Did you take advantage of the beach, friends and holidays in general? So much the better. Because the following is not always easy. On the return from the holidays and just before the start of the school year, the mental load often returns to the gallop, especially with mothers or solo parents. Better to prepare to avoid the blow.
Mental burden, this guest who is not long in coming back
Indeed, if no one is completely spared by things to do for the start of the school year, according to a survey, women are twice as much exhausted as their spouses after the holidays (which they have partly organized). As for single parents, they must put on the super managers’ cap to get out of it.
In question for all parents (or responsible adult)? The multiplication of everyday tasks that returns to them. Between purchases to be made, registration for activities, canteen, medical certificates, appointments at the garage or at the doctor, meetings … difficult to blow.
Real risks on a daily basis
The mental load is not a concept. It even does wrongly wrong. In the couple, she is responsible for what is called “back to reality” syndrome (arguments against the backdrop of things to do), sometimes from your return. But it is also on mental health that she plays the most.
Ultimately, the mental burden can cause other evils and have repercussions on your professional life, as a family. We know it today involved in certain burnout (exhaustion), anxiety, sleep problems … The fatigue generated would also count among the risk factors of heart problems but also chronic diseases. At least, if the mental burden is not entirely responsible, it participates in bad general health.
Our advice to stay more zen
But then what to do, when the list of imperatives is there (you just can’t zap back to school, for example), but you already feel feverish at the idea of doing everything in the time allocated. Psychologist Johanna Rozenblum recently gave us advice to avoid overheating.
“The first step is to accept that we are not a superhero (or a superheroine). We cannot succeed everything or do everything at the same time. It is only by accepting his limits that we manage to let go”.
And if it is not always simple, other practical avenues can lighten the mental load:
- Accept imperfection: You cannot be both an impeccable professional, an always available mother, an activity organizer for the end of the holidays, and a seasoned cooker in the evening. Lower your requirements a little: no one checks all the boxes at the same time;
- Avoid endless to-do lists: Too busy lists only lead to frustration. Better to choose two really important tasks during the day, to program on the days you have only to stack dozens of points impossible to achieve;
- Learn to prioritize: Distinguish what is urgent from what can expect. “It is worth at work, at home and even for your leisure. You will gain in serenity.” For example, yes, it is urgent to settle the school terms. On the other hand,, There is nothing serious to opt for simple meals these days to avoid taking the lead;
- Delegate: No need to want to manage everything alone. Household chores can (and must) be shared. If you are two, therefore share the list of imperatives. The children, depending on their age, can also participate and thus relieve parents;
- Dare to say no: Refusing an additional task or a service to a friend is not a fault. Place your limits helps preserve your balance;
- Ask for help: There is no shame in soliciting a loved one, a colleague or his spouse when the charge becomes too heavy. Better to do it before reaching exhaustion;
- Take care of your mental health: Finally, integrate small rejuvenating breaks during the day: a few minutes of meditation, a moment of reading, a walk in the open air … So many parentheses that help to release the pressure.