According to an article published by the American Psychological Association (APA), 5 million parents in the U.S experience parental burnout. You may be asking yourself; what exactly is parental burnout? What does it truly entail? Have I gone through it?
Research conducted by Bayot et al., (2024) illustrates that parental burnout (also commonly known as PB) has three facets. In fact, parental burnout is described as (1) a feeling of total physical and emotional exhaustion accompanied by (2) a decreased sense of feeling like a good parent as well as (3) emotional distancing from your child or children (Urbanowicz et al., 2023).
While parental burnout has been proven to be detrimental to mental well-being, there are evidence-based methods such as mindfulness and self compassion to mitigate these difficult feelings and enhance well-being. Together, we will explore them and their benefits!
Mindfulness & its Benefits
Mindfulness can be described as the practice of simply being in the present moment (Bayot et al., 2024). It is a way of paying complete attention to an experience without harsh judgement, analysis or criticism towards oneself as well as fostering acceptance and awareness. It has been proven to be incredibly beneficial to both parents and their children alike.
In fact, mindful parenting has been shown to be associated with many positives such as general well-being (with a particular benefit to mental health), developing critical emotion regulation skills, heightened perceptions of parental competence and disengagement from maladaptive and unhealthy thoughts. All in all, mindfulness and mindful parenting can essentially aid in stress reduction as well as fostering healthier and more positive relationships and stronger bonds with family members and even with yourself.
Self-Compassion & its Benefits
Self-Compassion may be defined as complete understanding, caring and empathy towards yourself and what you may be feeling. Exercising self-compassion means treating yourself with kindness and acknowledging that making mistakes are part of life and part of being human. Practicing methods of self-compassion has been shown to reduce negative feelings (such as guilt, embarrassment or shame), decrease levels of self-criticism and thinking about personal flaws and perceived flaws over and over again.
Leading research by self-compassion advocate and scholar, Dr. Kristen Neff, emphasizes how parents who practice self-compassion are better able to care for their children and model emotional resilience. When parents are kind to themselves, rather than critical, they can respond to their children’s needs with more patience, warmth and understanding. All in all, practicing self-compassion leads to a more positive self-image and greater satisfaction and confidence in one’s role as a parent or parental figure.
Conclusion & Tips
Incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion practices in your everyday life are not only important to improving feelings of parental burnout, but are critical. So, what can be done? How does one go about incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion practices on the daily? Let’s take a look!
-Be Present: Focus on the moment, whether during playtime, meals, or daily routines
-Practice Kindness to Yourself: Acknowledge your efforts and imperfections, treating yourself with the same care and understanding you offer those around you
-Take Breaks: Carve out small moments of quiet to recharge and reset, even if it’s just a couple of deep breaths
-Regular Reflection: Check in with yourself daily to identify stressors and practice gratitude for the little things in life
