Running a household is no small feat. It’s a mental, emotional, and a physical juggling act that often goes unrecognized but is utterly relentless. Whether you work full-time, part-time, from home, or dedicate your days entirely to raising kids, you know exactly what I mean. It’s like the to-do list has babies of its own and multiplies overnight. (Reminds me of that 80s movie.. Gremlins… Yikes!)
For years, I thought I just needed to get more organized or find the perfect planner. Spoiler alert: the problem wasn’t my planner. It was that I was trying to do all the things. And it turns out, I’m not alone. Research shows that moms across the board are shouldering an incredible amount of domestic labor, and the effects are showing up as full-blown mom burnout.
The Stats Behind the Struggle
Let’s talk numbers for a second. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women spend an average of 2.6 hours a day on household tasks. That’s nearly 19 hours a week, half a full-time job, devoted to cooking, cleaning, laundry, managing schedules, and more. One study even found that stay-at-home moms average 23 hours a week on housework, while working moms clock in at about 16. That’s on top of their paid jobs. I don’t know about you, but that math doesn’t add up to much downtime.
Symptoms of Mom Burnout: More Than Just Tired
All of this invisible labor starts to weigh heavy. The symptoms of mom burnout are sneaky at first, feeling emotionally and physically drained, more irritable, less patient, crying in the laundry room… and starting to just feel lost, lonely and sad. Then comes the chronic stress, the mental fog, the short fuse, and the sense that even when you’re with your family, you’re not really with them.
Sound familiar?
This isn’t just anecdotal. Frontiers in Psychology published research showing a clear link between parental burnout and the absence of a support system. When we don’t have help, when we’re navigating the day-to-day alone, we are far more likely to develop mental health issues like anxiety and depression. That’s not dramatic, it’s science.
Reclaiming Time with My Family
The conflict of time is obvious and the real question is when and how do we spend quality time with our children and as a family if we’re either multitasking through the day, or trying to fit it all in during the off hours when our children are home.
For my family, the hours between 5PM-7PM on weekdays are our sacred time because it’s the only time we have to connect. It didn’t take very long for me to realize that I wanted to be fully present during this time of the day. I wanted to be down on the floor playing with my kids and learning about their day… and not preparing food or scrubbing pots and pans!
I didn’t want to wait until I was burned out beyond repair to make changes. I started by offloading just one thing…meal prep. I found someone to come in a couple of times a week to help with that one task. And it made a massive difference in my energy, my mood, and the way I connected with my kids.
What is Maternal Burnout, Really?
Maternal burnout doesn’t usually show up in one dramatic moment, it creeps in slowly. It’s the constant decision-making, the mental tabs you keep open all day long, and the silence you power through when no one sees what you’ve been juggling. It’s waking up exhausted, managing everyone else’s needs before your feet hit the floor, and collapsing at night with your to-do list still taunting you.
It looks like doing everything and still wondering if it’s enough. It feels like being needed constantly but feeling strangely invisible.
If that sounds like your life lately, please hear me: you’re not lazy, broken, or failing. You’re carrying more than most people realize. You’re running a marathon… on a treadmill… without a water break or finish line in sight.
Stress Management Tips for Burned-Out Moms
It’s time to set boundaries. To stop glorifying exhaustion and start prioritizing your wellbeing. That might mean having a conversation with your partner about sharing the load, or finally calling in the babysitter, or yes, even hiring someone to help with meal prep or laundry.
If you’re wondering where to even start, here’s a little gift from me to you:
Take the FREE Sage Haus Quiz: How Many Hours Are You Spending Managing Your Home?
Take our 8 question quiz and in less than two minutes you will get a dashboard showing:
- How much time you’re spending managing your home
- What you’re spending time on by category
- Tasks you agonize over
PLUS, you’ll get a custom house checklist based on your results, a perfect way to start the conversation with your partner about dividing responsibilities more fairly.
Take the Quiz Now and start reclaiming your time
Build Your Support Network
You deserve more than survival mode. You deserve a support network that helps you thrive. You deserve to enjoy your family, not just manage them. Whether that means seeking professional support, delegating tasks, or finally giving yourself permission to enjoy a cup of coffee while it’s still hot, please know: you don’t have to do it all alone.
So I’ll ask you the same thing I asked myself when I realized I was sprinting through my life:
What are the top 3 things you could offload this week to reduce stress and feel more present?
- Is it laundry?
- Meal prep?
- Carpool coordination?
If you’re nodding along, it might be time to seek support, whether that’s professional help, systems, or just saying no to one more obligation. Burnout is real, but it’s also beatable.
Let’s reclaim your energy, your peace, and your presence… together.
You ready? Take the quiz now and see how many hours you’re really spending managing your home.
You might be surprised by what you find, and how good it feels to start setting it down.
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