Your head is constantly swimming with all the things on your to-do list and you don’t want to do any of them. You aren’t sleeping and are always tired. When three of your children ask you questions at one time, your brain melts down. You don’t remember always feeling this way, but you don’t know how to find yourself again. Welcome to Burnout City.
Burn-out and being a mom seem to be synonymous in our culture today. When children are little and have many needs to be met, a mother has little time to meet her own needs. The hope is always that they will require less as they age and therefore moms can recharge their lives. This is partially true. As children mature their physical needs are less demanding and they are able to do more for themselves. Although many mothers discover their pre-teen and teenage childrens’ emotional, mental and spiritual needs require more attention. In short, their problems require more of mom's mental real estate.
I started speaking with my friends about this as my children moved into their teen years. We all agreed that as children mature into young adults, the mental energy we had to put into their well-being only seemed to increase. Some of this can be controlled but some of it is inevitable. This leads many moms I know (and myself included) into Mom Burn-out. Moms that are still caring for little ones or an aging parent who requires attention can make the problem worse. The demands of life just keep screaming louder and louder.
What to do to Stop the Burnout
Unfortunately, there is little meaningful help or guidance when it comes to healing burnout. Burn-out is a chain reaction of biological, mental, emotional and spiritual issues that exacerbate each other and make healing a long and sometimes difficult process. Humans are complicated beings and there are many facets to our health. Addressing all of them in some form is necessary for full healing.
Biological Causes
The gut microbiome and its effects on mental wellness are at the center of a lot of discussions. This is for good reason. Ninety percent of our dopamine and serotonin (which are our mood-regulating hormones) are made by a healthy gut microbiome. Chemicals in the environment, pharmaceuticals, food additives and stress negatively affect that delicate balance. The impact on mental wellness becomes not only noticeable but overwhelming. Biological causes need to be addressed before the other components of mental wellness because biology is foundational. Also, building back a healthy microbiome takes time. Addressing sleep issues, pain issues and poor diet are essential to building back a healthy gut. Eating live probiotic and prebiotic foods such as kimchi and kombucha encourage the helpful bacteria to thrive. Taking a probiotic supplement can be helpful but finding a quality one that contains the exact microbiome that is required for an improvement in mental wellness is key. Many probiotic supplements either don’t make it to the intestinal tract to work effectively or they only improve digestion and do nothing for mental wellness. I recommend Amare Global’s line of products. They have fine-tuned probiotics that are not only effective but cover all aspects of mental wellness. To try Amare go here.
Once the biological issues are addressed the other contributors to burnout can be helped. Part 2 of this series will look at what factors cause the cycle of burnout.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This advice is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always seek the guidance of a medical professional before making any changes to your routine.
Kathy Davis is a mom of four who began her homeschool journey in 2006 when her oldest started pre-school. In May 2021, she graduated her oldest. She is passionate about helping moms stay the homeschooling course while not losing themselves in the process. She mentors burn-out moms and helps them not only survive but thrive! In April 2020 she launched kathyjilldavis.com and started working with Amare Global to offer practical support, solutions, and community for moms who don’t want to lose their dreams and passions during motherhood. Feel free to email her HERE.
