FEBRUARY 2022 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 45
PARENTAL BURNOUT
EXPERT COPING ADVICE
BY COURTNEY INGALLS
Some parents feel like they can never
catch a break, especially due to Covid-19
sometimes keeping kids at home during
the designated alone time that all parents
need.
Dr. Natalie Weder, a senior, child, and
adolescent psychiatrist at the Child
Mind Institute, shared some common
signs of parental burnout and what steps
parents can take to prevent it.
What is parental burnout? Sometimes
parents, either because of environmental
aspects like Covid, or all of a
sudden having to be teachers and tutors
in addition to just parenting because
they are studying from home, or you
have less access to resources that you
would access otherwise, have to spend
so much time taking care of kids that
sometimes they start neglecting their
own needs. As a result, they can experience
burnout.
What are some of the most common
signs? The most common ones
tend to be excessive fatigue, feeling
that you are exhausted all the time,
or feeling like you feel more distant
from your children and can’t be
emotionally present, or that you
can’t fi nd the emotional resources
or the emotional availability
to be connected with them.
How could parental
burnout affect kids?
Children notice this fatigue
and they notice this lack
of being emotionally present
or this lack of enthusiasm.
And so the kids
fi rst start worrying about
their parents because
they notice that something
is wrong. Secondly, they
many times tend to internalize
things, saying, “Oh, maybe this
is my fault,” “Maybe I’m not being
a good child,” and kids can feel
guilty themselves.
What are some
changes you can
make to prevent
parental burnout?
The fi rst thing is to feel comfortable talking
about it. Really work on the guilt and
be able to vent to people that you trust or
to other parents, whoever is in your support
system that’s an adult. Being able
to talk about your feelings, being able
to talk about your problems just in itself
can be a huge relief. The other piece is to
evaluate your stress.
What techniques can parents use
to help with their burnout?
If it’s
going beyond — sometimes starting as
stress and burnout and then ending up
in depression or extreme anxiety, to the
point where it is impairing their wellbeing
or the well-being of the family
— they can seek professional
help. There are ways and treatments
available to help them feel
less depressed or feel less anxious
and so on.
-This article fi rst appeared in
New York Family.
PARENTING TIPS
Parents can avoid burnout with
these tips. (Getty Images)
com-
presthing
Broadway Comes to Babylon!
Get Your
Tickets Today!
World PremierE
A World PremierE
Jan 20th - Feb 27th
A new musical by Tony-nominated Joe Iconis
featuring a score of popular songs written
and made famous by female artists and
female-fronted bands including Blondie,
Pat Benatar, Avril Lavigne, Joan Jett, P!nk,
Gwen Stefani, and more.
MAR 17th - MAY 1st
A PremierE
New Musical!
Musical!
$10 Off*
WITH cOde:
PRESS
*Not to be combined. Discount valid off
individual, premium mainstage tickets only.
argyletheatre.com | 6 31.230.3500 | 34 w. main street, babylon ny 11702
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
/argyletheatre.com
