Strategies for Exhausted Working Parents
Parents, especially those who juggle between work and family, can find it overwhelming to balance their work and be present and available for their families. Being active in children’s lives can sometimes be limited by pressure from work, unavailability caused by work, burnout from work, or many other things that can arise in everyday life. According to Jonathan Osler, dozens of working moms and dads have voiced some version of having an empty feeling and tension, which they have tried to suppress. The following six strategies can be helpful for exhausted working parents.
Rounding up
This means getting a sense of forwarding momentum. The parents need to look back at their accomplishments. They should give themselves adequate credit for all their achievements and successes. Challenges are inevitable, but with the realization of everything that has been accomplished, they will feel more ready to meet them.
Closing out
Most times, if not all, the human mind craves completion. That is, finishing one thing before focusing on another. Closing out the past will help the parents free themselves up for what is coming instead of focusing on things they have no control over—going into the future with fresh goals and a clean-slate feeling.
Finding out the point of control
This is the significant part of their lives that they can easily engage in and boost their overall well-being. Jonathan Osler says, realistically, it can be hard to be a calm and attentive parent when faced with feelings of confusion and disorder. A personal sense of being is needed to face what’s coming at home and even career-wise. Finding a control point will help them feel more like they are in control regardless of circumstances.
Having a future anchor
This means having a positive mental image of their plans. That is, where they want to be professional, as a parent or even personally, within a certain timeframe. All the hard work they put in will feel like it’s leading somewhere they have chosen. Their challenges won’t appear as large because they have a goal in mind and something to look up to.
Giving their career some attention
Shifting some amount of focus to the future and not just the to-do list, for instance, dedicating some amount of time and attention completely towards their career and professional advancement. As a working parent, you will be more productive when you centralize your attention.
Mentoring another working parent
This means finding another working parent who might be a bit back in their journey more than them. Make a time-limited offer since there is not a lot of free time, and get the satisfaction and psychological boost if it’s done smartly.
Being a working parent is sometimes stressful, and it is important to balance work life and family. The above techniques can be helpful to exhaust working parents. When a proactive step forward is taken, finding new ways of being a committed professional and a loving parent is guaranteed, even at the most difficult moments in the working-parent experience.