How to Take Care of Yourself When You’re Barely Hanging On 🤍

Apr 13

Some seasons feel heavier than others.

You’re tired.
You’re overwhelmed.
You’re doing your best… but barely hanging on.

In this episode, I’m talking about how to take care of yourself in those hard seasons — to come back to the basics and take care of yourself in the most gentle, sustainable ways.

In this episode, we talk about:

The power of Best Self Choices when motivation is low
What it looks like to mother yourself in difficult seasons
Why boundaries and guardrails are essential to protect what matters most
How your mental health improves as your body comes back to baseline

This episode is for the woman who:

Feels overwhelmed or emotionally drained
Is navigating a hard season
Needs permission to slow down and simplify
Wants to feel like herself again

Sometimes self-care goes beyond the bubble baths.
Sometimes it’s just choosing the next small thing that helps you come back to yourself.

If you’re barely hanging on right now, this episode is for you. 🤍

LET’S DIVE IN 🖤

Today is one of those walk with me thru my real life chats. Lately, I’ve found myself in one of those seasons where I’m just… tired. Not just physically tired, but that deeper kind of tired that comes from holding a lot for a long stretch of time. Not quite burnout. More like depletion.

Long days.
Unexpected things popping up.
Being "on" constantly.
Helping, solving, hosting, supporting.

And ya'll. I could feel it. The depletion building up. That feeling where you still have to show up… but you’re running on fumes.

But here’s my loving truth bomb for you —

If no one is taking care of you — you have to take care of you.

Because when you're an adult… and especially when you're someone who tends to take care of others… there isn’t always someone stepping in to slow things down for you.

There isn’t always someone reminding you to eat.
Or telling you to rest.
Or encouraging you to get outside.
Or protecting your energy.

And so, lately, I’ve found myself doing something I’ve been calling… mothering myself.

Because when a child is overwhelmed or exhausted, a good mother doesn’t push them harder. She slows things down. She simplifies. She makes sure they’re fed, rested, and cared for.

And I realized… that’s exactly what I needed.

Not more discipline.
Not more pushing.
Not more productivity.

I needed care.

And if no one was stepping in to provide that… I had to be the one to do it.

So I started asking myself a simple question:

If I were taking care of someone I love right now… what would I do?

And then I started doing those things… for myself.

Often I feel like self care can look like the sprinkles on top of a full and thriving life. But truly, self-care is about taking care of yourself through those seasons where you’re barely hanging on.

And that’s what I want to talk about today.

How to take care of yourself when you're depleted…
how Best Self Choices look different in these seasons…
and how to start supporting yourself in small, meaningful ways — especially when you’re the one holding everything together.

Because if no one is taking care of you…

You have to take care of you. 🤍

BEST SELF CHOICES — BUT FOR DEPLETED SEASONS

So if no one is taking care of you… you have to take care of you.

And for me, that’s where Best Self Choices come in.

If you've been around here for awhile, you’ve heard me talk about Best Self Choices over and over again. The things that help you feel like your best self. Hydration. Rest. Getting outside. Moving your body. Fueling your body in ways that help you feel your best. And of course… mental hygiene.

But here’s the thing — in depleted seasons, these don’t look like your ideal version.

They look softer.
Simpler.
More compassionate.

Because when you're barely hanging on, the goal isn’t thriving. The goal is supporting yourself back to baseline.

And that’s a very different approach.

So let’s walk through what these Best Self Choices can look like in seasons where you’re depleted.

Hydration — Supporting Your System

Alright, I’m starting with hydration because it’s so stinking simple, y’all.

And yet… it’s one of the first things to go when life gets overwhelming.

You’re running from one thing to the next.
You’re talking all day.
You’re grabbing coffee just to keep going.

And before you know it… you’re depleted. You feel tired. Foggy. Irritable. Overwhelmed.

And sometimes what we label as emotional overwhelm might actually be physical depletion.

Your body is simply asking for support and hydration is one of the easiest places to start.

It can be as simple as:

swapping an afternoon coffee for water
keeping a bottle nearby at all times
adding electrolytes into your morning mix
slowing down long enough to actually drink your effing water

When you're barely hanging on, simple things matter friends.

And sometimes… taking care of yourself starts with a glass of water.

Rest — Without Guilt

This is the one I think we resist the most.

Because somewhere along the way, many of us learned that rest is lazy.
That rest is unproductive.
That rest is something you earn… after everything else is done.

So when we start to feel depleted, our instinct isn’t to rest… it’s to push harder.

We tell ourselves:
"I just need to get through this week."
"I’ll slow down after this."
"I don’t have time to rest right now."

But when you’re mothering yourself, you start to see this differently.

Because if a child was exhausted, you wouldn’t push them harder.
You wouldn’t hand them another to-do list.
You wouldn’t tell them to power through.

You’d slow things down.
You’d create space.
You’d let them rest.

I don’t want to rest so I can avoid my life…I want to rest so I can fully show up for it.

I want to be well-rested so I can do meaningful work.
I want to be well-rested so I can be present with the people I love.
I want to be well-rested so I have the capacity to handle what life throws my way.

And lately, that’s looked like:

taking naps when I need them
creating a simple evening wind-down routine
prioritizing quality sleep at night
having veg-out days where there is nothing to do but lay on the couch in pajamas and watch shows

Not because I’m being lazy… but because I’m creating margin.

Because in the world we live in today, margin and capacity are everything.

We’re constantly on.
Constantly connected.
Constantly thinking about the next thing.

And without rest, we slowly start to run on empty.

But when you give yourself permission to rest… something shifts.

You feel steadier.
More patient.
More clear-headed.
More capable.

Rest isn’t avoidance.

It’s recovery.
It’s preparation.
It’s care.

And in depleted seasons, rest isn’t optional. It’s foundational.

Getting Outside — Let Spring Work in Your Favor

One of the biggest things I’ve been leaning into lately is simply… getting outside.

And honestly, this is such a beautiful time of year to do it.

We’re officially moving into spring.
The days are getting longer.
The weather is warming up.
There’s more light at the end of the day.

And instead of letting that extra daylight get swallowed up by screens, errands, or more work… we can actually use it to support ourselves.

Getting outside is one of the simplest ways to reset your nervous system.

Fresh air.
Sunlight.
Space.
Movement.

It doesn’t fix everything… but it shifts something.

And I’ve really been leaning into this lately — especially after long days at Crave. I’m inside all day. Maybe you are too. Talking, moving, working, managing… and by the time I get home, I can feel how much I need a shift.

So I’ve been intentionally making our backyard and patio feel like an extension of our home.

Adding plants and flowers.
Cleaning things up.
Making it feel cozy.
Creating a space that actually invites me to go outside.

Hello… environmental self-care. 😉

Because when your environment supports you, it makes the choice easier.

Now when I get home, instead of collapsing inside on the couch, I’ll step outside with the dogs… sit on the patio… eat dinner outside… or just take a few minutes to breathe.

Nothing fancy. Just being outside.

And the shift is real.

If you're in a depleted season, getting outside doesn’t have to be a long walk or a full workout. It might look like:

coffee outside in the morning
sitting in the sun for a few minutes
walking the dogs after work
reading a book outside on a lounge chair
taking your yoga mat out on the patio for a quick class
eating dinner outside with your family

These small moments help your body slow down and your mind come back to center.

And right now, with spring showing up… we have a built-in opportunity to lean into this.

More daylight.
Warmer weather.
More time after work.

So let’s use it.

Moving Your Body — Gently

When you're depleted, movement can feel impossible to fit in, am I right? I think this is where we can get tripped up… because we often think if we can’t do our "normal" workout, then it doesn’t count.

So we just skip it altogether.

We don’t have the energy for strength training.
We don’t feel up for a run.
We don’t have the motivation for a full workout.

So we do nothing.

But in depleted seasons, movement isn’t about intensity.
It’s about support.

It’s about getting out of your head and back into your body.
It’s about shaking off some of the heaviness.
It’s about gently reminding your nervous system that you’re okay.

And sometimes, that looks like:

a walk instead of a workout
stretching instead of strength training
a bike ride instead of a run
light movement instead of intensity

This is exactly what I’ve been doing lately.

Not because I don’t love a good workout… but because my body didn’t need to be pushed. It needed to be supported.

And what I’ve noticed is that even gentle movement shifts something.

Your mind clears a little.
Your shoulders relax.
Your breathing slows.
You feel just a little more grounded.

Movement isn’t just about your physical health — it’s deeply connected to your mental and emotional well-being, too.

And sometimes, moving your body is simply a way of telling yourself:

"I'm still here. I'm still showing up. I'm still taking care of myself."

Fueling Your Body Like You Love Yourself

This one sounds simple… but if I’m being honest, it’s not because when you're depleted, nourishment is often one of the first things to go.

You grab a protein bar and call it lunch.
You drink a shake and keep moving.
You skip meals altogether because you're busy.
You eat whatever is easiest, fastest, and most convenient.

And listen — I’m not against protein bars or shakes. I use them too. They can absolutely be helpful tools.

But when those become your primary source of nourishment… your body starts to feel it.

You feel more tired.
More foggy.
More irritable.
More depleted.

Because your body isn’t just asking for calories — it’s asking for care.

And in depleted seasons, fueling your body like you love yourself becomes less about perfection… and more about intention.

It might look like:

eating something warm instead of grabbing something cold and quick
adding real food alongside your shake or bar
sitting down for a few minutes instead of eating on the go
choosing something nourishing even if it's simple

Because nourishment doesn’t have to be complicated.

It can be eggs and toast.
Soup and sourdough.
Rice and veggies.
A simple sandwich.

Because when you're barely hanging on, your body needs something steady.

And this is something I’ve been reminding myself of lately… if I were caring for a child who was exhausted, overwhelmed, and stretched thin… I wouldn’t hand them a protein bar and send them on their way.

I’d make sure they ate something real.
Something grounding.
Something that actually supported them.

And when you're mothering yourself… you do the same, right?

BOUNDARIES — HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BEST SELF

So everything I just named, friends… I wasn’t doing.

I wasn’t hydrating.
I wasn’t getting outside.
I wasn’t moving my body.
I wasn’t fueling myself well.
I wasn’t resting.

Not because I didn’t care… but because life got in the way. And if I’m being honest, I felt very, very overwhelmed.

And when you’re overwhelmed, you start operating in survival mode.

You wake up and grab your phone.
You rush from one thing to the next.
You skip meals.
You push bedtime later.
You tell yourself you’ll take care of yourself tomorrow.

And tomorrow keeps moving.

So what’s the missing piece that holds it all together?
What did I have to come back to when I said I was “mothering myself”?

Boundaries.

Because Best Self Choices don’t happen unless you protect them.

Coffee outside sounds lovely…but it doesn’t happen if you scroll your phone first thing and suddenly you're rushing out the door.

Going for a walk sounds supportive…but it doesn’t happen if your calendar is packed and you never gave yourself margin.

Getting to bed early sounds like what you need…but it doesn’t happen if you keep saying yes to everything and protecting everyone else's needs before your own.

And this is where the “mothering myself” mindset really started to click for me.

Because a good parent doesn’t just suggest what would help — they protect it.

They protect bedtime.
They protect mealtime.
They protect rest.
They protect downtime.

Not because it's convenient… but because it's necessary.

And when I started looking at my life through that lens, I realized something…

No one was protecting those things for me.

So I had to start doing it myself.

That meant:

putting my phone down earlier
not responding to everything immediately
creating a little margin in my schedule
saying no when I needed to
choosing a walk instead of more screen time

Friends, I want us to start thinking about boundaries differently. Boundaries aren't about building walls. They're about creating guardrails.

Guardrails that protect your time.
Your energy.
Your capacity.
Your well-being.

And when those guardrails are in place… Best Self Choices start to happen more naturally.

You actually have time to sit outside.
You actually have the energy to move your body.
You actually have the space to care for yourself.

And the beautiful part? When you start taking care of your body… your mind follows.

If I’m being honest, the first day of “mothering myself” looked like sleep — wake up, hydrate, eat, get outside on the patio with the dogs — go back to sleep — and repeat as many times as needed.

My brain couldn’t read.
It couldn’t journal.
It couldn’t create.
It couldn’t do the things I know my BEST SELF does.

It needed care.

Mental Hygiene — Coming Back to Baseline

I’m about to land the plane, but if you’ve been with me for awhile, you may have noticed that I skipped mental hygiene in our list of Best Self Choices.

And that wasn’t an accident.

Normally when we talk about mental hygiene, we think about journaling… reflection… quiet time… meditation… all the things that help us process and reset.

And those are beautiful practices.

But if you're in a season where you're barely hanging on… you might not have the capacity for that.

You might not have the energy to sit down and journal.
You might not have the mental space to reflect.
You might not have the margin for anything extra.

And that’s okay.

Because in depleted seasons, your mental hygiene often starts with your physical self-care.

Rest helps your mind.
Movement helps your mind.
Getting outside helps your mind.
Hydration helps your mind.
Fueling your body helps your mind.

These Best Self Choices quietly begin to bring your nervous system back to baseline.

And when your body begins to settle… your mind follows. Slowly, you start to feel like yourself again.

This is what I’ve been doing lately. Mothering myself.

Making the choices I don’t always feel like making.
Showing up for myself in small ways.
Taking care of myself the way I would care for someone I love.
And putting up guardrails that help make it all happen.

Because sometimes life gets overwhelming.

Sometimes you're stretched thin.
Sometimes you're tired in a way that sleep alone doesn't fix.

And in those seasons… this is your reminder:

If no one is taking care of you — you have to take care of you.

Hydrate.
Rest.
Get outside.
Move your body.
Fuel yourself like you love yourself.
Protect your time and energy.

And trust that these small choices are doing more than you think.

They're bringing you back to baseline.
They're helping you steady yourself.
They're reminding you that even in overwhelming seasons…

You are still worthy of care. Especially from yourself.

I love you.
I’m rooting for you.
And I’ll see you right here next week on The SELF CARE Sisterhood Podcast. 🤍

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