Media personality, fitness coach and breath work facilitator Megan Waters lives by a simple mantra – You can’t pour from an empty cup. It’s a lesson she learned when she became a carer for her terminally-ill father.
“After my father passed I didn’t really have any tools to look after my grief, and I didn’t do the healthiest things to manage. It took me a few years of fumbling and also getting really sick myself to realise I needed to do something about it,” she said.
Megan was later diagnosed with psoriasis, an autoimmune condition that left her feeling completely out of control in her own body.
“I was feeling very inflamed in my body, I was under a lot of stress and essentially hit rock bottom at that point,” she said.
Her turning point was discovering breath work while looking for a therapy that suited her.
“Through breath work I realised that you really can’t have a healthy body without a healthy mind,” Megan said.
Since then she has incorporated breath work into her daily life to very positive outcomes.
“Even if you’re very busy, five minutes in a day can make all the difference.”
Here are Megan’s best self-care tips for overwhelmingly busy people:
Everyday step outside for a few minutes and breathe in the fresh air.
“One of my favourite things to do is, if I can, take my shoes off and put my feet on the grass. I close my eyes and place my hand on my heart and feel my heartbeat because that makes me feel present,” she adds.
“If I’ve got my eyes closed and my feet are on the ground and I’m noticing my heartbeat, I’m in the moment.”
“After stepping outside I like to listen to what I can hear in my surroundings,” Megan says.
“Maybe you can hear birds in the background, or the leaves moving in the tree. Listening is a very powerful tool for connection; it allows you to feel more present.”
“In those moments of connection I like to use the 4-7-8 breathing technique,” she said.
Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and let the breath go for eight seconds.
“This is a down regulating breath, because the slower that we breathe, the better our health is. The faster and shallower that we breathe, the more heightened our state ends up being.”
“If you’ve got the time and ability to go to spaces that facilitate guided breathing or guided meditation, go and lay down in those classes. It really helps,” she says.
Above all, Megan emphasised the importance of taking time for yourself, even if it’s just two minutes.
“As carers and people we often prioritise others, but as I always say – You can’t pour from an empty cup – because you’ll end up being completely burnt out,” she said.
“It’s an incredibly important priority to give yourself a moment to breathe, to connect to your body.
“Breathing is so simple but so effective, and contrary to what most people believe, it doesn’t have to be this big, grand, one-hour breath work practice; it can be as simple as two minutes, a couple of times a day.”
She encourages people to set small goals and focus on consistency.
“You can’t run a marathon in a day, you need practice, and these smaller amounts of time per day it’s what will make you better at it,” Megan added.