If you’ve ever thought, “I shouldn’t be this tired,” this post is your permission slip.

What you’re feeling isn’t failure — it’s ambient burnout. The quiet, relentless kind that comes from being everything to everyone.

You know how they say “Welcome to your teen years!” like you’re entering Disneyland, confetti and cotton-candy? Yeah, surprise: what you’re actually getting is less roller-coasters and more emotional loop-de-loops. Let’s talk about one of the trendiest—but least glamorous—mental-health topics among teens right now: the screen-life spiral.

We’ve been sold a Norman Rockwell version of the holiday: cozy family moments, perfect pies, a roaring fire, and everyone pausing to reflect on what they’re thankful for. But somewhere between delayed flights, passive-aggressive family comments, and existential dread over how much the groceries cost this year, the whole thing starts to feel less “heartwarming” and more “psychological endurance test.”

Welcome to your 20s — that magical decade where everyone expects you to “find yourself,” but no one tells you that finding yourself also comes with student debt, burnout, and at least one existential crisis before brunch. You’re technically an adult, but you still Google how to cook chicken safely. You’re old enough to have a 401(k) and young enough to cry when your DoorDash order gets canceled.

Motherhood was never meant to be a solo mission; it was built for community. Yet somehow, we’ve turned it into a competitive sport judged by invisible referees and Instagram followers. The result? Burned-out moms raising anxious kids.

So let’s rewrite the narrative: you don’t need to “do it all.” You need rest, real support, and a culture that values mothers as humans, not machines.

Because you’re not the last resort — you are the resource. And your mental health isn’t optional. It’s the foundation holding the whole thing together.

Let’s be honest—teens today aren’t just dramatic; they’re living in a 24/7 emotional escape room with no exit button. Our job isn’t to shame them for using the tools we handed them—it’s to help them set boundaries, build resilience, and reconnect to real life.

Parents today love to ask: “Was it always this hard?” Short answer: no, you’re not imagining things. Long answer: modern parenting is basically Olympic-level mental gymnastics.

Let’s start with the obvious: parental stress is sky-high. A recent Pew survey found 66% of parents say parenting is harder now than it was 20 years ago (Pew Research Center, 2023). Why? Technology, social media, school pressures, safety fears — take your pick.