Parenting Burnout; What It Is & How to Heal
Feel like you’re running on empty as a parent?
Like nothing you try with your child ever works?
Like you’re chronically frustrated and exhausted?
Like you can’t feel joy as a parent?
It’s very possible you are suffering from parenting burnout.
And you’re not alone.
Many parents of sensitive children struggle with parenting burnout.
This happens when the demands of parenting overwhelm your resources and ability to cope.
It can happen more frequently with “high needs” kids. These are kids who struggle more with the demands of daily life, or have bigger emotional reactions to typical stressors.
Parents of highly sensitive kids for sure can struggle with this.
Highly sensitive kids have bigger emotional reactions, are often strong-willed, often struggle with inflexibility, noncompliance and anger. All of which can make parenting them more challenging. And more exhausting.
As a result, over time, parents can feel like they are pouring from an empty cup.
Burnout for parents might look like:
- Feeling emotionally drained or detached most of the time
- Feeling frustrated, guilty or resentful often
- Feeling like “nothing I do as a parent ever works”
- Feeling impatient more than usual
- Struggling to feel joy as a parent
Sound familiar?
This is burnout, and there is hope for you to feel better.
What works?
Just like when kids struggle, we want to temporarily lower the demands, and treat ourselves with warmth and compassion.
3 Strategies to Heal from Burnout:
1.) Lower Your Standards for the Moment:
Good enough is good enough.
Allow more screen time just for today. Eat cereal for dinner, instead of a real meal. Ignore the kids bickering for the moment.
When you feel better, we can raise the standards again. For right now, let more stuff go.
2.) Take Care of Yourself in Tiny Bursts:
A day at the spa would be great, but if that’s not feasible, find joy in 30 second bursts.
Listen to a favorite song while you cook dinner. Give yourself 30 seconds to just close your eyes and breathe without needing to be productive. Give yourself permission to drink your coffee while it’s hot, without needing to multi-task.
Remind yourself, "I deserve support and care too.”
3.) Ask For Help:
Simply asking for help is powerful. It changes your nervous system biology, helping you get out of fight-flight-freeze, which is part of burnout.
When we ask for help, it promotes connection. It reminds us that we are not alone, that other people care and want to help us, and builds relationships.
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I’d love to help heal your burn out too!
If you are struggling with parenting burnout, let’s connect.
I’d love to support you, and together, help you feel better.
Schedule a free call with me to talk about more strategies. I look forward to connecting with you.
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