17/05/2026
You’ve no doubt heard the over-used and somewhat cliched saying “you can’t pour from an empty cup”?
And you understand the meaning (and probably agree with it) but you’ve been too busy attending to everyone else’s needs to even contemplate what to do about your own “empty cup”.
Too busy giving your energy to your loved ones; too busy being the one who can be depended on to sort everything out; too busy holding everything together when those around you are falling apart.
And all that time, your own cup runs even drier. Because, seriously, who has time for self-care amongst all that?
Sound familiar?
Well here’s the cold, hard truth for you to hear today - or whenever you’re reading this - on the last day of Mental Health Awareness Week 2026: the most generous thing you can do for the people you love and the life you’ve worked so hard to build, is to stop running on empty and start treating your own needs as non-negotiable.
And that’s not selfish, not indulgent, and not something that you should delay until things calm down.
(Because things aren’t likely to calm down).
If you’re a woman who has spent the better part of her life giving to everyone else, which by default means you’ve not given yourself what you need, then stop. Take a breath. Know that you’re as worthy - more so! - than anyone else around you. And then commit to giving yourself what you need, not just today but every day.
Fill your cup. Fiercely. Unapologetically. Starting today.
For the good of you, and everyone around you.
And if your cup has been empty for a while and you’re not sure where to start, you know where I am.