Running on empty: the reality of parental burnout

Running on empty: the reality of parental burnout

Parenting is demanding. Most parents expect to feel tired, stretched, and occasionally overwhelmed. What many do not expect is a level of exhaustion that feels constant, emotionally draining, and hard to recover from, even with rest or time away. This experience is recognised in psychological research as parental burnout. It can feel like a character flaw, but it isn’t a personal failure. It is a response to prolonged and unrelenting pressure. W…