Motherhood Burnout: What It is & How To Overcome It

Alessandra | Posted on January 30, 2023 |

You’ve probably heard about Motherhood Burnout. But what exactly is it? Why do you feel this way? And how can you overcome it in 2023!? Keep reading to find out my 5 best tips to overcome and avoid mom burnout.

Motherhood burnout is a trending phrase right now. Chances are you stumbled across this blog because you are feeling overwhelmed with mom life and you’re wondering if mommy burnout is even a real thing. First off, yes it’s real! Being a stay at home mom is tough, it’s all consuming, it’s a 24/7 job. And over time it can become a lot. But here’s the thing…

You didn’t become a mom to feel burnt out and overwhelmed and exhausted all the time. It shouldn’t be that way and I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be that way! You can thrive in motherhood. Being a full time mom, doesn’t mean losing yourself. You can overcome the mommy burnout so many people talk about. You’re allowed to be happy and confident and fulfilled in your role as a mom more often than not! Let’s dive into it. Keep reading until the end for a free download to help you on your journey to becoming a happier mama!

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What is Motherhood Burnout?

Motherhood burnout is feeling so completely overwhelmed and depleted as a mom that you sometimes feel like you want to run away. That you can’t possibly do it all anymore. It’s getting enough sleep and always feeling tired. It is doing so much with your kids and never feeling like you’re actually doing enough. It’s mental and physical exhaustion from living up to mom standards that are unachievable!

First I want to let you know that how you’re feeling is pretty normal. You are not alone in feeling unproductive each day, like you’re not giving enough of yourself to your kids, or that you’re straight up failing. So many mothers feel this way all the time. Ultimately, I think it’s unfair. You shouldn’t feel like this all the time. This is not what you signed up for when you became a mama to your precious babies (who I know you love more than anything, despite feeling like you need a 3 month vacation.)

In this blog I’m diving into how you can overcome this motherhood burnout that you and so many other stay at home moms feel. Let’s talk about ways you can feel better as a mom!

How Do You Fix Motherhood Burnout?

1. Ask For Help!

I know this is so difficult for so many and I struggle with this often, too. But please, ask for help from anyone you trust.

Ask your husband for help (he needs and wants you to ask for help!) Even if it seems silly to have to ask him, most times they just don’t know what to do. Ask your husband to wash the dishes at the end of the day. Or ask him to handle bath time if you just don’t have the energy.

Ask for help from a neighbor or another stay at home mom friend. Maybe they can watch your kids for an hour while you go grocery shopping. Or maybe, setting up a play date to have another mom, who’s going through the same trenches as you, will be enough to help you.

Whatever you need help with, you need to ask for the help first. This is seriously you’re first step to overcoming motherhood burnout!

2. Take Care of Yourself

You matter too, mama! Avoiding mom burnout means self care. And self care can literally be anything you want it to be! Anything that makes you feel good. Don’t let anyone tell you what self care is and isn’t. If taking a hot shower with the door closed, fills your cup, then that’s self care! If you want to go get a manicure and pedicure, then treat yourself. Maybe you just need a 10 minute walk to clear your head…that’s great too! Whatever it is, filling up your cup and taking care of yourself is SO important. You become a better mom when you focus on yourself, as well as your kids!

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3. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

This is what I mean by this: Stop over stressing out thinking you are not doing enough, or you’re watching too much TV, or you didn’t do a Pinterest project with your kids. Stop worrying about little things. We as moms, often feel like we never do enough during the day, but here’s the thing…

You kept your house cleaned up, you spent time with your child(ren), you played, you fed, you held, you cuddled, you kissed boo-boos, and scared away the monsters. And you took care of and kept your tiny humans alive today. You did everything you needed to do!

I’m not sure when snuggling, cooking, reading books, coloring together, cleaning up, or helping your baby fall asleep became “doing nothing.” All those little things are important and matter too! They matter a lot. So, everyday you feel like you didn’t do enough, I promise you, you did EVERYTHING.

Let the mom guilt go.

4. Get Out of the House

I know this can sometimes feel overwhelming in itself, to just leave the house, but it can be a game changer. And here’s the thing…you can leave the house and just drive around. Go get your favorite coffee and take a drive. Your kids will be strapped into their seats (where they can’t touch you😬) and you can turn the music up and just take a minute to breathe.

OR…

You can go to your local library, it’s a great place to meet other stay at home moms in your area!

You can find a moms group to go to (this saved me after I had my second baby!)

Or you can meet a friend for lunch or at the park.

Getting out of the house and having other moms to talk to can be an amazing way to feel better!

5. Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Moms

Please, please, please, stop comparing yourself to other moms and your kids to other kids. This will just eat you alive and it is completely unhelpful! You cannot compare yourself to other moms on Instagram who are sharing highlight reels of happy, smiling children all the time. It’s just not the full truth.

You can’t compare your kids to other kids either. All children are different and that’s ok, that’s what makes us all unique! Once you let the overwhelm of the comparison game go away, you will begin to feel so much better. No one is perfect, and that’s ok. It’s time to start realizing that you are enough just the way you are!

These are my 5 top tips to avoiding and overcoming motherhood burn out! I hope you find them helpful. Please let me know in the comments what you think! And follow me on Instagram @justabasicmama where I’m always sharing real mom life and helpful & motivational tips! Because you deserve to be happy in motherhood!! Speaking of that…

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