How do we all avoid that Parental End of Year Burn-out?
Towards the end of the year parents can experience a type of burn-out. No doubt the year has been busy, so much running around with the kids, running the home, looking after others, working, and the list continues. By year end we want to stop and have a break yet Christmas is upon us, so more work is needed this time of year. Gift buying, planning, parties, organising Christmas breakfast, lunch and dinner, wrapping, planning – OMG fatigue is upon you again.
This is more of a mother or woman problem than a male issue. The mother is often the person who plans, decided on gifts, shops for all items, wraps, hides the gifts, arranges Christmas breakfast, lunch and dinner deciding where to go and when. The rest of the family just seem to follow happily along. This is considerable planning, arranging and working to ensure the day and season goes great for everyone.
Problem is, while mum is busy arranging and looking after everything for everyone, she may start to burn-out. Not just from the Christmas planning season but from the culmination of the entire year.
Burn-out happens when we fail to allow ourselves time to recharge during the year. We become irritable, annoyed over minor things, frustrated, our mind fails to focus as we are so tired. Physical and mental exhaustion hits. Everything start to feel like an effort.
Parental burnout can hit parents differently. When we’re burnt out we become irritable, annoyed over minor things, frustrated, our mind fails to focus as we are so tired. Physical and mental exhaustion hits and everything starts to feel like an effort.
How to ease the burnout:
While many of us would like to just run away, there are more realistic ways to ease the feeling of burnout at this time of year.
The best way to deal with burnout is
- Escape parenting responsibilities for a short time, we need to have a night out or better still a weekend away, just you and your partner, no kids
- Get as much sleep as you can
- Spend some time alone and safeguard your ‘me time’. When we can get even 10 to 15 minutes a day to yourself to walk or sit quietly and relax, things start to rebalance
- Ease the pressure and put things back into perspective. If you are a perfectionist this adds additional pressure, so adjusting your own self expectation may remove some of your self imposed pressure
- Listen to your own advice and focus on the solution as this can always help us
Christmas is an end-of-year fantastic time to share, have fun, celebrate, enjoy. Let’s ensure we do not miss the excitement by forgetting to stop, revive and relax a little so we can enjoy all the season has to offer.
Read full article in Essential Kids
