9.8 Million Working Mothers in the U.S. Are Suffering From Burnout

From attempting to manage remote schooling to rearranging their workdays to fill child-care gaps, there’s no question it’s mothers who are, more often than not, shouldering the increased responsibilities of caring for kids throughout the pandemic.

But juggling child-care challenges with work responsibilities takes a toll. There were about 35 million working mothers in the U.S. at the end of 2019 and roughly 9.8 million working mothers in the U.S. are suffering from workplace burnout, according to a new analysis Great Place to Work and health-care start-up Maven conducted based on its survey of 440,000 working parents, including 226,000 mothers.

Just by being a working mother, women are 28% more likely to experience burnout than fathers, according to the analysis.

In many instances, burnout occurs because there’s not enough support. About 42% of parents surveyed by UrbanSitter say they do not currently have child care, while a third are reliant on family to watch their children while they work. Only about 27% have been able to hire a sitter or nanny.

Recognizing burnout

“Burnout is actually a pretty serious condition,” says Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, a psychologist and author of “Mommy Burnout.” For many, it manifests in both emotional and physical symptoms. Most commonly, people experiencing burnout suffer from fatigue, cynicism, lack of motivation, headaches, chest tightness, stomachaches, nausea, hair loss and even increased crying.

Many parents have already had to reduce their hours in an attempt to manage their responsibilities, and about 2 million women have dropped out of the workforce entirely this year, according to Kate Ryder, CEO of Maven, which worked with Great Place to Work on the survey and subsequent report.

For parents who are struggling, there are some steps you can take to mitigate or manage burnout.

1. Tap into your support system

One symptom of burnout is isolation, says Mercedes Samudio, a licensed clinical social worker and parenting coach with Maven. “When we’re out of energy, we retreat,” Samudio says. While retreating may help you recharge, talking to someone about how you’re feeling can help lessen the weight of emotions like guilt, fatigue and being overwhelmed because you don’t feel so alone.

2. Manage your expectations — and try to be realistic 

“You cannot run on the same expectations you had of yourself and your family before the pandemic hit,” Samudio says.

When setting expectations, it’s important that you’re mindful of your energy level, prior commitments and emotional state, Samudio says. One way to put this into practice is to write down your goals and reassess them each week to see if they are working or if they need to be tweaked, she adds.

3. Create new routines 

Not only should you realistically evaluate your current condition, but also try to create new rituals in your life. Take time in the morning to actually eat or set a timer to stand and walk around after an hour or two, Samudio says.

It can also be helpful to schedule in some “quiet time” for yourself every day, Zeigler says. This is a time where you give your eyes a break from a screen and let yourself decompress. “It’s very important to schedule that in or it will not happen,” she says.

4. Quit trying to multitask all the time

“Many busy parents feel like multitasking is the only way to manage their busy schedules, but studies show that it’s a big contributor to burnout,” Samudio says.

When you’re with your kids, allow yourselves to be present with them instead of trying to respond to an email, she says. If you’re in a meeting, focus on the meeting.

Excerpted from “9.8 Million Working Mothers in the U.S. Are Suffering From Burnout” from CNBC. Read the full article online.

Source: CNBC | 9.8 Million Working Mothers in the U.S. Are Suffering From Burnout, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/03/millions-of-working-mothers-in-the-us-are-suffering-from-burnout.html | © 2021 CNBC LLC.

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