Homeschool mom burnout is real.
We get tired and weary with all that we do, because homeschooling isn’t easy. We lack motivation and inspiration. We can even react with anger or harsh words towards those we love, only to feel regret later on.
And then there’s the questions that start to come up… can I really teach my children? Will I fail them?
There’s so much weight and responsibility in educating our children. We fear that we’re missing something and that our kids won’t “turn out”.
- Will they be socialized?
- Have friends?
- Will they want to learn and remember what they’ve learned?
Ultimately, we start to wonder if our kids will look homeschooled? What does that even mean?!
We have so much that we’re thinking about, that it’s not even about exerting physical energy; instead it’s the mental and emotional capacity that starts to wear thin.
All of these thoughts run rampant and they can especially come when we’re starting to feel tired, worn, weary or even burned out. This is a tactic and tool of the enemy because he wants to get you to doubt what God said to you instead of trusting Him. The enemy wants you to question your ability to homeschool your children so that it becomes more about how you feel and less about God’s direction for you and your children.
If you’ve been feeling a little tired, worn or on the brink of homeschool mom burnout, consider taking a look at what you can do to empower yourself to make changes.
#1: Acknowledge What You’re Feeling
There can be freedom in stopping and acknowledging what you’re feeling. Some of us don’t want to admit that we feel tired, worn and weary, but there’s nothing wrong with sharing what you’re feeling. The important thing is to SEE it. And if you don’t, you’ll start to supress your feelings making things be what they’re not.
There is nothing wrong with how you’re feeling. You’re not the only one feeling the way you do. In fact, most homeschool moms experience being tired, weary or even burned out.
What tends to happen is our thoughts spin like a hampster wheel. We repeat our thoughts over and over again, but the more we do, we cause worry, stress and anxiety.
The opportunity to acknowledge what you’re feeling empowers you to change it.
PLAN OF ACTION: Write in a journal what you’re feeling and how you’re feeling. By writing your thoughts you can see what you feel and this becomes the starting point for making changes.
#2 Cast Your Care On The Lord
The Lord cares for you.
His calling on you to homeschool is not because He thought you could do it alone; it’s because He wanted to work and partner together with you knowing that His grace and strength would be enough. He wants you to seek Holy Spirit concerning the efforts of homeschooling, because with Holy Spirit, we would be drowning in a sea of ideas and opinions not knowing where to go.
We all have areas that we can worry or stress about when it comes to homeschooling because of the ages and stages of our children.
Maybe you’re experiencing (what you feel like) is some learning challenges with your kids. Perhaps it’s behavioral. It could be that the curriculum is just not working. Maybe you worry about your children’s future.
Whatever it is that you’re taking the care for, it roots itself in the spirit of fear where out of that is stress, anxiety, worry and so much more. Often times, we need to remind ourselves that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.
PLAN OF ACTION: In your journal, identify and write the things you keep thinking about over and over again. By doing this, you’re getting off the hamster wheel of thoughts that aren’t moving anywhere but are consuming space in your mind. Take these areas and surrender them to the Lord, casting your care over to Him.
#3 Remind Yourself Of Why You’re Homeschooling
Sometimes we get caught up in what homeschooling should be or look like based on what others are doing. We can forget why God called us to homeschool in the first place.
PLAN OF ACTION: Remind yourself of WHY you’re homeschooling. What did the Lord say to you about it? Was homeschooling supposed to look a certain way or are you putting those self-imposed expectations on you and your family?
#4 Change Up Your Homeschool Routine or Take Time Off
One of the biggest things you can do is to change up your homeschool routine or take time off of homeschooling.
Whether you choose to homeschool mornings only for a length of time, maybe you need a few days off, weeks or months from homeschooling (this is why we don’t homeschool over summer), there is no right or wrong answer.
In order to prevent and overcome homeschool mom burnout, you need to give yourself space and time to heal. It doesn’t do anybody any good when we’re burned out, exhausted and feeling low.
The kids may think they have some extra freedom and time. And this is great! Often times a break for children means that there’s a whole lot more natural learning going on and you’ll be surprised that all while you took time off of your homeschooling schedule, they’ve actually been learning all along.
PLAN OF ACTION: Look at your homeschool routine and change it immediately.
#5 Ask For Help Or Ask For “Me Time”
I’m one of those parents that rarely asks for help or “me time”.
First of all, I somehow think that I should be doing it all. This is certainly my perfectionist and high-achieving personality that I’ve been working through.
BUT, I’ve been learning that homeschool moms should not balance it all and asking for help is good for me and my children. Not only that but when I do have “me time”, I remember why it’s important to my mental and emotional health. I feel like a better me who has more energy and sustain the demands of life again.
PLAN OF ACTION: Ask a friend for help or ask your hubby for a slotted “me time”. During this time, be intentional. You could go to your favorite coffee shop. Enjoy a stroll at a local park. Pick up a new book at a bookstore. Get a manicure or pedicure. Drive to a favorite spot and journal. Go to a thrift store and check out some deals. Whatever it is, make sure it’s YOUR favorite thing to do and that it fills your cup.
#6 Recommit Yourself To The Lord
There’s nothing more reviving than digging into the Word of God with your own eyes. Being present with the Lord and sensing His presence is so overwhelming and supernatural for our soul.
Holy Spirit breathes life back into us when we pray, meditate on God’s Word, and hear from Him.
When we don’t spend time with the Lord like we should, it’s like eating junk food all the time. It can satisfy us for a while, but we’ll experience highs and lows. This cycle repeats itself and it’s so unhealthy if we don’t put anything nourishing in our bodies. The Word of God is our bread and nourishment. Without it, we really can’t live and function like we’re designed to.
PLAN OF ACTION: Spend time with the Lord in the mornings before your kids get up. Ask the Lord to refresh you and revive your heart concerning this homeschooling family lifestyle. Consider a homeschool prayer journal with prompts and space to write.
#7 Take In A Conference, Convention, Book or Support Group
A great way to prevent and overcome homeschool mom burnout is to hear from other homeschool moms. It’s often reassuring just knowing that you’re not alone, and in fact, that they experience the same things you do.
The perfect homeschool family doesn’t exist. We often need the reminder from others that how we feel is okay, and these things will pass.
There are so many amazing conventions that you can attend physically. Or even if attending physically isn’t possible for you, online conferences designed specifically for homeschool moms are also amazing!
I also like to dig into good books to revisit the expectations I set on myself or my kids, and then look at my philosophy of education and what God is saying to me about it.
Lastly, if I’m doing some research where I’m looking for ideas, I’ll ask homeschooling families around me, post a question in a Facebook homeschooling support group or email another homeschooling blogger.
PLAN OF ACTION: Take in a Homeschool convention or online conference. Read a book, ask questions from another homeschool mom, post a question in a homeschool support group on Facebook or email a homeschool blogger.
Often we put too much pressure on ourselves as homeschool moms to do it all. To prevent and overcome homeschool mom burnout, let’s take the time we need to nourish ourselves properly again and care for ourselves.
Feel free to share a time when you experienced homeschool mom burnout or weariness and what you did to overcome it. Let’s encourage one another!
Anchored in Christ,
Melanie