Pause: Mental health check-in

Parenting is often stressful and exhausting. Bringing up a child brings new level and intensity of stress into your life. Often you will have to function on little sleep and there are more things to do when you have children. A certain level of tiredness and the occasional feeling of being overwhelmed by all the parenting task is completely normal.


However, when the mental load of parenting becomes all consuming and you find it impossible to relax and recharge you need to check up on your mental wellbeing. Overwhelmed parents can quickly become burned out parents with negative effects on the children and the family life. About a third of parents experience some level of parental burnout and most parents believe that being a parent today is much more stressful than it has been in the past.

A mental health check-in can help you to find out whether you are getting closer to parental burnout and need to take a break. Keep in mind that if your mental batteries are running low then there is less that you can give to your family and children. So, take a moment and check into your current mental state. Here are the signs and indicators that tell you that you need to take some action:

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1.    Are you struggling to sleep at night(even if it is not your baby or child keeping you awake)?

2.    Do you find it difficult to concentrate and perform normal everyday tasks?

3.    Are you easily irritable and snap at your child or partner?

4.    Is your current mindset predominantly negative?

5.    Are you often feeling anxious or experiencing panic attacks?

6.    Are you feeling emotionally detached from your child and partner?

7.    Do you rely on alcohol, cigarettes or other drugs to relax and calm your mind?

8.    Is your appetite low and do you find it difficult to enjoy your food or are you overeating?

If you strongly agree on a combination of these questions your mental health requires immediate attention. You need to focus on self-care and self-preservation to avoid parental burnout.


Even if you experience several the above symptoms for an extended period of time you need to focus much more on your own wellbeing. Pareful offers a wide range of advice and actions to improve and stabilise your mental health and wellbeing. With the right actions and behaviour you can avoid parental burnout and become the best parent you can be.

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