I’ve written about this a few times over the years, but it felt worth a revisit. As much to share it with you, as it is to remind myself. 

That “nothing left to give” or “drained” feeling comes in different forms. It’s the physical exhaustion after move day. The mental fatigue after a project sprint. The emotional drain of rejection letters. It’s the combination of all three after Hell Week (a.k.a. The physically demanding, mentally exhausting, emotionally taxing and totally worth it final set of rehearsals where all the elements come together before opening for an audience). Or… any combination of the three depending on how the last year has affected you. 

So what do you do? How do you keep going? 

Do you “Self-care?”

The term “self-care” gets thrown around a lot. According to “Oxford Languages” and the first result of my Google search it is defined as:

Self-care

noun

the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health.

• the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.
  
  

Super! Got it. Now I can keep going...

Listen, I've been in this place many different times in my life. Inspiring quotes can bring joy and exact definitions might give clarity. But the definition says, “practice of taking action…” So, in that spirit, here are the actions I take:  

Action 1: Acknowledge the Feeling

You can’t fill up your well- or truly practice self-care (improve one’s own health), if you don’t first acknowledge that you’re drained. Acknowledge the feeling and resist the urge to dwell on it.  

Action 2: Fill Up Your Well

This step takes time, especially if your well is empty. There are many ways to do this. Here are some:

• practice being in the moment

• take time to enjoy the small things

• put aside the need to constantly give of yourself

• give yourself permission to receive positive energy from others

Action 3: Be Honest 

It’s easy to walk into a room projecting our energy all over the place. When we are feeling drained it can either manifest as a false positivity or as a heavy negativity. Neither of those things help anyone. If you practice action 1, it’s easier to come in with a neutral energy. And fun coincidence, it’s easier to accept “well filling” energy from others when you are in an honest space. 

If life was a dream…

When we’re looking at symbolism and metaphor, “drained” implies that the water is gone. The energy is gone. I use a well as a metaphor for our reserves of energy. Because if it was my dream…

“The well is dry,”  is never a good thing. For a place dependent on the well for fresh water, going dry is devastating. 

• Water often represents emotion, but it can also represent power and force- like a force of nature. 

• Wells...they run deep. 

• Together they invoke feelings of a deep important source of life and energy.  

When it feels like there is nothing left, when you think your well has run dry...it probably has. While you wait for rain, look in your well. Climb in and investigate. Get to the truth of what streams really feed your well. Find them. Nurture them. Cherish them...especially when your well is full. 

How do you fill your well?