A Nigerian Mom's Guide to Overcoming Mom Burnout

Motherhood is a complicated journey, but as a Nigerian mom, you’re probably dealing with Complicated Pro Max. On one end it is one of the most beautiful things that can ever happen to you. But when you flip the coin, it is one of the most difficult things you’ll ever do in your life. Having to balance work and the home all under the pressures of society can be overwhelmingly stressful and lead to burnout.

What is Mom Burnout?

Mom burnout is a state of prolonged and excessive stress, resulting in physical, emotional and mental exhaustion. When not addressed, Mom burnout can creep into your daily routine and cause feelings of anxiety or depression.

Spotting the Signs

Mom burnout can affect every area of your life, especially the home front. Therefore, it is important to watch out for its signs to maintain a peaceful life and thriving home.

Some signs of mom burnout include:

• Extreme mental and physical fatigue
• Feeling isolated and disconnected, even from the kids
• Experiencing Mom rage— excessive anger or having emotional highs and lows
• Experiencing resentment towards life
• Feeling emotionally drained
• Feeling helpless or lonely
• Feeling inadequate or incompetent either at home or work
• Inability to ask for support
• Social Fatigue— preventing you from interacting with others, especially support systems.

Overcoming the Burnout

With the right stress management practices and support system, mom burnout can be managed and recovery quicker.

Here are some tips to overcoming mom burnout:

Don’t compare yourself to other mums-

Whether it’s their parenting style or how they look on social media, never compare yourself to other moms. You can learn from them but that’s all. The trick is to find parenting techniques and lifestyle habits that align with your personal values, and work for you and your family.

Find a mom buddy-

Connecting with another mom(s) who understands what you're going through and spending time with her can be incredibly healing when you're dealing with mom burnout. Having someone who truly empathizes with you, can provide reassurance that you're not alone allows you to feel seen and understood, when others don’t.

Plan “mom breaks”-

It's okay to not be a mom for a few hours and take time for yourself to nurture other aspects of your life. Try out that hobby, go for that brunch date with the girls, enjoy kids-free date night with hobby etc. Do things that remind you, you're not just a mom, but also a person.

Write your feelings down-

Tracking your emotions daily by journaling, penning down your emotional highs and lows as well as what triggered them is a good way to move through a burnout. It allows you to point out negative patterns that may be affecting you whilst exposing positive ones that you can recreate or turn to routines.

Create time to sleep and rest-

Honestly, this last point can't be overemphasized. Mom burnout is heavily influenced by exhaustion, so this is more of a need. As you plan your weeks, make sure to plan moments of rest and recovery to replenish your body, mind and soul. Sleep when you're supposed to, do the things that give you joy, prioritize self-care and cater to your mental health.

Mum burnouts can feel really intense and can have lasting effects. But with the right resources, practices and support system, you can navigate through your symptoms as well as triggers and develop healthy routines to keep you grounded and in-tune.