Tag Archives: home school stress

Expectations…

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When I began this journey of homeschooling, I thought I had to have everything perfect. I have that tendency anyway, but since I had been a teacher for many years… I thought my homeschool had to operate like a classroom. My expectations of our day ran along the lines of a June Cleaver crossed with the Waltons.

I thought that my days should all be perfect… where I would get up early and have quiet time, exercise, get my shower and be dressed all before the kids woke up… And when I woke them up, they would be eager and ready to learn.  HA!!!! It didn’t take me long to realize that I was crazy. After just a few months of trying it this way, I was so tired I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. It took everything I had in me to just bark at them to get out of bed in the morning.

I also realized pretty quick that the children didn’t WANT to learn, and they didn’t always get along. So, a few months into this homeschooling endeavor… brought a realization that my expectations just were just too high. I had to reinvent a model of homeschooling that fit our family, our lifestyle, and our needs. I couldn’t be LIKE anyone else – I had to be me… and I had to homeschool in a way that reflected who WE are.

Have your expectations caused you to stress out over homeschooling? Don’t let them, homeschooling is made to meet our needs… not the other way around.

Stressed out… or Burnt Out?

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It’s so easy to get burnout in any area of our lives that causes us continual stress. Homeschooling is an extremely high stress endeavor, so it can be an area of our lives that could cause burnout. Burnout is typically defined by a mental or emotional fatigue caused by prolonged stress. It typically drains your energy and leaves you feeling helpless and tired. Here are a few things to look for…

1) Everything you do feels useless

2) You think nothing you do is important or appreciated.

3) You are tired all the time.

4)The tasks you do each day seem monotonous and dull.

If your having difficulty determining if you’re just stressed or burnout… here is an easy way to tell. Stress is like drowning, and burnout is like being dried up!

Burnout will carry over into every part of your life… and can lead to depression and other serious issues. If you feel that you are burnout, you need to begin adjusting things in your life.

1) Start by recognizing the issues that you are having.

2) Try to change the things in your life that are causing intense prolonged stress, or avoid them.

3) Take care of your physical and emotional health by taking a break from stressful activities or finding positive ways to manage your stress. Prolonged stress is what causes burnout.