Most people live very busy lives nowadays. Long gone are the days where you would work Monday to Friday, 9-5, and then have the evenings and weekends to relax. If you work in a high-paced and stressful environment, then you’re even busier and stretched. Often, sleep is the first thing people give up, as they are busy trying to fit all they can into their day. Without enough sleep, you are basically rolling out the welcome mat to those dark undereye circles.

If you can’t seem to find a way to slow down your life but are tired of walking around with dark circles, you’ll appreciate these tips.

Making Small Changes

Can you see dark undereye circles in the mirror? If so, there is a good chance you’re not getting enough sleep. Obviously, the best cure is to look for ways you can make small changes to your schedule and your day. This could mean you start going to bed halfan hour earlier, maybe lay out your clothes and pack your lunch the night before so you can sleep a little longer in the morning, and learn to give yourself at least one quiet night at home where you aren’t glancing at a to-do list. Ideally, you want to aim for eight hours of sleep each night, but clearly, that’s not always possible.

Perhaps you’re still a student working towards your masters of social work online. Learning how to juggle a busy life while you’re still enrolled in your online MSW program will help you later on down the road.

Look to Address the Problem Through Skincare

Even with the best intentions and trying to make those small changes to your schedule, the dark circles are still bound to happen here and there. Rather than slathering multiple layers of concealer over them, it’s a good idea to start using a brightening eye cream. This cream works to brighten the look of the skin under your eyes, which will diminish dark circles. You can find gel and cream formulations.

Color Correcting Makeup

One mistake that women often make is to use multiple layers of concealer to cover the dark circles. The problem with this technique is that the concealer can end up look cakey and start to break up during the day. Instead, you may want to try color correcting makeup, which works to reduce the appearance of the dark circles.

If you have gray, blue, and brown tones under your eyes then it’s best to use an orange or salmon shade. The shade should also be adjusted to your skin tone –people with fair skin should use peach or apricot, while deeper skin tones can handle red. Be careful not to go overboard on the color correcting though; a little goes a long way.

Use Tea Bags

Yes, this is an old trick, but the fact is that it works! You will want to take two damp tea bags and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, place one on each eye and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. The results can be rather dramatic.

No Need to Live with Them

There are all kinds of great products and techniques you can use to fight dark undereye circles, which means there is no reason you need to live with them.