Parental Burnout Pt. 2 – Solution Options and What Worked for Me

“How hard could it be to only have to worry about taking care of yourself?” I found myself asking. “Do you know what I would give to have even 48 hours where I didn’t have to meet anyone else’s needs, let alone a year?” We will touch on how awful that was again later. I did mention “dark” and “loathsome”, right?

If you read my the first post I wrote about Parental Burnout (you can read it here), you know it’s something I struggle with. The above quote is from the same article, it was something I’d said to my husband when we were heatedly discussing burnout and ways to solve it. We were both emotional during the conversation, but what I said was bang out of line.

The words spilled out before my filter kicked in, and however true they may be, they were unfair. I did apologize, and we spent some time discussing each other’s perspectives on that year apart and what it did for our marriage and our parenting.

We both agreed burnout resembles preventative medical practice. The idea is we take steps to prevent burnout, so if we do struggle here and there, it isn’t so bad. Without regular preventative measures, we fall into the trap I succumbed to during Aaron’s deployment. Burnout for me is now so bad, I have to use stronger tactics in order to come back to an equilibrium state.

I linked an article by Robyn Koslowitz, Ph.D. printed in Psychology Today in the first post about Parental Burnout. Here’s another chance to check it out: The Burnout We Can’t Talk About: Parental Burnout . I wanted to share a quote from it, because I think it’s important to understand why treating burnout is so important.

“Burnout prevents parents from being emotionally present with their children.”

Robyn Koslowitz, Ph.D. in Psychology Today

I’ve done a fair amount of reading in search of solutions, and most articles and resources say the same thing. They give what I call band aids. If you’re injured, you put a band aid on to protect your wound, and go about your business. The difference is, our bodies heal without our conscious thought. Burnout does not. These techniques will help you make it until you can take the steps to heal, hence the name I’ve given them.

Band Aids

These are the things I have done to get me to the next day.

• Letting things go; not just dropping the subject or throwing stuff out, but not completing household chores or activities because the world won’t end if it’s not done
• Taking things one day at a time, sometimes one hour, or even one minute
• Walking away from a situation (within reason) and taking some deep breaths
• Box Breathing (find instructions here – I use this as a band aid AND as a solution)
• VENTING VENTING VENTING
• Waking up earlier than my kids for quiet time
• Ordering takeout instead of cooking

My biggest frustration with all the articles I’ve read is this: These “band aid” type techniques can be used as preventative measures as well, if you’re not yet burned out. By the time someone is searching for ways to deal with burnout, though, they’re past the stage where prevention is a viable option. Treating the symptoms and not the underlying condition doesn’t help resolve the problem.

Other Tools

These are coping tools I found that might work for other people, but didn’t necessarily work well for me, or I could use as a band aid, maybe.

• The ever nebulous term “self-care”: do something that recharges your batteries, per say
• “Self-love” or “self-compassion”. I struggle with depression, so this often makes my problems worse instead of better, but it might work for someone else
• Support groups. I don’t do well in groups (I talk too much and it annoys people) but others might
• Changing your diet
• Not feeling guilty for taking some time for yourself

Solutions

• I see a therapist regularly
• I communicate regularly with my husband and we work on solutions one day at a time; what worked yesterday may not work today
• I try to be flexible, because a large contributor to my burnout is unrealistic expectations of what I can or should be doing
• Prioritization; I regularly review what I’m doing and expend a little extra time making sure I’m completing imminent tasks, not just things that are easy, and I also try to prioritize balance. This goes a long way to preventing burnout
• Being realistic about my expectations for what I can accomplish without overextending myself
• Make a point of listing all of what I did accomplish in a day, and all the things that went right
• Writing – this often this helps me to see underlying problems, so I can fix the causes, not the symptoms
• Thinking about myself with kindness and grace – it sounds trite, but reminding myself I’m doing a lot, I’m only human, I’m only one person, and I’m doing better than I think goes a long way
• Deep breathing techniques – especially box breathing
• Scheduling time off
• Gratitude journal
• Meal preparation in bulk
• Involving my kids in some of my activities (laundry, meal times, cleaning)
• Finding new and interesting activities to do with the kids
• Occasionally hiring childcare to get a break
• Talking to my kids like they are adults. (See explanation below)
• “Chunking” my tasks – breaking each large task up into very small steps so it reduces the feeling of overwhelm when I have to take on a large (or unpleasant) task
• Scheduling appointments with myself that have “unscheduled time” – this means that I don’t have a looming scheduled event that puts pressure on making the most of my time, and I don’t have to navigate responsibilities such as childcare or household chores

I realize not all of the solutions that work for me will work for other people. I don’t implement all of these things at one time, but instead fit in what I can. I do what I can with the resources I have. Not to be cliché, but I do my best to focus on what I can control, and deep breathe my way through what I can’t.

To follow up on “talking to my kids like they’re adults”: I don’t mean I expect them to understand and accommodate my burnout, meet me emotionally, or take care of me. That’s my job as their mother, not the other way around.

However, I am honest about how I feel, and explain what I’m feeling in a way they understand. I also explain how I manage that emotion, so they understand our emotions don’t dictate our actions. They need to see it’s okay to validate how we feel, but still take responsibility for our choices. We control our behavior.

This approach helps me not lash out, and more importantly, it teaches them that people have limits to what they can handle, even their parents. I don’t want my kids to grow up feeling it’s okay to walk all over other people, and this kind of empathy is a lesson I can easily teach while teaching them to be emotionally stable and also self-sufficient.

In conclusion

At the end of the day, these solutions are what work for me. I’m not a licensed therapist or medical professional, and I recommend anyone struggling to seek out professional advice or care. It’s not realistic to assume everyone can apply these tools to their life. I’m lucky to have the resources I have, and I know not everyone has them. I can’t postulate the situation of every parent, because like our children, we are all different in our parenting style and our personalities.

I know I need to hit the reset button, and I will get to a place soon where I can do so. Right now, I’m using my band aids, and taking everything one day at a time, one problem at a time. A few extra resources are listed below my final quote, as well as additional resources in the first post. I hope this article has shown another parent they aren’t alone, and there is a way to come back from the feeling of defeat from burnout.

“I can’t promise to fix all your problems, but I can promise you won’t have to face them alone.” – Unknown

WebMD resource
Choosing Therapy resource
Relief Parenting resource