No matter what you choose to do in life you can get into a rut and suffer from burnout and homeschool is no different. If you are new to all of this you can expect there to be times where you really question what you are doing, you may be confused or worried and then there will come the times that you will just have had it and want to give up.
The harsh reality is that homeschool is no different than teaching school but can be a hard juggling act because you are home with different things pulling at you. It isn’t like you get to leave your house, go to a secure building where the only thing that happens is education. You probably also have smaller children running around your feet as you try to give you other children a good education as well. Here are a few tips to prevent getting to the burnout phase so quickly and then there will be a few ideas of what to do when you do get there. Keep in mind that stress relief is a personal thing and different things work for different people.
- Take care of yourself. We have all heard it before. Every magazine or television show is telling you to take care of yourself. If you are the mother you may have a hard time with this concept because we perceive this attitude as selfish. This is the hurdle we must get over is this old mindset. It is the most unselfish thing you can do for our children (and husband) for you to take care of yourself so that you can be there to take care of them properly. Being a homeschool mom is stressful and your days can run together like you are on a hampster wheel and can’t get off. It is important to force yourself out of the cycle.
- Take mini vacations. We mean really mini. If possible find a way to have at least 10 minutes per day to yourself. Then find a way once a week to be gone for more than an hour. This should be out of the house if possible, those walls can close in on you fast. On top of this weekly event you may want to consider planning small getaways or something to look forward to every few months. This does wonders for your stress level. It is wonderful to know that there is a break coming just a short ways off.
- Disconnect. In today’s world it is critical to find a small window of time daily that you aren’t checking email, instant messaging, texting, or on the telephone. Even turning the television off and being free of all things media and technology can be wonderful and rejuvenating. Modern technology is wonderful but it also puts us all on beck and call 24/7.
Some other ideas that you may want to think about can just add some variety to your typical homeschool day. Take a break in your homeschool curriculum to mix things up and be spontaneous, after all this should be one reason that we homeschool is the ability to be flexible. Take your school work outside if weather permits. Fresh air and sunshine do wonders for you when you need a little break. Another idea is to have fun days like Pajama Day, or Backwards Day. This puts a smile on your kids face and puts some life into your typical homeschool day.
Just remember that as the years go on you will find yourself running on empty at times and the key is to prevent it but should you find yourself in burnout mode and don’t feel like you can go on consider letting everything go for just a few days. Because you homeschool your kids will be fine, no one will be hurt from missing a few days and you may get the much needed break that you need. Even your kids need time out of your house so consider camping or a mini family vacation. It can even be something as small as going to a movie or take the family swimming. Anything to have a change of pace and a change of scenery.
