WATCH: Gabrielle Union shares sound advice for mothers: “Let yourself off the hook!”

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Gabrielle Union is a woman of many talents and who always seems to keep it all together, even when she’s balancing multiple projects, supporting her NBA star husband, and raising her fabulous family, including her 6-month-old daughter, Kaavia James.

The star and executive producer of L.A.’s Finest is also known for keeping it real and she did just that when TheGrio asked her to share some words of wisdom for fellow mothers caught in the never-ending grind of trying to have it all.

“Let yourself off the hook. Dudes do it all the time. No one asks a man ‘how do you balance it all’ because they don’t. They assume that they don’t. So live like a dude. Don’t worry about how you balance it all do good enough. As long as you have your peace, your grace, your joy… you know there’s gonna be some days you hit it out of the park at work maybe not so much at home. Some days you’re gonna be hitting it out of the park at home. Not so much at work,” she says. 

“Some days you’re going to be like ‘Let’s try five positions!’ and some days is gonna be the same old six o’clock and that’s all gonna be OK.  I mean and if there’s people in your life that that are demanding that perfection or some sort of like ‘You better be a chef, a double zero, you better be the business woman of the year, you better be you know this perfect unattainable thing, some parent that makes zero mistakes that’s there for every freakin’ thing that these kids are not going to remember’ I’m sorry you can’t be in my life because  it’s actually abusive to put that kind of expectation on one another. Set yourself free.” 

WATCH: Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba on why ‘LA’s Finest’ is their dream show

When all else fails, Gabrielle Union has a fool-proof backup plan for getting out of things that works every time.

“If you fake a gangster gastrointestinal issue people will leave you the hell alone because what they’re imagining is so disgusting that they want no part of you,” she jokes. “Go in a bathroom, lock the door, bring your iPad, get through a few episodes of your favorite show and people will leave you alone. I don’t know if it’s something about having the runs or whatever but it will buy you some time.”

Get more with Gabrielle Union and find out how Jessica Alba carves out time for self-care in the full interview, above.