World Health Organisation says ‘parental burnout’ is real and don’t we know it?

No surprise here.

While I love being a parent it can be exhausting in a way I never felt before having children. From sleep deprivation to being pulled between work and home life I would be lying if I said it hadn't brought me to the brink of tears. Recently the World Health Organisation released a study which proved that burnout and in particular parental burnout is very real. Recently the World Health Organisation made it clear that burnout is a real medical condition by listing it as "a syndrome... resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed." According to the World Health Organization, burnout results in the following: 1) "Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion" 2) "Increased mental distance from one's job or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job" 3) "Reduced professional efficacy" Another study published in Frontiers in Psychology said that close to 13 per cent of parents are burned out which not only negatively impacts us but also on the people around us. While many articles will tell parents, especially mums to practice self-care while it comes to diagnosed burn out some scented candles and a bubble bath isn't going to cut it. Parents experiencing burnout need help from those around them whether it's a shoulder to cry on or a someone to babysit so they can get some proper sleep and replenish. Research also suggests that paid parental leave, shorter work days and flexible work arrangements are other ways that society can combat parents becoming burned out.