Self Care Comes First

If you're exhausted, visibility won't help

This view from my “desk” this week in Northern California helps restore a peaceful state.

This week has been mentally and emotionally exhausting.

What seemed like a simple dental procedure for my 88-year-old mom turned into 12 hours at the ER and then admission to the hospital to have an infected tooth removed under anesthesia.

Mom has dementia, and her memory is declining fast. Feels like she’s on 3-second loops asking where she is and what’s happening. I’m working hard to stay patient and answer her question over and over again.

Wednesday is the day I usually publish this newsletter and it’s usually drafted and queued by Tuesday afternoon.

I was going to skip today and while waking up realized I could tell my story because I know I’m far from the only one who experiences exhaustion and family caretaking duties and still wants to stay consistent with their business.

It’s hard though.

If you don’t have your energy, your health, or your focus… none of it matters.

I’ve seen this up close. The burnout that creeps in after saying yes to too many things. The brain fog that makes writing a post feel like climbing a hill with bricks in your pockets. The spiral that happens when visibility brings more eyes, but you’re too wiped out to show up fully.

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Holiday Self-Care Tips

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So here’s your visibility tip for the week before I head back to the hospital:

Take care of yourself before you take care of your content.

What to do about it

Here’s how I check in with myself before I ask myself to take action on my content marketing tasks:

1. Scan your energy
   Ask: “Do I have enough in the tank today to show up with intention?” If not, visibility can wait.

2. Pick one thing that restores you
   Walk. Stretch. Nap. Eat a real lunch. Listen to music. Whatever helps you reset—do that first.

3. Protect a window of time
   Block off 30–60 minutes a day that’s just for you. No work. No scrolling. No guilt.

4. Notice the quality of your thoughts
   If you catch yourself thinking, “I should be doing something,” pause. That’s a cue to get quiet before you get loud again.

Here are some more helpful tips from Iris van Ooyen:

How to get things done when exhausted - 5 energy hacks

AI prompt to experiment with

If you want to use AI to help you re-center before pushing forward with business to-dos, try this:

Prompt:
Act like a mindset coach who works with solo business owners. Ask me 5 questions to help me check in on my mental and emotional energy before I create anything today.

This is a great way to pause and get some gentle outside perspective before you move into doing mode.

Your turn. What’s your favorite self-care tip when you’re mentally exhausted?

Post it in the comments. I’d love to know. 👇👇👇