Are you dealing with homeschool burnout? Do the days seem impossibly long and filled with unpleasant interactions with your children? Do you feel like you’re drowning in the details of life and never getting to the good stuff? It happens to the best of us. Here are some of the ways it shows up in my homeschool.
4 Signs of Homeschool Burnout
Snapping at my kids
I’m pretty sure none of us entered into this motherhood/homeschooling gig because we wanted to spend our days feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by our responsibilities to our children. We imagined joyful tea parties, pushing squealing toddlers on swings, witnessing the moment when reading finally clicks for our child, and deep, meaningful conversations that reveal to us the beautiful souls of our older children.
So why does it feel like so many moments are filled with barking orders, frustration, whining, and tears?
If this is your current reality, it’s a pretty good sign that you are overwhelmed and facing burnout.
Looking for any excuse not to do school
As homeschoolers we have the luxury of choosing our school days and deciding how to fill them. One of the benefits of homeschooling is being able to decide to drop everything and head to the hills to enjoy an unseasonably warm afternoon, or to start the day late because everyone was up late stargazing the night before.
But when you have more days of not schooling than schooling, when your days start later and later because it’s easier to let the kids sleep than to deal with them, it’s time to look at what’s going on. We have a responsibility to educate these little ones, and if we’re avoiding it, we need to confront our burnout.
Googling “good schools near me”
I’ve even been known to tour a couple. One time our tour was scheduled for 8 am and we woke up to below freezing temperatures and enough snow to make life miserable but not enough to cancel school. I felt like the Holy Spirit was reminding me of just one of the many reasons I go through the trouble of homeschooling.
When you start fantasizing about sending your kids to school, it’s time to figure out how to manage your burnout. Changing the way you school your kids is a big deal and the decision should be made from a place of peace, not overwhelm.
Shopping for curriculum
There are times when a curriculum change is what is needed. But in general, what you have is just fine. You may need to tweak it to make it work for you, but, chances are, you spent a lot of time and money picking it out and you chose it carefully. Rather than shopping for new curriculum, admit you’re starting to burn out, and take some time to figure out how to make what you have work for you – at least for now.
5 Things to Help you Fight Burnout
Take a morning to reset
Ask the Holy Spirit to be your guide in this process. Brainstorm what is going well, and what is not working. Do you love your language arts curriculum? What about your current routine feels glitchy? How is morale? Are there attitude problems that need to be dealt with? If you could wave a magic wand and change three things about your homeschool, what would they be?
Now, pick one problem and tackle it – either the easiest to solve or the one that will yield the most fruit if solved.
Phone a Friend
This can be especially helpful if you are an external processor. I have certain friends that I call when I want to think through specific problems. I let them know by text that I have something I want to pick their brain about and we schedule a time to talk. We may or may not talk about her on that call and we may or may not exchange pleasantries. Good friends are happy to help and they know you’ll be there for them when it’s their turn. It’s amazing how much can be figured out in a focused 15-30 minute conversation with a fellow traveler.
In order for this to be most effective, the call needs to be focused on solving problems, not venting. Venting is fine and definitely has its place, but it doesn’t move us forward when we’re stuck.
Give yourself a (healthy) treat
It is important to give ourselves treats from time to time. They help boost morale, allow us to ask more of ourselves, and make life a little less sad. They are a form of self care that make us feel, well, cared for. So go ahead and give yourself a healthy treat. Spend 30 minutes reading a book just because, go for a short walk all by yourself, put fresh flowers on the table. Treats are very personal. They don’t have to be expensive or edible. Make a short list of things that give you a little jolt of joy and keep it handy when you need a little pick-me-up.
Spend an hour being a friend to your future self
Treats can be a very important part of self care, but they’re not the only way to care for yourself. Think of how you care for your children. It’s not all about making them feel good in the moment. It’s the same when we take care of ourselves. Sometimes, self care means doing some work now to save us some trouble later. When you’re facing burnout, sometimes taking an hour away from homeschooling to improve your environment can go a long way toward making you feel better about your life.
You could:
- Organize your homeschooling supplies
- Plan your next week of homeschooling.
- Clean your bedroom.
- Plan your meals for the next couple of weeks.
- Fold and put away all of that laundry on the sofa.
Attend a Homeschool Workshop or Retreat
Homeschool Burnout is a real issue and we need to face it head on if we’re going to have the homeschools we all dream of. Many places offer retreats, conferences, or workshops for homeschooling moms to come together for fellowship and professional development.
If you’re local, and you want to join some wonderful women for a morning of work and refreshment, check out my upcoming Reset, Refocus, and Refresh workshop. I’d love to see you there!
