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.

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.

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.

Truth #1: Burnout isn’t “just being tired”

It’s emotional, physical, mental — a full system overload. It shows up as exhaustion, guilt, and feeling disconnected.

Micro Action: Pause mid-day (yes, even for 2 minutes). Close your eyes. Breathe. Tell your brain: “I’m still here.”

Let’s be honest: parenting a teenager can feel like you’re suddenly the least cool person on the planet. They don’t need you to tie their shoes, pack their lunch, or remind them to brush their teeth anymore. (Okay, maybe still that last one.) On the surface, teens look independent. But here’s the thing: emotionally, they need you now more than ever.

This stage isn’t the time to check out. It’s the time to d

Here’s the gist: around 2010, childhood got hijacked. Smartphones and social media went from “new shiny gadgets” to “appendages permanently glued to every teen’s hand.” At the same time, free play, independence, and responsibility got shoved to the sidelines (Haidt, 2024).

So now we have a generation growing up with less real-world practice in, you know, life… but way more practice in curating a TikTok persona.

Shocking twist: it’s not going well.

Let’s just rip the Band-Aid off: not everything that looks like ADHD is ADHD. I know, wild concept. But I’m seeing way too many kids in my office whose “symptoms” aren’t about brain chemistry — they’re about screen time. Yep. The glowing rectangles are wreaking havoc on your kid’s attention span, memory, emotional regulation, and yes — even their behavior.