Self-Care Corner: Patching the Holes in Your Cup

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” That’s true, but in my opinion its missing a piece: Because you can’t pour from a cup with holes either…

That’s what self-care feels like to me. Working as a firefighter and flight paramedic, I saw how important it was to patch those “holes” before stepping into a 24-hour shift. A sore back, an unpaid bill, a heavy mind, those are the slow leaks that drain you before the real work even starts. Because when someone calls 911, they’re expecting the best version of you. Not the distracted version, not the exhausted version.

So self-care became less about luxuries and more about maintenance. Making sure my cup could actually hold what I needed to give. That meant handling what I could at home, taking care of my body before it broke down, and being honest with myself when my mind wasn’t right. Because if I didn’t deal with those leaks ahead of time, they were guaranteed to show up when the tones dropped.

Now, outside of firehouses and helicopters, I’ve realized the same rule applies. Life still asks us to show up, at work, in our families, in relationships. And the truth is, everyone’s cup has holes in it somewhere. Self-care isn’t about pretending they’re not there. It’s about noticing them, patching what you can, and giving yourself a better chance to pour into others without running dry.