How I Refill My Cup

Have you ever gotten to that level of mental or emotional (and sometimes physical) tiredness where you’ve thought like, “I am just… DONE. I’m DONE. There’s nothing left in me at this point. I’m all out!”? I can relate. People will refer to it as running on an empty tank or “pouring from an empty cup”. Social media will tell you to that it’s “all about finding balance” but seldom tell you how to ACTUALLY achieve that equilibrium again. So that’s what I’m going to talk about today- how I refill my cup when I feel depleted.

SLEEP MORE: We all have things in our lives that force us to wake up, i.e. children, work, etc. But when your tank is empty, make sleep a priority and just get a bit more than you usually do. Even an extra 30 minutes can help you wake up feeling more rested, which is so critical to getting you back to your normal self.

DITCH THE TO DO LIST: Whaaaaat? Me? Tell you to NOT have a list? Shocking I know. While lists and schedules are something I rely on on a regular basis, if I feel especially run down, I don’t make a physical to do list. I’ll remember the biggest things I have to do (like go to work or the grocery store) and still do them but it’s a far pared down “list” of items that I will worry about. If we’re honest, a good number of things on our lists will not cause the world to end if they wait a few more days. Give yourself space and breathing room in your day so that you can take life at a slower pace, even for 24 hours.

SCROLL ON (guilt free!): Give yourself permission to do something that is entirely for pleasure, not productivity. For me, that’s scrolling social media and watching You Tube videos. For you, that could be your favorite book, movie or TV show. Take the time for yourself to do something that is entirely relaxing. Your brain and your soul need the rest, I promise.

GET COMFY: To be fair, I dress for comfort 90 percent of the time, so this really isn’t something I have to FORCE myself to do, but when I’m feeling especially empty, I skip straightening my hair, putting on makeup or getting out of the clothes I slept in. It sets such a different tone for your mood when you can be completely undone looks-wise. Again, if you have to leave the house, you may need to change, but when and where you can, treat yourself to some coziness.

I hope this helps you if you are in a season of business in your life right now. Tell me- what do you like to do to recharge?

Hey, I’m Meghan

I’m here sharing content all about pursuing your own version of more and loving how you feel doing it. If that sounds good to you, stick around and let’s be friends!

Flexible Meal Planning For Two

Meal planning- we’ve all heard about ad nauseam at this point. While I also tend to roll my eyes when someone talks about meal planning and prepping, I can’t deny its benefits. What to have for dinner and packing lunches can be a huge source of unneeded decision fatigue and meal planning really is the key to streamlining that part of your life so that you can better focus on the things that really matter.

When most people talk about meal planning, they are usually referring to cooking for a full family- spouses, kids, etc. I don’t have any children, so my husband and I are just cooking for two. Because of our lifestyle at the moment, we really don’t need to have a strict and structured meal plan- we have a bit of wiggle room to go with whatever we are feeling in the moment.

However, our work schedules don’t always overlap much- my husband goes to work early and therefore goes to bed early. I’m a night owl and my job means I'm often working evenings. Having food ready for my husband to have when he gets home is really nice so that he can stick to his sleeping schedule and I'm not rushing around like a crazy person, trying to get dinner done.

What I’ve started to do is pick three meals per week. I find recipes on Pinterest, and I follow some recipe bloggers like Emily Bites and I signed up for emails from Yummly, which has been super helpful on coming up with ideas.

I try to go grocery shopping just once a week. I grab what I need for meals that week and any regular groceries that we are out of, so that I have everything I need on hand to make dinners and pack lunches for the week.

I write the meals in my planner to remind me of the “plan” but I don’t really assign them to a specific day. I try to make a meal every day that I am at home, which for me is about three times a week. I try to make as much food as possible while I am cooking so that we can have leftovers for lunches or that my husband can warm up when I’m out of the house.

The point that I’m trying to make here is that meal planning and prepping should be totally customized to your lifestyle. If you’ve  tried meal planning in the past, but felt like it didn’t actually work out for you, it’s probably because you’ve tried to do it just like someone else you know or someone else you saw on the internet. When it comes to meal planning, don’t feel like it has to be perfectly structured to work. Make it work FOR you and for your lifestyle and it’s far more likely to stick.

P.S. Here’s a recipe we’ve loved recently- https://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/healthy-turkey-lettuce-wraps/

Hey, I’m Meghan

I’m here sharing content all about pursuing your own version of more and loving how you feel doing it. If that sounds good to you, stick around and let’s be friends!

The Positives of Social Media

Let’s face it - social media gets a bad rap. We are bombarded all the time with notions such as “Social media is all fake”, “People waste too much time on social media”, and “Social media just makes people feel bad about themselves.” We’ve all heard this before, right? Well, I’m here to tell you- I sincerely disagree. Social media is NOT all  bad.

Can it be overwhelming and toxic? Sure can. But so can other meant-to-be-positive things in our lives like family members, friends and coworkers. Are there fake, pretentious people on social media? Heck yes there are. But there’s also incredible, positive and inspiring people online. It’s all about who you CHOOSE to surround yourself with, and more importantly, who you choose to NOT surround yourself with. If your social media feeds are making you feel bad about yourself, then you are not following, friending or subscribing to the right group of people.

Personally, I have found such amazing resources through social media. YouTube is solely responsible for setting me on a path of personal growth and development last year and the reason I started this blog. Twitter has connected me to a diverse group of friends from all over the world who hang out together online and meet up at events all over the country. Daily Instagram posts from my favorite social media personalities encourage me everyday. My endless scrolls through Pinterest boards have inspired ideas for everything in my life- from my home, to my work, to my relationships and my health.

In the age of the Internet, we have EVERY opportunity readily available to us to learn, grow, develop, change and enhance what we do and who we are everyday. You just have to seek out, weed through and connect to the right humans.  

Take a look at my list of favorite social media accounts for some awesome people I love to follow. And- (insert shameless plug here), make sure you are following me on Instagram and Facebook. I post inspirational and positive stuff there daily. : )

Hey, I’m Meghan

I’m here sharing content all about pursuing your own version of more and loving how you feel doing it. If that sounds good to you, stick around and let’s be friends!