Home Ed Burnout: Why It Creeps Up On Us (and How to Find Your Way Back)

Can I let you in on something? When we first started home educating, I went at it hell for leather. I filled our calendar to the absolute brim with every meetup, group, trip and exciting thing I could find, because I didn't want my kids to miss a single thing. I burnt out so hard and so fast.

This week on the podcast, Ashley and I are talking about burnout. Whether you came to home ed after your child burnt out of school, or you're the parent running on empty right now, I know so many of you will recognise this feeling.

The thing about burnout is that it rarely arrives all at once. It creeps up on us. For me, the first sign is usually something really small, like getting irrationally cross about a cuddly toy on the dining room table. (I may or may not have threatened the bin this week. Not my finest moment!) Ashley has her own early warning signs too, and hers might surprise you.

We also get into the pressure we put on ourselves to prove that home ed works, and the comparison trap within our own community. You know the one, where everyone else's kids seem to be doing Latin over breakfast and baking sourdough by lunchtime, while you're bargaining a round of Mario Kart for finishing the maths. And I share something a mum said to me recently about the advice we give new home educators that completely stopped me in my tracks. I'd never thought about it that way before.

But this episode isn't all doom and gloom, I promise. In the second half we get into what actually helps. I share the little happiness hack that changed how I approach the parts of my day I dread, and the story of the day I came home and threw the car keys in the bin (yes, really), and what our family did next that turned things around almost overnight. Ashley also shares the surprisingly simple changes she's made at home that are getting her family through the darker months.

If you're feeling stretched thin right now, this one's for you. Pop the kettle on, grab a blanket, and have a listen to this week's episode of The BIG Home Ed Conversations, out now wherever you get your podcasts.

And once you've listened, I'd love to hear from you. What are your tricks for sidestepping burnout?

If you're really struggling right now, please don't wait until it feels unbearable. Reach out to your GP, or one of these organisations. You don't have to carry it alone.

Samaritans: call free, day or night, on 116 123, or visit samaritans.org

Shout: free, confidential 24/7 text support. Text SHOUT to 85258, or visit giveusashout.org

Family Lives: support for parents and families on 0808 800 2222, or visit familylives.org.uk

Mind: information and support for your mental health at mind.org.uk

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call 999.

Want to go deeper this season? Visit our website and join the waiting list for When Home Ed Gets Hard, our reflection and journalling companion with questions for every episode of Season 6, releasing in December. Waiting list members will be the first to hear when it's ready and get an early-bird discount: https://www.bighomeedpodcast.com/when-home-ed-gets-hard/

Kelly x