Homeschool burnout, it happens.

Even when we think it can’t happen to us, it can.

I am not an expert, nor do I hold a degree in psychology, but I am a Mom.

A mom who homeschools, a mom who lives real life.

A life where laundry never folds itself and thus sits too long in baskets, where library books are sometimes overdue, where we have days supper has to be ordered in last minute because I was too tired to run to the grocery store.

But also a life full of fun, smiles, hugs, games, toys and learning along side of my wonderful family.

We all know life, at times, has a way of dishing out way too much on our already overfull plates.  It has happened to me more than once, so I thought I would share some things I do to recover from those moments of feeling tired, overwhelmed or even what we all fear:  Burnout.

This is not my expert opinion, but rather things I do for myself to help stay on track and yes…even recover in times of burnout. 

Homeschool Burnout

My Real Life Recovery Strategies:

1. Prayer/Meditation

2. Fun, Fun and More Fun; plan a Field Trip!   “Planning the Perfect Family Field Trip”

3. Coffee Shops and Book Stores – Journal some basic ideas to get back your groove   “Find Your Homeschool Groove”

4. Get Up and Get Moving   “How I Stay Fit With Kids Underfoot”  (my guest post at Lisa Johnson Fitness )

5. Puzzles, Games and Play Dough

6. Make a trip to the Food Bank or Gather things for a Toy Drive

7. Pick a Small Corner of your House to re-vamp

8. Unplug

9. Get More Sleep

10. Take some goofy pictures with your kids

11. A good cup of tea and a good book for a family read-a-loud

12. Take a Nature walk with your kids or just you and your spouse

13. Skype with a friend

14. Play some of your favourite music

15. Say “NO thank you” to adding more into your schedule

16. Celebrate Your Family – Have a Dance Party

Bottom Line:

Never loose touch with what makes you smile, what energizes you and what moves you.

Time for ourselves as homeschool parents may be limited, but that just means we need to be more diligent about taking care of ourselves.

Schedule time for yourself to recover!

What do you like to do to unwind and re-focus?

Homeschooling and fitness for teenagers can be a tough mix.  Traditional schooling provides one type of framework with team sports and after school activities.  To keep your kids fit and not giving you the eyeroll you’ll have to come up with some out of the box ideas.  Here’s a few to get you started …

League sports.  Similar to high school athletic programs there are lots of private leagues your kid can join.  They might be mixing in with adults or it might be specifically geared to teens.  As a kid I couldn’t get enough of soccer and there weren’t any school programs in my town.  My Mom found a twice a week league for me to join.  The adults were happy to have me and I was challenged to keep up with them.  I loved it!

Gym membership.  See if your local health club accepts teens.  YMCAs almost always do and they can offer family memberships too which are a lot cheaper than joining as individuals.  This can be the best of both worlds, your kid gets screen time on the cardio equipment (making them happy) and you know they’re doing something healthy (making you happy!), a win/win for everyone.  You can also start teens out with simple weight lifting moves.  Don’t mess around here though, make sure your child has a session or two with a personal trainer, they’re still growing and you want to make sure you do it right and don’t set them up for any injuries down the road.

Bike to class activities.  You can always incorporate fitness as you bop around from place to place.  Instead of driving to the library, grab a bike and sweat a little. You likely won’t need that much more time to get there and the extra exertion will help you focus on your task once you get there.

Pool memberships.  If you’re not lucky enough to have a pool in your backyard look for local pools where you can swim.  Town facilities are often available, but if not you might find one at a nearby college with hours for the public.  Check out the locker facilities and make sure they’re clean and see what they have for swimming programs.  From tadpole to Olympian there is likely a program that suits your teen.

Hire a coach and share the costs.  Maybe you and a few of your homeschooling friends would like to share the cost of hiring a pro to teach your kids.  This can be a great way to save money and develop your child’s skills.  Perhaps you could hire a basketball coach to run drills with your kids, or a track coach to help them with their running.

Once you start looking at the possibilities, there are a lot of options out there.  Hope these ideas help.

Lisa Johnson is a popular fitness blogger at LisaJohnsonFitness.com.  She is also a certified Pilates Instructor and studio owner.  She can frequently be found on Twitter @LisaJohnson. Thank you Lisa!

 https://lisajohnsonfitness.com

As a homeschooling mom, I have different opportunities to take care of my family’s health and fitness. One of the biggest differences we notice with our children is that if they are burned out from all the activities in life, they can rest.  It’s not that our children are around less people that they aren’t sick as much as other children.  It’s more that they can take the time to rest when they need it. Don’t get me wrong, it is very easy to get caught up in the rat race, but we can afford a few hours here or there in our week to let them just be.

For our family our fitness and health routine is a bit different since it is also our business and our children are very much a part of it.  We use herbs and supplements as part of our nutrition routine to keep them healthy.  As well, the children are often out with us as we teach our fitness classes.  They love to cheer everyone on or race them up the hills too!  We are an active family who loves bike rides, playing at the park, hiking, swimming, skiing, etc. Of course the children have their own activities too like hockey and swimming, but fitness is part of their every day life.

Some Basic First Steps to Take

What I recommend for incorporating fitness into your life is to start small.  Make a time commitment for each day that you will realistically be able to maintain.  It’s not enough to put your children in soccer twice a week and think they are getting enough exercise, we need exercise everyday.  For the parents trying to get back into shape or lose a few pounds even as little as 20 minutes each and everyday will make a difference.  Whether it be walking 10 minutes from your home and turning around to walk home just do it.  Take the kids, the dog, go by yourself.  I hear some people who hate exercise say they need to go lift weight or they need to run.  I really believe it is crucial to find something you enjoy (or at least don’t hate) otherwise you won’t keep it up.   Being consistent with your exercise and eating balanced meals is the key to a great family health and fitness regime.

This guest post was written and submitted by Sarah Douthwaite.