When people talk about self-care, they usually picture candles, bubble baths, yoga, and maybe a vacation you can’t afford to take. But self-care isn’t just what you do after work. Sometimes, the most essential self-care happens during the workday.

If you’re neurodivergent, chronically tired, mentally overwhelmed, or just living through late-stage capitalism, taking care of yourself at work isn’t optional. It’s how you survive.

Here’s what self-care actually looks like at work, even when it’s messy, imperfect, and done between tasks.

You’re exhausted. You know you need to sleep. But the second your head hits the pillow, your brain decides it’s time to replay every embarrassing thing you’ve ever said, spiral about the future, and plan the next ten years.

Sound familiar? Same.

Rest doesn’t come naturally to all of us—especially if you’re neurodivergent or just prone to anxious overthinking. But rest is a skill you can practice.

Here are a few ways I trick my brain into letting me actually chill.

Not every day needs a mental health emergency kit. But when the bad days hit—the ones where getting out of bed feels Olympic-level hard—I’m glad I have one.

Think of it like a first-aid kit, but instead of Band-Aids and Advil, it’s filled with things that help patch up your brain and heart when they’re in crisis mode.

Here’s what I keep in mine, and how you can build your own.

Here’s the thing about breaks: I know I need them. My body knows I need them. My brain, however, is over here screaming:

• “Lazy!”

• “You should be doing more!”

• “You’ll fall behind!”

Sound familiar? 🙃

Taking a break when you feel guilty about resting is one of the hardest skills to learn. But it’s also one of the most important—because burnout doesn’t make you productive either.

Here’s how I learned to actually step away, without spiraling into guilt.

Work would be so much easier if we could send the emails we really want to send. You know the ones:

• “Hi, I will not be answering this email at 11:37 p.m. because I am asleep like a normal human.”

• “No, Karen, I will not ‘hop on a quick call’ at lunch. That’s my burrito time.”

• “This task is not urgent. It’s just poorly planned.”

But since we can’t (because we like having jobs), we have to find ways to set boundaries that don’t burn bridges. Here’s what I’ve learned about keeping my sanity at work—without writing resignation letters in my drafts folder every week.