PARENTAL BURNOUT
Remember how you felt when you fell for the love of your life? How it seemed like you could not go through another day without them. You envisioned getting married to him/her and raising a family together.
Now your dreams have come true. The wedding was a success and married life has been nothing short of sweet.
Your joy knew no bounds as you held your bundle(s) of joy in your arms on the hospital bed. What more could you want?
You got home with your newborn(s) and possibly for the first time realized how much your world is going to change going forward, yet you managed to pull through each day, each week and gradually the months roll into years.h
The kids are growing up really fast and your life seems to be a rollercoaster of activities and routines.
You look back on your life and it appears you have lost yourself and all the enthusiasm is gone. It seems like you are just barely getting by each day and are just going with the motions. You may also find that you are becoming more critical of your children than loving, more irritable or impatient, forgetting things easily, and questioning your parenting ability.
Parental burnout! Yes, you heard right. We all experience what is called "burnout" at different stages and in different facets of our lives.
Parental burnout is a state of prolonged physical, mental or emotional exhaustion that comes with the painstaking task of parenting.
If or when you find yourself in this situation, here are a few tips to help you. So don't dare throw in the towel.
1. Get some support: You literally can't do everything yourself. Know when to step back and ask for help. This could come from your spouse, family, friends or you could pay someone to come in to do some chores for you.
2. Exercise: Burnout can affect you physically; muscle aches, neck pain and the likes. Go to the gym, take a walk or do other exercises to release muscle tension. Exercise helps you sleep better too.
3. Go on a retreat: If your job allows it, take a day or two or even a week off. Get some time alone where you can just reflect, meditate, and engage in other rejuvenating activities.
4. Do something fun: You could go to a spa, have a date or movie night out with your spouse or friends. Basically, do something you love and enjoy.
5. Be mindful of your diet: Burnout could lead to excessive weight gain for some or weight loss for others. Bottom line is that your eating habits could severely impact your health, so you need to be intentional about it.
Always remember to prioritise self care because this puts you in a better position physically, mentally and emotionally to take care of those you love.