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Burnout is real, and every mom will probably deal with it at some point. But, can burnout be a good thing? Can you learn from burnout? Find joy in burnout? The answer may surprise you!
Guys, can I just say that I am done? Like so done…. Adulting is hard. And, I think we as parents all need a day or a week or a month to go back and catch up on all the naps we didn’t take, all the times we didn’t play, and to just enjoy life! Who’s with me?
Unfortunately, we can’t do that now, can we? Instead, we are here. Adults. Dealing with no sleep, sick kids, homeschooling, working, and the occasional broken bone. We don’t get a break, and really we don’t get much downtime. And, you know what that leads to?
Burnout.
Yep, left unchecked almost all of us will deal with it at some point. This year has been my breaking point in the burnout department. Because of it, I have dealt with disaster, I have ditched our curriculum, I have quit and cut back, and said NO. And you know what I have found?
Joy in Burnout?
Yes, I’m serious.
Here’s the thing, if we don’t acknowledge burn out, if we don’t allow ourselves to stop and evaluate our situation, we just keep going. And eventually, we crash. We let ourselves do things we regret. I have seen burnout destroy homeschools. I have seen it destroy marriages. I have seen it lead to mental breakdowns from utter exhaustion. I have seen it tear down children.
I don’t want that. Do you?
So, moms today I am going to ask you something. Are you burnt out? If so, acknowledge it. By recognizing the symptoms of burnout we can STOP it in its tracks.
We can find joy in burn out, we can learn lessons in burn out. We can take the burnout and kick it to the curb. Burnout has taught me so much, and it can you to. Burnout has allowed me to:
Learn to Say No
Burnout taught me that NO is not a bad word. It’s a good word. By saying NO to others I am saying YES to ME. I am saying YES to my family’s needs. I am saying YES to rest. I am saying YES to God. Burnout taught me my limits. I have made limits before, and not stuck with them. I would say yes because it was a good thing. But, not all good things need to happen RIGHT this moment. I know what my breaking point is now. I know what I can handle and what I can’t. Burnout taught me this. Do I feel bad disappointing people? Yes, sometimes. But, I believe I would feel worse knowing my children are growing up with a burn out momma that says yes to the world and no to them.
To Embrace White Space
My calendar is CRAZY. Like seriously nuts. There were so many days where there was always something on the calendar. It got to the point where the kids were surprised if we had nowhere to go one day. I don’t want that kind of life. So, I have learned to embrace white space. Every single week we have a nothing day. I refuse to leave the house. It’s amazing. You should try it. Seriously. Learn more about time management for homeschool moms in this post.
That LESS is More
When we had our homeschool disaster I realized something. LESS is more. I realized that it doesn’t take a full day of textbooks to learn a lesson. My children can learn just as much, if not MORE by less book work and more real-life experiences. This took me SEVEN years to get through my head. That is nuts, but hey at least it finally happened right? That has carried over into other areas of my life. I am learning to embrace more simple things. Fewer activities, more time home. Less stress, more fun. Fewer friends, more real relationships (that is for a WHOLE new post…). Less of being what others expect me to be, and more authenticity. Less running myself ragged and more rest.
Moms, if you are facing burn out just STOP right now. Reevaluate the situation. What can you give up? What can you do to kick burn out to the curb? And, how can you turn burnout into a learning experience? How can you take it and find JOY in it?
Believe me, I have been where you are, and it is NOT a pretty picture. BUT, there is HOPE on the other side. There is JOY in burn out. There are LESSONS there that can CHANGE your LIFE!
How have you dealt with burnout?
Not sure what the warning signs of burnout are? Check out this post!
