I’ll skip the long intro and just say this: We all know self-care is important. I don’t think anyone out there is arguing against taking care of yourself, and we’ve all heard how important it is to make time for self-care, even (especially) when things get busy. But what about when there IS no more time to be made? What about when looking at your to-do list makes you a little nauseous and you’re wondering if you’ll even have time to shower today?

The thing is, time is a finite resource. Sure, you might have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyonce – but Beyonce isn’t working a 9-5 office job as well as a side hustle and still having to do the grocery shopping when she’d rather sleep for a year. Real life isn’t always glamorous, and the fact of the matter is that no matter how well we budget our time, no matter how good we are at staying on top of things, sometimes shit just happens and before you know it you’re considering pulling the comforter over your head and not doing anything at all.

That’s me right now, and I tried ignoring common sense and just powering through everything even though I was running on empty, and boy, that was a mistake.

So here are my tips for self-care when you seriously just don’t have time to spare!

1. Prioritize

The first step is getting real about what has to get done. Number one on your list is NOT grocery shopping or Pilates – it’s food, water, and rest. If you’re not taking care of your physical body, you’re going to burn out and probably get sick and it’s gonna be miserable all around. These things are NOT negotiable, so don’t even think about pulling all-nighters to finish your stuff. That kind of thing is okay once in a while, but not when you have a billion other things to do!! Which means you might have to…

2. Let things go

There were so many things on my to-do list this week, like doing laundry and taking pictures for the ol’ blog, that quite simply can wait until next week when I have way less going on. Sometimes you’re going to have things on your list that FEEL essential, but actually aren’t. If you’re supposed to get dinner with a friend but are just too stressed, cancel it. Your friend will understand – everyone has those weeks. Maybe instead of going to your hour-long workout class, you can save time and work out at home instead. Honestly, I called in sick to my day job today because otherwise I wouldn’t have enough time to get everything done that needs to be (and also because I have a monster cold, but that’s besides the point). My job is important, but it’s not my entire life. Really think about what’s negotiable and what isn’t, and understand that letting something go for one week doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It’s okay to drop one ball in favor of keeping the others in the air.

3. Delegate

If you’re lucky enough to live with or near people who care about you, try to delegate some of the things you need to get done. Your partner probably wouldn’t mind doing the grocery shopping, and maybe your mom could come over to help you organize the closets (my mom LOVES to help me clean my apartment because that way she knows I’m not living in squalor. Plus I always forget to dust the fan blades and she HATES that.) I had a friend who would come over and make me dinner when she knew I was low on groceries and it was so appreciated. You would help them out in a pinch, right? Don’t be afraid to ask for help, even if all that entails is letting them know you’ll be slow to respond to texts and emails for the time being. Having others help you with the little things leaves more time for you to tackle the big ones.

4. Be efficient

It can be truly dizzying to think about everything you have to do in a week, but if you have a lot going on, it really helps to make a plan so that you’re not reinventing the wheel every time you do a task. For example, if you need to get chicken for dinner at the grocery store, think about what other things you might need for the week so you don’t have to go back AGAIN later in the week to get something else. If you’re writing a blog post, go ahead and pop it into your social media queues when you’re finished so you don’t have to go back to it later on. You’ll feel much less hectic tackling ALL of a task at once and crossing it off your list instead of coming back to it again and again.

5. Kill two birds with one stone 

In an ideal world, self-care would look like time set aside specifically to nourish yourself, nothing else. But when you’re busy, it’s better to take that self-care wherever you can get it than to not do it at all. For example, you’ve got to eat dinner no matter what – why not eat something delicious that you LOVE and that will boost your mood? Some nights that might be a healthy salad and some nights it might be mac and cheese – whatever your soul is craving. (I’m obviously not a dietician, but I AM a human person who knows that sometimes you just NEED CHEESE. And there’s vegan cheese out there too, so no one has to miss out on the fun!) If you have to write a paper, can you put on a face mask while you do that? You’ve gotta get some sleep – might as well mist your pillow with lavender water so that it feels super luxurious. Little mood-boosters that make you feel pampered go a long way towards keeping yourself together when you’re exhausted and stressed!

So those are my tips! What are some of your favorite ways to care for yourself when things get busy? Let me know in the comments! ♥