soulistry.com/blog
www.facebook.com/groups/soulistry
June, you are so much more than words can describe.
Bless your energy, entrepreneurship, evocative poetry
love of humanity, care for this world –
creating always creating. Shalom
Thank you for this post. I can’t even put into words what this means to me but I will try to explain. It validates the issue of self preservation for the purpose of being able to give of oneself to others. This is the difference between soul-fatigue and selfishness for the same of putting one’s needs above others. I think it is doubly important for introverts to be aware of soul-fatigue. Just being around other people can be draining. Add to that, the stress of being a round-the-clock care giver and your soul is depleted twice as fast.
It’s difficult to explain this to someone who has never felt this depletion, this fatigue. All they see is someone who is selfishly concerned with their own needs. They don’t understand the concept that “you can’t pour from an empty cup.”