Parent Burnout

Parents of three and more children have a "round-the-clock, full-time job", often in addition to their professional activities. Never-ending to-do lists and new surprises every day leave little room for relaxation or their own wishes. Multi-child families often demand a lot from parents, sometimes too much. Many parents are not aware that they run the risk of burning out. Learn how to recognize warning signs and protect their mental health.

You have the feeling that you are running out of energy, nothing works out the way it used to and you hardly feel any joy.

Typical signals of a burnout syndrome can be:

• Persistent fatigue
• Deep exhaustion
• Internal emptiness
• Sleeplessness because of circling thoughts about everyday issues
• Tormenting self-doubt or guilt
• Dropping performance
• Breaks do not bring recovery
• The joy of being involved with the children disappears, instead, a distance arises emotionally
• The nerves are bare: Irritability, tears, tantrums, psychological or physical violence may occur.

If you notice some of these signs in yourself and they persist for a long time, these could be indications of a burnout risk. Then it is important to think about relief and take measures to avoid health and psychological risks - preferably with medical and, if necessary, psychological support.

Protecting yourself from stress: taking stock

It is not unusual for parents to feel overwhelmed at times. After all, there are new challenges every day, often with special time demands. The more children there are in a family, the more often there are unplanned surprises. It is important to recognize the stumbling blocks to permanent overload and to clear them out of the way.

To get on the track of an overload, it is worth taking stock of everyday family life:

• What all must be considered and done in a week or a month?
• Who in the family does what tasks?
• Are the children involved, for example, in the housework or the older children in the care of younger siblings?
• Are the tasks fairly distributed?
• What extra-familial support can be relied on?

Even if it takes time, write down the requirements best. It is amazing how many tasks are done daily "quite incidentally". An inventory helps to initiate necessary changes.

There are no patent remedies. But perhaps the following tips will give you some ideas on how you can bring more peace and contentment back into your everyday family life:

These tips can help increase your resilience and resistance and prevent burnout. If you still see signs of burnout, don't be afraid to seek professional help.