Like most of you, I’m a parent. Caring for two young kids can be physically and emotionally exhausting at the best of times.
We, as parents, are constantly trying to give the best to our children, working intense and long hours, looking after the home, maintaining a healthy partnership and fitting in a social life.
These seemingly unrelenting demands can take their toll on our bodies and minds.
You are not experiencing parental burnout because you are not a good enough parent.
You experience parental burnout because there is an imbalance between the stresses you face and the resources you have.
Parental burnout is characterised by
🔥 Exhaustion in one’s parental role (in contrast to previous self)
🔥 Feelings of being fed up with one’s parental role
🔥 Emotional distancing from one’s children
🔥 Reduced parenting efficacy
Build your resilience by setting your boundaries while you still have the patience to do it:
❤️ Zone out for a minute when your child is talking gibberish
❤️ Redirecting your focus on something in the distance
❤️ Know that it’s OK to say no
❤️ Look for where you’re putting pressure on yourself or where it feels like others expect too much of you
❤️ Prioritise the jobs that are essential and focus on how to achieve those
❤️ Making a list can help with this
❤️ Create moments of calm
When you’re struggling to meet the needs of your children and family, give yourself what you need first.
For yourself, one key way of holding is setting aside time to tune into your needs and become more self-aware. It means that you are giving yourself space to be yourself fully without judgment. That you are listening to your mind and body and supporting yourself in the best way you can.
Only then you have the capacity to meet the needs of others.
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