Coping Strategies to Beat Homeschool Education Burnout

Homeschooling, like parenthood, can be one of two things: a stimulating experience to enhance the mother and child bond, or it could be a stressful undertaking that depletes one’s energy and happiness. According to Dona Matthews Ph.D., “More and more parents are choosing to educate their child at home, or to join with other parents who don’t want to send their children to the local schools.” Either way, homeschooling is a rewarding attempt to educate your children while safeguarding them inside the home.

 

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Aside from dedicating the majority of their time to their kids’ education, parents also have to fulfill other obligations which can eventually lead to burnout. Taking on the full responsibility for anything and everything increases a person’s anxiety and weariness; though some parents won’t admit it, exhaustion can get the best of you and not addressing the problem can eventually lead to more severe complications.

 

Acknowledging Burnout

 

When somebody says, “I’m all burnt out,” what that person meant was that he or she is experiencing physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that is induced by an extended and increased amount of stress and pressure. Being burnt out occurs when people feel emotionally and physically drained with episodes of feeling overwhelmed by the extensive list of constant demands coming from different aspects of life.

 

If not attended to, burnout can progress and affect a person’s motivation and interest in the activities that one has decided to partake. Extreme exhaustion reduces a person’s level of productivity while sapping energy from the system and leaving the person with heightened hopelessness, helplessness, cynicism, and resentment. It will not take long to just let go of the endeavor no matter how important it is to the person or the family’s well-being.

 

Coping Strategies

 

Just because you’re burnt out, doesn’t mean that it’s time to give up the fight. There are ways to cope with the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion. “Sometimes, it’s important to step back and examine what type of accommodations you make to avoid anxiety or to consider how anxiety interferes with your everyday life,” says Amy Morin, LCSW.

 

  1. Stop With The Comparison

 

One of the typical attitudes of parents who homeschool their kids is comparing their situation to other families who don’t or do homeschool their children. The impulse to equate one’s circumstances to others like having to continually prove that being homeschooled is better than those who went to regular schools is a typical yet exhausting attitude.

 

Comparison, by nature, can inevitably become a question of self-sufficiency and self-adequacy. Parents who overwhelm themselves of contrasting scenarios are not fair to either the parents and most especially to the kids. It would be better to focus all your energy on yourself and your children instead of wasting it on other people’s business.

 

  1. Stay Away From Toxicity

 

Negative people release negative energy that can be somehow infectious. For this reason, limiting contact and interaction with people who discharge bad vibes is a must. You already have various responsibilities to handle to hang around with negative-minded individuals who cannot bring anything to the table but pessimism. These are those people who always complain and do not see the good in things; they will drag your mood and convert your outlook from positive to negative in a snap.

 

Remember, if you continuously welcome toxic people in your life, it will eventually be passed on to your children whenever it’s time for your homeschool session and can significantly affect the learning process. As much as possible, if you can’t stay away from toxic people, limit your encounters.

 

  1. Ask For Support

 

Humans have their limits; which is why, as a parent, you have to eventually admit the reality that you can no longer handle the responsibility, and it’s time to ask for a lifeline. Being a parent and accepting the role of the teacher can be quite challenging. There are instances wherein parents tend to mix up their parts to the point of forgetting that one has to separate what a parent is and what a teacher is.

 

If the responsibility of being a teacher is making it hard for you not to be all critical with regards to your children’s performances, you can look for support on specific subjects. There are tons of online gurus that can carry on the responsibility of being a math teacher or a writing coach.  Do not take it all on yourself. “Try to get a supportive friend or relative to help you with these lists, as people with low self-esteem are not usually in the most objective frame of mind,” suggests Neel Burton, M.D.

 

  1. Take A Break

 

Getting away from everything even for a short period is very important in keeping your physical, emotional, and mental state at bay. Do this with your children by bringing them to the park or the beach and just relax for the day with no mentions of school whatsoever.

source: dsr.wa.gov.au

 

Call it a day and just bask in the goodness of sweet relief. Since you are your children’s mentor and handler, always include in your homeschooling schedule certain days of the month where you can set aside academics and just focus on self-rejuvenating activities.