Suddenly struggling with homeschool? Here’s what you can do!
You might be thinking “oh, it is only early in the school year, I’m ok” but honestly, we can start wondering if we are doing the right thing and homeschool struggles that can lead to burnout can start showing early if we are not careful. It is real, and it can be damaging to what we envision for our children and their education. Homeschooling can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s also demanding. If we can recognize the early signs of burnout we can maintain a healthy homeschool environment.
Burnout can affect both the parent – who is doubling up as the teacher amidst all the household tasks – and the children. But for the focus of this post I want to look at the parent burnout, that starts with the signs of struggling.
Let me start by saying that I think all of us, at some point or more, during the school year start feeling some, if not all, of these things. It is normal. It can be from pouring from your bucket without any refilling. This is NOT a sign that you are doing things wrong. It is a sign that some breaks are needed.
SIGNS OF EARLY HOMESCHOOL STRUGGLES
There are some signs that we can look for. And I think that it is important that we all are aware of what could be (like we should with postpartum/postnatal issues). Often knowing is the key to prevention, or the key to getting help earlier.
Here are some common indicators:
- Feeling Emotionally Exhausted. Are you feeling overwhelmed, irritable, or constantly stressed?
- Loss of Enjoyment. This is a lack of enthusiasm for or happiness with homeschooling activities. It might just feel like too much because you just don’t enjoy it.
- Feeling isolated or disconnected from other adults and social activities. Or even feeling disconnected from the homeschooling community.
- Having physical symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, changes in appetite, or frequent headaches.
- Feeling Overwhelmed and struggling to manage household chores, childcare, and homeschooling responsibilities.
- Feeling like your homeschool days lack routine or purpose. Do you perhaps need more structure?
Don’t look at having any of these as a failure. It is NOT! It’s ok to feel overwhelmed or burnt out at times. Homeschooling is not a sprint. We have to pace ourselves in order to achieve the finishing line.
WHAT CAN WE DO IF WE ARE STRUGGLING?
We all know that “prevention is key” but sometimes that statement can be more annoying than helpful. Yes, preventing burnout would be wonderful, but that isn’t helpful when you are in the middle of it.
This is something that I cover in my How to Homeschool course as one of the modules. I firmly believe that having some tools in place for when/if homeschool struggles happens is a great way to start with success. But maybe you have been homeschooling for a while and it has now just hit. I get it. It happens.
So, what can we do if we are feeling burnt out?
- Remember, “good enough” is often sufficient. We do not need to be perfect. The chances of that happening are pretty slim. And remembering that is freeing. Do the best you can.
- Take a break if you need to. It is not going to hurt your children’s education if you suddenly give them a day or two, or even a week off, so that you can have a break and get your mojo back.
- Cut back on what you are doing. You don’t have to do every subject every day, or even every subject. Focus on core subjects and skills.
- Reach out and talk to a friend. One who is also homeschooling is great as they probably have been where you are at, but it doesn’t have to be. Or find a homeschool coach to work through this with. It can be so helpful to have someone to talk to.
- Celebrate achievements, no matter how small. Everybody loves a win – and a treat.
- Consider hiring help for tasks like cleaning or meal prep. Outsourcing can be a great thing (and yes, your children could be doing this too but sometimes it is just nicer and easier to have outside help). This could also mean getting someone in a couple of mornings to take on the teaching. There are many options available for the help you need.
- Take time for you. Take up a new hobby or join a class for a season. If you feel you are doing something for you, this can help greatly.
Homeschool struggles and burn out can, and most likely will, happen. Its duration will depend on how quickly we recognize we are in burnout and what we do to help the situation. You are not on your own in this. Call that friend. Take some time. Breathe. It will be fine. And if you need to, put your child in school for a season. That is ok too. You need to do what works for you.
Here is another blog post on this subject that is helpful.
New to homeschooling? Check out this post on my best advice for starting.
0 Comment