“Mommy burnout”, the maternal burnout syndrome and how it affects women’s lives

Recently, blogger Shirley Hilgert published a photo in which many mothers felt represented: the face without makeup and a very tired look. In the photo caption, Shirley reflects on this need to always be up to date, everything done.

For her, it is humanly impossible to carry all this weight. It is necessary to allow yourself to be less sometimes. This takes a lot of weight off your back.

And through this reflection, the awesome.club decided to talk about a very important issue that needs to be discussed: the health and well-being of a mother. follow up.

This expression comes from the English burnout which means exhaustion, fatigue, depression. This word also gives its name to Burnout Syndrome, which is a mental, physical and emotional state of extreme exhaustion – resulting from various work situations that are stressful and require responsibility.

The disorders of a mother with burnout are not necessarily caused by motherhood itself, but by the way it is experienced, both by the mother herself and by other family members.

It’s not just about tiredness. An exhausted mother despairs over everything. Any simple situation is a stimulus for emotional imbalance. A mother who is exhausted only talks about her son, only publishes things about him, in addition to not going out with other people and spending a lot of time dedicating herself to her “household” activities.

Many work, take care of the children, in addition to having to do the maintenance of the house. And time for yourself? Well, it doesn’t exist. Excessive responsibility for one person—even an extremely competent person—is too heavy a burden.

In addition to all the previously mentioned responsibilities, she still has more. Mental overload is about having to think about everything, such as:

Due dates of accounts; House shopping stock; Administer medication for children; On tour days, having to pack a bag, separate snacks. It is very difficult to leave without preparing anything; Check if the school has sent any messages.

Yes, they exist. And here are some:

Constant feeling of guilt; Always sees the negative side of things; Physical and mental fatigue; Feeling of “heaviness” in the back; Physical problems such as high blood pressure, fainting, diabetes, hormonal problems, anemia, among many others that do not seem to have an explanation

Seek help from a doctor; Remember to set your priorities; Carry out a psychological follow-up; Divide responsibilities and tasks; Get rid of self-demand; Take care of yourself!

“Yesterday I blacked out, out of nowhere. I passed out sitting at the dinner table. I was off for two minutes. It was as if they had pressed a reset button. I woke up not knowing what had happened, thinking I had slept on the table. But I had passed out.

Before disconnecting, I still warned you: my pressure is going down (I didn’t even know, they told me later). Today, I woke up at 6 am, I didn’t run because I didn’t have time, but I meditated. 8 am I was at @nanyferreiramakeup doing makeup (which is what allows me to look like this at this time) and then, from 10 am to 5 pm, I recorded 17 videos.

Voice, posture, gestures, scripts, attention. All orchestrated, done with love, care, affection, but also a lot of dedication, hard work and a hell of an investment of time and energy. So, at that moment, I find myself tired, exhausted and already thinking about what I need to deliver next.

But now, just for now, I’m going to give myself this time, this breath, these pillows, this bed and I’m going to close my eyes and surrender my body to pause. Because there are times that if this is not done by free will, in some way, we will be charged. Always remember that.”

It is important to keep in mind:

You are good and amazing at everything you do! You are talented and full of willpower. Don’t cover yourself too much.

Do you know someone who goes through this situation? Would you like to share with us and with others? Tell it here in the comments 😉