What Is Family Burnout?

You`ve been at home for some months now, and in addition to the pandemic the world is dealing with, you also have to deal with this new normal of being locked down with family So inevitably, burnout is becoming a new challenge in many households. Single parents are particularly facing more pressure at this time, and marital conflicts are increasing, leading to a rise in petitions for divorce. Parents are finding it difficult to give some encouragement and positive reinforcement to their children who are also gradually regressing. As a result of these, mental health services have recently welcomed a spike in consultations than ever.

Now that schools are not in session, millions of people are currently unemployed, and families are together, what steps can you take to ease family burnout and lessen the strain on family relationships? We`ll discuss it, however, before then, here are signs that you`re experiencing family burnout:

• feeling physically or emotionally exhausted
• feeling annoyed easily
• inability to handle usual tasks

One of the earliest signs of burnout is a reduction in one`s level of patience. Partners may also begin to feel a strain in their romantic relationships. This is evident in a recent study where only 18% of respondents were satisfied with the communication in their relationships since the pandemic began; also, there has been an unusual number of divorce requests this period. Usually, when one person experiences a relationship burnout, the other can make up for them, however, it can be disturbing when they both experience it.

Just like parents, children, too, experience family burnout. Burnout in children usually manifests as staying isolated, having trouble sleeping, being anxious, being irritable, and poor academic performance. This will eventually cause them to regress developmentally. Teenagers are even more likely to experience burnout due to a higher need for peer interaction, more academic workload, and more regular conflicts with parents.

How to Reduce the Impact of Family Burnout

Despite the fact that family burnout seems inevitable and widespread, you can still control it. Here are some tips on reducing the impact of family burnout during a pandemic:

• Maintain a balance between me time and family time.
• Use more encouragement and positive reinforcement techniques over punishment when dealing with children.
• Have a routine for meals, sleep, and study time.
• How can parents manage their own feelings of burnout?
• Practice stress management techniques.
• Aim at a better work-life balance, particularly if you`re working from home.
• Take some time off from house chores and child-care duties once in a while.
• Go out for a walk when it`s safe.
• Sit in the tub with a book for an hour or more every other day.
• Meditate daily.
• Try to switch up your relaxation activities: go bike riding, go to the pool, or a park.

9 Ways to Boost Mental Health During a Pandemic

Be Grateful

Track your achievements with a journal, listing three things you are grateful for each day, alongside three things accomplishments.

Start your day with a Cup of Co­ffee

Moderate coff­ee consumption lowers the risk of depression. If caff­eine isn`t safe for you, then you may drink green tea instead.

Get Creative

Creative expressions boost mental health and overall well-being. So try new recipes, write a poem, paint, or draw.

Eat Dark Chocolate

Eat dark chocolate to boost brainpower. Its flavonoid, caffeine, and theobromine content improve alertness and mental skills.

Laugh

Yeah right, nothing is funny, however, you need to make yourself happy somehow. Take some time out to laugh. Do video calls with your friends, watch a comedy, or see some good videos online. Laughter will definitely help you reduce anxiety.

Eat Right

You should be deliberate about your food choices at this time, more than ever. Consume more carbohydrates to release serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone. Try not to consume carbs excessively though because excessive energy may have adverse effects.

Dance

Play music and dance around while you do your house chores. You will get your chores done faster, and also reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. What`s more? You will release more endorphins and feel great.

Relax in a Warm Bath

Try adding Epsom salts to your bath to soothe aches and pains and also boost your magnesium levels, so you can ease stress and be happy.

Ditch your Phone

Devote at least an hour each week to turn off all your gadgets and just be alone without distractions. Let your mind stray from its regular routine. You could even read a book, go on a walk, meditate, or just interact with nature.

Using Meditation to Deal with Family Burnout

Family burnout is affecting badly, and you just feel like walking away from everybody and everything, but sadly, you can`t, because there`s a pandemic. Well, relax, as you can use meditation to combat burnout. You only need to take some time out each day to be alone and attain some degree of tranquility.

This ancient stress-relieving activity will help you unite your body and psyche so you can deal with nervousness, sadness, stress, sleep deprivation, and other conditions that accompany burnout. Meditation will give you inner peace with just a few minutes of daily practice. It will also alter your brain`s neural pathways and increase your resilience to stress. Meditating regularly will also help you to be calm more often because it is relaxing.

Some Meditation Facts

• The most popular types of meditation are spiritual, movement, mindfulness, focused, transcendental, and mantra.
• Meditation enhances empathy and drives social connections.
• You may use a mantra while meditating, to help you focus your thoughts.
• One of the most common meditation mantras is “hamsa,” which means “I am the pure, unchanging, godly subject.”
• 60% of people living with anxiety showed exceptional changes in anxiety levels after 7-10 months of meditation.
• Meditation increases mental endurance and resilience.People who practice yoga and some other kinds of meditation are habitually more resilient, as well as produce mitochondrial energy better.
• Some studies link meditation with better immune health.
• Meditation has eased lower back pain more than many over-the-counter prescription medications.
• Women show more signs of self-compassion and mindfulness after daily sessions of meditation.
• Meditation lessens stress, and as a result, increases creativity and innovation.
• Mindful meditation has been helpful in quitting smoking more than many other alternatives.
• Transcendental meditation creates some chemical changes in the brain because it propels the release of a soothing hormone called prolactin.
• The brains of longtime meditators generally age slower than the brains of their non-meditating counterparts.

Now that you Know…

This season is quite new to many, so it is not surprising that a number of people are struggling with it. The tips you just read will go a long way in helping you cope better in these times. It is however important to know the difference between having a slightly shorter fuse and being on the edge of combusting. Some burnout symptoms may require the professional help of a therapist. If you experience severe symptoms, you might want to consider consulting with your individual therapist, family therapy, or psychiatrist, depending on the severity. Above all, ensure that you prioritize your mental health, even as you look out for your family, and deal with the many challenges at this time. Do well to also check up on extended family members, particularly single parents.