Tips to help avoid and deal with parental burnout

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Do you ever feel like the last couple of years has left you at wits end with your own family? It's called parental burnout and you're not alone.

It's the last thing a parent wants to admit, but there are times when you desperately need a break. 

Pandemic-spawned parental burnout was inevitable, as spending time 24/7 around people can test the edge of any love envelope. 

Sara Banks, a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor says to take note if you're feeling detached, lonely, isolated, or even feeling detached from your own children. 

Dr. Ruben Brock, a professor, clinical psychologist, husband, and father of three days that young people can feel and perceive the stress adults are dealing with it and can cause stress and anxiety in them as a result. 

Dr. Brock says that many parents struggle with burnout and even with acknowledging burnout because they think it makes them a bad parent. 

"An easy behavior to notice is whenever you're becoming very like irritable, and snippy and you're short, maybe you have a really extreme reaction to something that should just be minor," Dr. Brock said.

When that happens, your children aren't getting the best version of their parent and it is unsettling to them. 

While this doesn't mean that it's a reflection on their love of their child, it is the situation at hand and the parent needs to break the cycle. 

It's in the whole family's interest to concede there is a problem and it's something the whole family can help fix.

"First of all, you should use your partner if you have one. Let them know like, hey, I need tagged out here for a little bit," Banks said.

"The simplest and easiest way to manage burnout is to just take take some stuff off your plate," Dr. Brock said.

While you trim your 'to-do list,' increase your 'me ;list.'

It's like the advise from every flight attendant when they tell you to take care of yourself before you worry about anyone else.

Experts say you should actively schedule your adult time, perhaps by sending children to a relative's home or to a friend's house for an hour or so each week.

If the time isn't scheduled, it won't become a priority and you won't get any relief.