Jennifer Chiu
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Self-care when there's nothing left to give 🫠💔

Self-care when there's nothing left to give 🫠💔

How I kept my glow during the ugliest, most exhausting week of motherhood—sick kids, no sleep, and a full mental spiral included

Jennifer Chiu
April 09, 2025

Hi beautiful, ☕️

Last week tested me in ways I didn’t think possible.

The entire house went down—both kids, my husband, me.

Fever, coughing, no one sleeping, tissues everywhere. I’m still not totally sure what it was (RSV? Flu? Some kind of super-virus built to break moms?), but it hit hard and fast.

I became the nurse, the snack runner, the thermometer checker, the 3AM comforter... all while sick myself.

So this week, I’m sharing:

💆🏻‍♀️ Tiny skincare rituals that made me feel human again
🫖 Immune support from my mom’s cabinet (that actually helped)
🫠 And what really happened during my breakdown—and how I came back from it

Sick, but make it skincare…

When you're sick, even the simplest beauty routines can feel overwhelming.

But neglecting self-care only made me feel worse.

Here’s my low-energy, high-impact beauty lineup for those "I feel gross but don’t want to look like it" days:

1️⃣ Essence glow

Asian beauty hack I swear by: after cleansing, I press a layer of antioxidant facial essence, then sandwich it with this PDRN overnight face mask. It plumps, brightens, and makes me look like I slept more than 3 hours. Tip: Pop your sheet mask in the fridge before applying for extra depuffing power.

2️⃣ Peel & reveal

My skin gets dull and flaky when I’m sick, but scrubs feel like sandpaper. I grab this multi-action enzyme peel and in 2 minutes I’m back to glazed donut status.
Tip: Do this right before applying serum — it helps products absorb way better.

3️⃣ Ice globes

Puffy? Congested? Just done? I grab my ice globes and roll for 5 mins. It calms my skin and my soul. Try it during a toddler meltdown. Game-changer.
Tip: Roll from the center of your face outward to boost lymphatic drainage.

4️⃣ Red light, lie down

I throw on my LED anti-aging skin mask and lie flat like I’m in a spa. (I’m actually in a sea of laundry.) The red light helps with inflammation, and fakes that "well-rested" glow.
Tip: Use it on clean, dry skin — or layer a light hydrating serum underneath.

5️⃣ Oil magic

One minute. That’s all it takes. I warm up some squalane oil, do a quick facial massage, and suddenly I don’t look like I’ve been crying over Bluey.
Tip: Focus on your cheekbones and jawline for a mini lifting effect — it works even better if you’ve done your ice globes first.

Old school remedies (modern girl edition)

Look, I love a sliced ginger in boiling water moment.

She’s timeless. She’s healing. She’s giving grandma’s kitchen.

But sometimes I need something that works fast, feels good, and fits into my barely-holding-it-together routine.

Here’s what I reached for while trying to keep my family alive and stay semi-human:

🖤 Black Pepper
I saw this on TikTok and had to try it. If you suffer from that tickle in the throat that makes you cough so bad (tears come out). You need to try this!
Tip: Add 1 tsp of fresh ground black pepper and add some hot water to it. Let it cool a bit and sip to get rid of that cough.
🌿 Warm Mist Humidifier
Say what you want about warm mist, but I find it works so much better than a cool-mist one. That’s why being in a steam shower is so helpful during colds. This is the one we have at home.
Tip: Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil and you’re all set.
💆🏻‍♀️ Headache Balm
My mom’s been using this ultra strength balm since we were kids and I still love how it helps with headaches and sinus pressure.
Tip: Just a bit on the temples and under the nose.
🍄 NAC
I’ve listened to enough podcasts to learn that implementing NAC into your immunity routine is essential! (Always check with your doc first!)
Tip: I add this to my vitamin routine and it’s helped so much with my respiratory health.

Survived the sick week. Rewarded myself by putting on real pants. 🫠

The week that broke me (then built me back up)

Picture this.

It’s night 4.

Everyone had a fever. I hadn’t slept. My youngest was coughing so hard she threw up.

My oldest was sobbing with a 104°F and feeling all out of sorts.

And there I was—standing in the kitchen, holding medications, crying silently, wondering if I was even allowed to fall apart.

Spoiler: I did.

I had the full ugly cry. Told my husband “I can’t do this.” Then I sat on the bathroom floor, lights off, and just… let it happen.

Because sometimes holding it together means giving yourself permission to completely fall apart.

I felt so overwhelmed.

Watching your kids sick? It’s one of the worst feelings in the world. It’s like watching your heart suffer, and with every cough and cry, it chips away at you. 💔

And now, as I type this… they’re back at school. They’re laughing. Eating. Feeling like themselves again. 🥹

I keep telling myself:

It’s a phase.
Their immunity is building.
This is part of growing up.

And I’m growing too.

This is my season of life right now. And I’m not going to sugarcoat it—it’s hard. It’s exhausting. But we made it through this round.

I’m so grateful we’re back to normal… even if I know the next sick cycle is probably just around the corner.

Until then, I’m going to soak in every healthy giggle, every tantrum-free meal, every moment of calm.

Because after that week? Normal feels like a freaking gift.

Thanks for being here with me. ❤️