Parenthood is one of the most exciting and rewarding adventures of life. However, it’s also one of the most challenging and exhausting roles a person can play. From sleepless nights spent comforting toddlers to the mental exhaustion of guiding kids through the defiant teenage years, every phase of parenthood is uniquely demanding.
Fortunately, you don’t have to face parental overwhelm on your own. A good therapist can support you through your struggles and give you techniques to get through particularly challenging phases with your children. If you can’t find the time to commute to regular in-person therapy sessions, don’t worry! Online therapy is a convenient solution that gives you access to licensed therapists from your home or any other secure location of your choice. Here’s how online therapy can support parents managing stress and burnout.
What Is Parental Burnout?
Parental burnout is a state of severe mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion stemming from stress caused by parenting responsibilities. It’s normal to feel fatigued at times as a parent. However, burnout is a state beyond regular fatigue. It can even cause the affected parent to feel more irritable or detached from their children. Parental burnout isn’t a condition that should be ignored. While it may eventually go away on its own, it could also become progressively worse.
To help preserve physical and mental health, as well as the parent-child relationship, it’s important to seek professional help as needed. Talking to an online therapist can help exhausted parents learn how to reframe their thought patterns, develop coping strategies, and set boundaries. It can also help them process shame and guilt in healthy ways while learning how to improve relationships and communication.
Symptoms of Parental Burnout
Indications of parental burnout may vary from one person to the next. However, in most cases, parents experiencing burnout have one or more of the following symptoms:
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Physical exhaustion and chronic fatigue: This can lead to constant feelings of extreme tiredness, no matter how much sleep you get.
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Sleep disturbances: It’s common to have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep when you’re experiencing burnout. This is often due to overwhelming feelings of anxiety and racing thoughts.
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Mood swings and irritability: Burned-out parents may have trouble controlling their temper and other negative emotions. They may also have a low tolerance for even minor inconveniences or disruptions.
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Emotional detachment: This is perhaps one of the most alarming symptoms of parental burnout. Parents may become emotionally detached or indifferent toward their own children. This detachment can, in turn, lead to feelings of shame and sadness.
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Lack of enjoyment: Parents who are emotionally and physically exhausted may lose their enjoyment of things they once loved. They might withdraw from friends and family members or refuse to participate in hobbies that once helped them feel fulfilled.
In serious cases, parents experiencing burnout might resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as getting drunk or taking illicit drugs. If you have any of these symptoms, it’s crucial to get help from an experienced professional. A good therapist can help you process guilt in a healthier way, identify ways to simplify your life, and help you transition from simply surviving to thriving.
Techniques Therapists Use to Treat Parental Burnout
No two therapists are exactly alike, and some may use different techniques than others to help patients cope. However, when it comes to treating parental burnout, here are some of the most common therapeutic techniques professionals use:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a short-term, structured form of psychotherapy that involves identifying negative thought patterns and behaviors to facilitate positive change. The premise of this treatment is that your thoughts directly impact your behaviors. Therefore, changing the way you think can organically change your actions.
CBT is a great tool for overcoming parental burnout because it empowers patients to build everyday stress-management and cognitive restructuring skills. It’s also goal- and action-oriented, meaning that clients have the opportunity to practice and hone their skills in real-life settings.
Self-Compassion Training
As a parent, it’s so easy to come down hard on yourself when you think you’re failing your kids or your spouse. However, plummeting into a downward spiral of self-pity and shame will only further harm relationships. If you don’t love yourself, you’ll have a much harder time loving others.
A skilled therapist can help you learn how to be more gentle with yourself through self-compassion training. This technique is designed to reduce feelings of shame, guilt, and incompetence. It also encourages kindness and patience toward oneself, especially when dealing with particularly challenging situations.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
This type of therapy helps parents learn how to accept uncontrollable situations without getting derailed or feeling like they’re to blame. It’s an action-oriented type of psychotherapy that encourages value-driven behaviors to add more meaning to life.
Core principles of ACT include:
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Acceptance of uncomfortable feelings without trying to avoid them
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Cognitive defusion to learn that thoughts aren’t literal truths
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Focusing on being present in the moment with openness and no judgment
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Defining values that are important to you
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Taking committed action to change your behaviors in accordance with your values
Following these principles can help give you greater peace in parenthood and in your life in general.
Become a More Effective and Resilient Parent With Online Therapy
Parenthood is probably one of the biggest challenges you’ll face in your lifetime. However, with great struggles come great rewards. To help you navigate these challenging years with greater resilience and self-compassion, consider scheduling an appointment with an online therapist today.
