Do you ever feel like the old tank is empty? Like you have nothing left to give? Well don’t you worry because you’re not alone! It happens to all of us. Do you know what you have to do to fill it back up? You need to get that beautifully round tooshy away from “life” where you can refill. This is always tough especially if you’re a Christian because you don’t want to look or feel selfish. I struggle with this all the time! As a Christian, I feel like being selfless is a trait I need to have and I need to use every single day. But when you’re running on ‘e’, what goodness are you going to be able to give to those around you? Probably not a whole heck of a lot!
At bible study this past Monday, our teacher read us this awesome quote- “we give from the overflow of love we have”. How good is that?! That means you need to be selfish from time to time because if the tank is low, you really don’t have much to give. This doesn’t mean you have to turn into a selfish turd (lol) but it does mean you have to be honest with yourself and those around about what you need.
I’m somebody who loves to look into personality traits and know/learn why I and others do this thing or that thing. I love it. I love psychology. I love when science and religion can be brought together to help us figure out why we’re who we are and why we do what we do. I just love it. So anyways, something I’m learning to overcome is being codependent. Nobody talks about it, so I feel kind of weird admitting I’m codependent. But whatever you all know I’m an open book. Most guys and gals who are codependent (how many times can I say that?) usually come from alcoholic homes and I did, so here we are. It’s something I’m learning to be aware of and understand why I struggle with a lot of the things I do. For example, codependents struggle with people pleasing, having poor boundaries, caretaking and anxiety. There are more symptoms but those are the ones I struggle with most. So this has been something I’ve been working on and through and it can be overwhelming and exhausting sometimes. I need an outlet to fill the old tank back up!
For you, it may not be working on personal obstacles (or maybe it is), maybe you’re feeling rundown from being a wife and mom or working 80 hours a week or volunteering all of your extra time, whatever it may be, you need rest too! Be honest with yourself and those around you. If you need to get away for a night with a huge bag of chips and your favorite movie, go do it! Oh, is that just my way of filling up the tank? 😉
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” – Mark 1:35
See! Even Jesus needed time away 😉
If taking time for yourself freaks you out and is already making you feel selfish, just try and remember that filling your tank is not only great for you but for those around you. I struggle with putting myself first sometimes and if I look at it that way, it helps me. I try to remember it will benefit everyone and I’m sure those other people will be happy about that lolz.
This is your sign to take some time for yourself! What are you going to do?! Get a massage maybe? Go to a new yoga class? Eat ice cream and watch reality TV? Let me know!
Love you!
Kristi
Ridley Me This 