031: Parent On The Back Burner & Why Parents Burn Out

Parents burn out for many reasons, the most important of which is neglecting their own needs. Parenting is a demanding job, with many energy taxing tasks.   The most energy draining one of them is holding our child’s emotions.   Even though we want to be there for our children, supporting them emotionally -- is a lot of work. Our emotional energy gets spent the most when we are helping our child to process their strong emotions.    Parent burnout is quite complex because it goes beyond physical or mental burnout. When we support child's emotions without supporting our own, we deplete our emotional reserves. That happens even when we remain calm, present, and composed.​   Loss of emotional energy leads to emotional burnout.   And I think that this part may be the most hidden aspect of why parents not only burn out, but also have a hard time recovering.     Unless we make some intentional decisions to take care of ourselves as parents, we will experience this type of burnout. Do you know whether you are at risk for parent burnout and need to take proactive steps to prevent it from happening? Use the Parent Burnout Screener below to identify your burnout quotient and help you answer this question.     Watch out for signs of burnout. Be proactive and screen yourself for red flags by accessing the Parent Burnout Screener here. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete, but could make a huge difference in how you view and manage your role as a parent.   Sign up here for the Emotionally Intelligent Parenting training.   Host: Julia Pappas, Psychologist & Parent Coach More info at theparentingpresence.com