How to Prevent Homeschool Burnout

It is a fact of homeschooling that mothers will ultimately suffer from homeschool burnout. This usually occurs when homeschool moms take on too many activities at once or they want their daily schedules to go smoothly.

However, nothing is really perfect in real life. Unless a homeschooling Mom learns to pace herself the same way as his/her child when he/she studies, she is highly likely to burn herself out and end up with a  number of emotional disorders including anger management problems and depression.

If you are reading this article, you probably suspect that you are suffering from homeschool burnout already, but aren't sure about it. You know if you are burned out if you find yourself crying very easily at the smallest problems that come your way. Similarly, you tend to overreact to minor problems. As a result, there is a tendency for you to make rash decisions without giving enough thought to the matter. You also lose patience very easily and snap at your child when he/she couldn't understand what you are teaching them. Last but not least, more often than not, you are very depressed, manifesting as appetite loss or binge eating.

If you are suffering from homeschool burnout, you need to determine which situations you have no control over and those that you can do something about. Some of the circumstances which you can do nothing about include having a new baby, illness in the family, moving to a new place (such as with military and other mobile families), a new job, additional responsibilities or work at your place of employment, and changes in your routine.

The situations that you must change to prevent yourself from further burnout include cramming too many activities in your schedule, making too many commitments, strictly following the curriculum, unrealistic expectations in your children, absence or a lack of support.

Once you have identified the situations that you can control, take note of these tips to prevent further burnout…

     1. Cut back on the activities. Even if your child is a prodigy, don't cram in daily piano or art lessons or sports training within the 8-3 hour regular school period. Not only will you burn yourself out, even your kids will start feeling the strain.

     2. Lower your expectations. Realistically speaking, you are not a Super Mom. You are not expected to homeschool and do household chores all in the same day. Don't fret if you can't clean the house or do the laundry. Set it aside for a later date. In the same vein, don't push your kids too much. While one child may be keeping up with his/her studies, the other may be lagging. Learn the limitations of your kids and build a more appropriate homeschooling schedule around them.

     3. Be more flexible. A lot of tensions can occur between parents and kids if the child is having difficulties with the curriculum, especially if it is the strict textbook-based one. If the curriculum you are using is not working on your child, try another one until you find one that is best suited to his/her learning skills. Also, be aware of your child's moods. Your child is not out to make your homeschooling difficult for you by being stubborn, refusing to study any further, or breaking into tears. He or she may be genuinely tired. Rather than press the lessons to be completed, stop what you're doing and relax. Play games or read books together. Any lessons that can't be done today can be put off for the next day.

     4. Change your teaching style. Don't get mad if your kids say that you're boring them to death. Most likely, they are telling you the truth. Try not to stick too much to your strict curriculum. Make lessons more engaging by planning fun activities, like games that are related to the topic for the day.

Learn more about homeschool burnout and how you can prevent it today! For more information about homeschooling please visit:  http://homeschoolinggenerations.com/