My child's schedule is busy, but they aren't interested in eliminating anything.
How can I help to prevent them from being overwhelmed and having burnout?
Well, so question, parent — is this your fear or theirs?
And I say that because I have eight children, and I've been in the same scenario.
I'm like, “Can you please slow down?” And then I realized it was probably my fear, not theirs.
They have the energy, but helping them develop time to slow down is important.
As I said earlier, model that for them. For example, say, “Tonight, we're going to be away from activities.”
You might spend some time with them where you're not doing much — maybe take them out for ice cream, go for a hike.
Those are the types of things I would do with them to model slowing down.
Then, help them understand some of what we’ve talked about tonight.
Try an exercise: listen to calming music and notice what’s going on inside while it plays.
You might find your child is thinking about the next thing, because their mind is so used to going that when they’re not busy, they feel like something’s wrong.
If they can experience the calm, you can say, “Why don’t we try this more often?”
Show appreciation for their hard work and productivity, but express that your fear is how they’ll keep up with it all.
Continue to encourage, but also teach them how to slow down.
Remember, slowing down is a skill.
Learning to be with our own thoughts and emotions helps us lower our emotional regulation thermometer.
We can do this through deep breathing, going for a walk, or appreciating nature — the mountains, roses, beauty around us.
Is life always “go, go, go,” or can we stop and appreciate?
Model slowing down with them — do a breathing exercise, have them notice their body’s tension before and after.
