Bare Minimum Self-Care for Overwhelmed Humans

Feeling overwhelmed?

I can relate all too well.

Sometimes there are just so many thoughts whirring around my brain. I have so many tasks, appointments, people to see, things to do… And I get stuck.

The problem is, getting caught up in all of these ‘to-dos’ would result in neglecting myself. I’d forget to do the things that actually contribute to my wellbeing.

Getting out in nature, stretching my body, and cooking healthy meals used to just go out of the window when I was “too busy”.

If you’re here, I’m going to presume you’re either in the same situation right now, or you’ve been there in the past and want to prevent it happening again.

The first step is to prioritise.

I know you know this. But it’s easier said than done.

But sometimes it feels like everything needs to be done right now.

So you’ll have to be brutal with it.

What can you remove from your to-do list or planner, and store for later?

If you haven’t already, create a brain dump. It can be a page in your journal/planner, a note on your phone, just somewhere to store your ideas. Notion is great and highly customisable, if you’re looking for a tech recommendation.

Recently, my to-do list was getting extremely long. 

I wanted to declutter my entire house, sort out my wardrobe, meditate every day, read all the books on my shelf (I think there’s around 64 I haven’t read yet – the shame!), practice Italian, create content for Instagram and TikTok, learn how to use Blender, practice drawing, finish playing Wylde Flowers (a super cute cozy game)… And a million other things. All while working 40 hours a week.

It’s a bit much, to be honest.

What I realised was: these things do not need to be on my to-do list.

I mean, it was literally a checklist of huge things, mixed in with the actual “to-dos”, like pick up my prescription, and buy a birthday present for my friend.

So I had to get realistic.

The majority of these tasks were either things I wanted to do or things I felt like I needed to do, not things that actually needed to be done.

First, I split these up into smaller, more achievable sub-tasks, such as ‘read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo‘, instead of ‘read all the books on your shelf’.

I keep these main ideas or goals separate from my to-do list. I’ll periodically pick out a smaller task that will help me achieve the over-arching goal, and add it to my list for the week or month.

Now I’m less overwhelmed, and have a realistic to-do list that includes necessary tasks, as well as some things I want to do.

But, to get to that point, I first had to start actually looking after myself properly.

Remember: productivity isn’t productive if you’re unable to find time to eat healthily, sleep, or exercise.

With that said, I put together a list of the absolute bare minimum self-care activities as a daily reminder.

It might seem silly, but it helped me, so it might help you.

I now make sure to do all of these things every single day.

Six Bare Minimum Self-Care Practices

1. Food
2. Water
3. Sleep
4. Hygiene
5. Go Outside
6. Move Your Body

I hope you found this helpful. If you’re overwhelmed right now, take small steps to improve your situation.

Things will get better, I promise!

All the best,

More Self-Care and Wellbeing Content:

• What is My Responsibility, And What Isn’t? How To Set Healthy Boundaries.
• 21 Self-Care Activities You Can Do Right Now.
• 5 Things You Need To Stop Caring About.