Why self-care feels impossible


If you’ve ever promised yourself you’d start taking better care of yourself, only to feel too exhausted or too busy, you’re not alone.

The truth is most of us struggle with self-care not because we lack discipline, but because:

  • Life is overwhelming.
    Between work, family and a neverending chore/to-do lists, it’s easy to put yourself last. I'd even go so far as to say that we've been trained to put our needs last.
  • Self-care feels like “one more thing” to do.
    When it's framed as a huge commitment (an hour of exercise, a perfect morning routine), it just adds more pressure on our shoulders. So it becomes easier to skip it altogether.
  • We try to do it all without a plan or a system. Just vibes.
    I'll shout about it until I'm blue in the face, but real self-care isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about small, consistent choices that add up. And having a system and some form of accountability makes all the difference.

That’s why I created the Weekly Self-Care Planner. To help you build self-care into your life in a way that feels good, not like another obligation.

It’s a simple, fun way to track the little things that make a big impact: movement breaks, mindfulness, nutrition... so you can actually feel better, without the pressure. I've infused it with my favourite methods and resources I use with my clients.

Think of it as your friendly, low-effort guide to actually prioritising yourself.

You don’t have to do it all perfectly. You just have to start. And this planner will help you stay on track with compassion.

Oh yeah, and it's free.

Grab yours here.

Om, peace.

Clem

P.S. Self-care gives us more time and energy. This is your gentle nudge to start. 🧡

P.P.S Do you have a friend who’s always putting themselves last? Feel free to forward this email to them 😊

Clémence Dieryck

I'm a bilingual yoga teacher who helps people who sit a lot gain mobility, move without pain and reduce their stress.

Read more from Clémence Dieryck

Shouldn't we be hibernating right now? I don't know about you, but I feel like this is what my whole body is screaming at me at the moment. And judging by the messages I've been getting from clients and friends, I'm far from alone in this. For most of us, the last stretch of the year is also the busiest, the fastest, the exhaustingest. Projects to finish at work, presents to buy, festivities to prepare... The list doesn't end. But our energy does. While it's vital that we pace ourselves if we...

Are you ready for some tough love? I'm what's generally called a "compassionate coach", but sometimes we need fierce compassion, no-BS compassion. Someone who'll tell you what you need to hear, even when it's not what you want to hear. So here it is: You can't be upset at the results you didn't get from the work you didn't do. I know this firsthand because I had to catch myself a few weeks ago when I stepped on the scales and saw a number I didn't like. I had noticed that walking up the...

Hey, It's been 5 days since I challenged you to try the zero-hour method. So here's my question: did you try it? And if you did... how did it go? I'm genuinely curious. Did you wake up a bit earlier? Did you press play on one of the videos I shared? Did you manage all 5 days or did life get in the way? Let me be so clear: there's no "perfect" here. Maybe you only did it twice. Maybe you tried Level 1 and realised you need more sleep (fair enough). Maybe you discovered that 5 minutes of...