Capacity
Capacity is like a cup.
We can only carry so much before something starts to spill over.
How capacity changes
Our capacity isn't the same every day.
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Some days the washing gets done, dinner gets cooked and the little things don't seem to matter.
Other days, someone asking, "What's for dinner?" feels like one thing too many.
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Nothing about you has changed overnight.
Your cup has.
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When we understand that our capacity is always changing, we stop judging ourselves for having harder days and start paying attention to what our cup is trying to tell us.
The Cup Exercise
Draw a cup. Inside your cup, write everything you’re carrying right now - the obvious stuff, the little things, the worries nobody else knows about, responsibilities, decisions and conversations you haven’t stopped thinking about.
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Around the outside, write the things that help fill you back up - time in nature, a decent sleep, moving your body, time alone, a coffee in peace, laughing with people you love, whatever works for you.
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There's no right or wrong way for your cup to look.
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The point is to actually see what’s taking from you and what gives something back.
Getting to know your capacity
Your cup is changing all the time. A bad sleep can take from it before the day has even started, then work, kids, money, decisions, noise and people needing things from you - it all adds up.
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Other things give some of that capacity back. A decent sleep, getting outside, having a laugh, moving your body, being alone for a while, seeing someone you love or having absolutely nobody ask you for anything for twenty minutes.
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The more you notice what fills your cup and what drains it, the easier it becomes to recognise when you’re getting close to your limit. You can pull back earlier, say no sooner, ask for help, lower the expectations for the day or make some room to recover.
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That awareness can be the difference between “I’m having a hard day and need less on my plate” and pushing through for another three weeks until you’re completely cooked.
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The goal isn’t to keep your cup perfectly full.
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It’s getting to know what empties it, what fills it, and noticing when something needs to change.
Some days you have more to give.
Some days you need more given back.