.During this pandemic, we are required to minimize activities outside the home. Even school, college, and work are done online at home or what we usually call Work From Home (WFH). Even if we leave the house, we also still have to comply with health protocols, such as wearing a mask, washing our hands or using a hand sanitizer as the government has recommended. Changes in these new patterns occur in almost all aspects of our lives. So, do you not realize that these patterns can cause fatigue or burnout, and it turns out that burnout is not only experienced by workers, but also experienced by parents or commonly known as parental burnout. What is parental burnout? Parental burnout is a tremendous exhaustion related to parenting roles.
1. What are the factors that cause burnout?
During this pandemic the risk tendency for parents to experience parental burnout increased, this has been proven by Griffith's research in America on parental burnout and child abuse during the Covid-19 period and the result was that there was a positive correlation between parental burnout and child neglect. Why do you think so? During the Covid period, parents were at great risk of stress because they were required to balance work and caring responsibilities where currently there was financial insecurity, reduced levels of social support from friends, family and colleagues, and lack of free time.
Working online during this pandemic, of course, there are several things that must be adapted by most parents who are far from the digital era, even some parents also have to experience layoffs or decreased income due to Covid-19 which has a lot of impact on the economic sector. Not only that, parents during this pandemic also became impromptu teachers for their children because schools were conducted online, parents were also required to be able to nurture and care for children properly for 24 hours, as well as take time to play with children in the midst of their busy life at school. home so that the child does not get bored. This is a stressor in itself for parents who usually entrust their children to child care, full time school, or grandparents. Because at this time it is very risky to leave children outside the home and also remember that grandparents have a high "risk" of contracting Covid-19. In addition, reported by The Asian Parent, there are internal factors of parents that can encourage parental burnout, such as the desire to always be perfect (perfectionist), inability of parents to manage emotions, lack of knowledge of parents about parenting patterns, difficulty to ask for help. 2. Will parental burnout affect the child?
Of course, this can have a negative impact on children's development because parental burnout can make parents emotionally distant from their children, and parents become less involved in relationships and interactions with children. 3. What are the symptoms of parental burnout?
Symptoms of burnout include: Excessive tired feeling. Don't feel okay. More emotional. There is a feeling of being disconnected from the child. Fight more often with your partner. Often there are feelings of impatience and are often provoked to use violence when disciplining children. The emergence of feelings of despair especially related to parenting. Starting to withdraw from the community, friends, and family. Experiencing sleep disturbances. Having the thought that the child's life will be better without his presence. Are there any of these symptoms in you? 4. What can be done to prevent and treat parental burnout?
So, there are several things parents can do to prevent and treat parental burnout, such as: Make a priority scale Parents can make a priority scale so that they can do which work is more important and urgent so that it can be balanced in doing work and not become a burden in the mind. Set a rest time It is important for parents to have enough rest, it is necessary to realize that rest is also important so that they do not overexert themselves and result in fatigue. Trying to share homework with your partner It is necessary for parents to communicate and discuss sharing roles with our partners so that the burden of obligations does not become a heavy burden. Exercise regularly Parents can try to exercise regularly. Exercise can stimulate the chemicals in our bodies to feel happier, besides that the body also becomes healthier and can improve the quality of our sleep. Doing a hobby that you like Doing hobbies that we enjoy can also reduce our stress, release fatigue, refresh the brain, and do hobbies can make us more productive and creative. Consume nutritious food It is important for us to maintain our health, especially during this pandemic, we must keep our bodies in good shape, one of which is by consuming nutritious foods. Do self-reflection Parents can also do self-reflection so that they are more connected to themselves, understand their abilities, understand how to appreciate themselves, and manage emotions well.