A Talk on Self-Care with Sun

Interviewee: @Sunisshiningandsoareyou

What is your idea of spending a balanced time on 7cups? Share your idea of how a good day looks like on 7cups, for you.

An ideal balanced time on cups for me would be a midway point where I feel invested in something, be it a 1:1 chat, in a room or forum, or any similar activities as a part of my roles, and yet not burned out or exhausted. It should feel good, satisfying, and comfortable!

For me, a good day in cups is one where I feel satisfied knowing I met some wonderful people, contributed my bit in making our community better, and enjoyed my time here while doing all that I did!

What challenges did you face in trying to strike that balance?

I wouldn't call it a challenge per se, but I feel, something or other is always happening in cups, there are multiple spaces where one can be around, and so the whole idea of hopping to one place from another, wanting to give the best in all spaces at all times can be sometimes exhausting.

Another one, on a slightly personal note, is that I feel when there's not much to compensate against, we tend to continue doing it! For instance, I remember during the lockdown days, saying 7 cups was my first home wouldn't be a lie lol, I stayed here all the time, funnily, it never felt burdensome or in the addictive sense ~ I could be here so often because I didn't have much to do off cups, to compensate my time and energy for. So I guess, that might also be the case for many people here, the transition between having lots of time to be in cups ( which of course inclines one towards taking up more roles and getting more involved in the community ) to now having rather limited time and energy to spend here!

How did you try to deal with those challenges?

Good question! I am still working on them lol, but I feel it all starts with acknowledging the fact that something isn't going too right and intervention needs to be made, after acknowledgement ~ we have to * accept * the situation we are in, only after these 2 steps can one really consider working on something. ( someone who denies burnout or how real the 7 cups addiction is, probably will fall deeper till they are able to realize and actively seek improvement, speaking from experience haha )

For me, stepping down from some roles, taking partial breaks from different spaces ~ alternating my time between being in them, have certainly helped!

I try to minimize the time I spend in cups overall, through mental notes and reminders haha, one such reminder for me is to, step back or hop off when I feel I have to or should!

I feel it is too much of a "will power" thing too ~ for me, I know, I won't log in here unless I have a clear goal in mind of what it is that I need to be here for or more like "where" ~ at one time, I am either in the room, or the PMs or in forums ~ I've been working on letting go of the habit to multitask haha, lately it hasn't felt like a great skill for me, and rather just, something I can do but even if I didn't, I'd be better off without, more often than I'd like to really admit!

So being aware of what tasks I do, how much time it takes approximately, the priority basis, sure helps!

And of course, at the end of the day, it all comes down to knowing when to take a step back ( and actually take it ).

What are the benefits of improving your balance for the time you spend on cups?

I am still in the process of this balancing act, and I feel it will be a forever thing for as long as I am in cups hehe! Some benefits of having a improved balance, I think are -:

♡ Less feeling " duty - like " - It should always be " I *want* to be here " instead of " I *have to* be here!

♡ More time for off cups commitments - it might come off as a bit bizarre to some who haven't experienced this, but yes, it is true, being here sometimes can lead to making 7 cups our life instead of only a " part " of our life.

♡ Feeling less drained and exhausted in general.

♡ Affirming that " Quality over Quantity " always is the better option - I feel a lot of people can relate with this, and so I'd like to assure you that, it will always be the quality of your support and contributions that should matter, over the quantity!

Take one chat but give it your all, take one role but shine the brightest ~ it matters significantly!

♡ More time and energy in general to do things you ( I ) really enjoy doing - It is a known fact, time and energy you spend somewhere can be replaced. Before someone is greatly active in cups, they are still living their life, doing their thing, after being here, the time and energy get divided heavily ( especially if 7 cups is overpowering real-life ) ~ but again, that is still *your* time and energy and when there's a balance of things, you get to choose where you wish to spend it in the most efficient manner ( according to you ).

What message would you like to give to the cupsers who have come to be negatively attached to cups, in one of the many ways?

Continuing from the last answer, To sum it up generally, I feel a balance is super needed, to restore ourselves, to not allow us to lose focus off the important things both on and off cups, to be reminded of our purpose, goals and values, to be honest with ourselves ~ " I am doing so much in 7 cups " will never compensate for not living your life off cups, you're the only volunteer / admin / leader / ambassador of your own life ~ you live it first, as how you please, rest shall follow ~ and yes, you are still the same kind, empathetic, compassionate, lovely being when you choose yourself or when you tell someone " no " or when you simply cannot do or be at a place anytime!

Having said that, I know how truly captivating this place can be, due to so many different reasons, it can be difficult to even acknowledge that we are negatively attached, but knowing so many others are in the same boat, is comforting, and then affirming that it is possible to work on reducing our addiction and develop a healthier relationship with 7 cups is impactful!

All we gotta do is, to be honest with ourselves, accept even if things are difficult to accept, be open to seeking support, and discuss with peers and mentors ( I am really glad Fristo has started this series, I am certain this would be super helpful to the community ), be okay with the idea of making many trials and have several learning points in this journey ( in cups and in achieving a balance ) and last but not the least, to know and believe in ourselves and our pace!

Start Somewhere And Then Tell Yourself That It Is Super Okay To Be At Your Pace, Sooner Or Later We Shall Reach Someplace Much Better From Where We Started!

To each their own, but to all of us *together* ~ we got this! ❤

Tagging our series supporters: @sunisshiningandsoareyou @sia1325 @fristo @Moonlemon48 @musicalHarmony @SoftFaith2004 @KyleBorg @audienta

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