Home School Burnout? Effective Stress Solutions When You Hate Homeschooling

Having home school burnout, struggling with homeschooling, or feeling overwhelmed with home learning stress? We’re covering homeschool burnout causes and coping strategies, and what to do when you hate homeschooling. Whether you’re a new homeschooler, an introverted homeschool mom, are feeling home office homeschooling burnout from the past year, or you’ve been homeschooling years but are feeling overwhelmed, these home schooling tips will help! Here’s how to homeschool without losing your mind…

AVOIDING HOME SCHOOL BURNOUT

Are you feeling stressed with homeschooling or classical homeschool burnout? 

Maybe you’re regularly thinking “Help I hate homeschooling!” (but you don’t want to admit it to anyone).

Does it seem like you’re in the middle of homeschool mom nervous breakdown or a serious case of homeschool mom burnout?

Do you feel like you’re not coping with homeschooling or want to know what do you do when you hate homeschooling?

Or, maybe you’re homeschooling with depression or other issues that make it difficult?

Is homeschooling stressful?

The responsibility and commitment of homeschooling can be stressful, especially if you are trying to emulate the public (or private) school education system. For many homeschool parents, once they realize they need to let go of preconceived notions of school and implement learning that is tailored to their children it becomes less stressful.

There is homeschooling stress on parents.

Burned out homeschooling is really a thing and you are not alone. Feeling like you’re tired of homeschooling doesn’t make you a bad homeschool parent (it just makes you a normal one!). 

So, let’s star with the signs of homeschool burnout and then we’ll move on to how to recover from homeschool burnout with some homeschool mom self-care (and dad self care) and other things you can do for homeschooling burnout!

First, before we get to tips for homeschool burnout…

What is homeschool burnout?

Homeschool burnout is when you feel tired of homeschooling. It stops being fun and becomes a difficult task. Homeschooling burnout and becoming overwhelmed with homeschooling can manifest as stress, exhaustion, depression, anger, anxiety and more.

According to PsychologyToday.com:

Burnout—a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress—is not simply a result of working long hours.

 

The cynicism, depression, and lethargy that are characteristic of burnout most often occur when a person is not in control of how a job is carried out, at work or at home, or is asked to complete tasks that conflict with their sense of self.

 

There is a difference between burnout and plain stress, but sometimes, it can be hard to know what one is dealing with. 

 

Is homeschooling more stressful?

Homeschooling can be more stressful than traditional public school because it takes a great deal of planning and balancing to home school your child. However, many parents find homeschooling less stress than public school for a variety of reasons.

No matter how much your family loves homeschooling, you will probably still experience school at home burnout at some point. 

So be aware of the most frequent causes of home school burnout and how to reduce the stress of homeschooling.

 

14 Common Causes of Homeschool Burnout

 Parents overwhelmed with homeschooling usually fall into one (or more) of these reasons:

• Trying to mirror public school at home.
• Forgetting to deschool before homeschooling.
• Not fully understanding your child’s learning style.
• Picking a homeschool curriculum, course, or homeschooling program that doesn’t match your child’s learning style.
• Overbooking schedules (too much during the day and/or extra curricular activities).
• Not giving your child a say in their learning.
• Trying to do too much in one day, every single day.
• Homeschooling unmotivated homeschoolers / homeschooling uncooperative child.
• Homeschooling child with behavior problems.
• Forgetting to take time off.
• Not prioritizing self-care.
• Dealing with a regular homeschool meltdown from students each day.
• Continuing to use homeschooling curriculum that isn’t working.
• Juggling work and home school.
• Dealing with emergency situations or family medical emergencies.
• Comparing your family’s homeschooling to other homeschool families.

 

13 Warning Symptoms and Signs of Homeschool Burnout

Homeschool burnout (and homeschool burnout depression) can manifest in any (or all) of the following ways:

1. You dread getting up in the morning and facing the day.
2. The thought of homeschooling makes you feel anxious.
3. You have no motivation.
4. You feel completely overwhelmed by the thought of homeschooling.
5. Throughout the day you find yourself asking, “Why is homeschooling so hard?”
6. You’re regularly feel depressed.
7. You’re beginning to resent being with your kids all day.
8. You’re falling behind in homeschool and you really don’t care.
9. There’s always a feeling like you’re never doing enough.
10. You’re often tired and irritable.
11. You feel hopeless.
12. You’ve become extremely impatient.
13. You’re not happy homeschooling and the joy is gone.

 

Now, let’s take a look at how to manage homeschool stress and how to reduce the stress of homeschooling on everyone…

How To Deal With Burnout Homeschool

How do I stop homeschool burnout?

Here are 13 ways to stop homeschool burnout, reverse those warning signs, change what isn’t working and how to survive homeschooling.

How can Homeschooling be less stressful?

1. Revisit why you’re homeschooling.
2. Pray / meditate.
3. Talk to a trusted homeschooling friend or get support in a homeschool group.
4. Deschool.
5. Change up the way you’re learning.
6. Take field trips, day trips or get outside.
7. Ask the kids what they want to study.
8. Use non-traditional ways of learning like documentaries and audiobooks.
9. Gameschool.
10. Take a break and get some R&R (rest and relaxation!), especially for yourself!.
11. Roadschool and learn while traveling.
12. Change up your homeschool classroom / space.
13. Stop homeschooling / switch to an online public school program.

Don’t miss our effective tips for home schooling and burnout later in the post. KEEP SCROLLING!

 

Are You Homeschooling Too Many Hours and Causing Burn Out?

CHECK: How many hours a day is homeschool?

 

You may be surprised to know…

Everyone feels homeschool burnout at some point.

Homeschooling challenges arise in every type of home schooling family.

(Yes, there’s even Christian homeschool burnout. Gasp.)

What if I told you that it’s OK to feel like you’re in a homeschool depression or some kid of homeschooling funk?

Talk to any parent who has been homeschooling for a while and, if they’re being completely honest, those home school parents will tell you that they’ve felt home school burnout at one point or another during their homeschooling journey.

They may even say that they hate homeschooling and have been wondering when to stop homeschooling.

 

For me, that point came in 2017.

Within the span of seven months, my dad spent 40 days in the hospital and then passed away, my closest aunt died, and then my mom had brain surgery and moved in with us for 3 months.

In between all of that, I had to find time to homeschool and work and run my own household.

(You can probably imagine how that all went.)

 

At one point I thought, “Why am I doing this? I’m actually killing myself trying to homeschool with everything else going on. It would be so easy just to send her to public school…”

Homeschooling became too stressful for me on top of everything else.

I loathed finding lessons and staying on track and helping with learning and finding time to take my kid to different classes.

I was completely burned out … not just from homeschooling, but from life.

Homeschooling was just one more thing pulling me in another direction and I didn’t appreciate that.

 

I was an exhausted homeschooling mom and I couldn’t decide if I was starting to regret homeschooling or if I was just … overwhelmed.

After things started to settle, and I rested, and I was able to re-prioritize for better balance, and I realized I didn’t need to know how to combat home school burnout.

What I really needed was just rest. 

And, time for myself.

After that…

I found a new spark for homeschooling.

SO…

Before acting on the thoughts of “I don’t want to homeschool anymore,” check out the next section. 

 

Most of the time, it isn’t the process of homeschooling that gives you burnout: it’s a curriculum that you hate, or being too rigid, or having a child who is struggling, or a family that is dealing with overwhelming life issues.

Or, like in my case, it might be outside forces that put so much stress on you that you start to hate anything that needs more of your time, including homeschooling.

And, know that it’s completely normal in your homeschooling journey to feel some level of, “I hate homeschooling my child!” — even if it’s for one day!

(We all do at some point!)

When you’re feeling the homeschool burnout, there are ways to combat it and coping strategies to put in place RIGHT NOW.

And, be sure to do it before you fall down the rabbit hole of homeschool depression and overwhelm!

Here’s how to recover from homeschool burnout…

HOW TO GET PAST YOUR HOME SCHOOL BURNOUT SYNDROME

9 Ways to Recover From Homeschool Burnout and Homeschool Depression (or When To Stop Homeschooling)

So, how do I prepare myself for homeschooling so I don’t hate homeschooling and feel worn out from it?

(You want to know what to do before getting to the I hate homeschool! part!)

Here are some things to try when everything is hard … things to help with combatting homeschool stress and how to reverse homeschool mom burnout and get back on track!

Here are the tips for surviving homeschool burnout and parent stress homeschool hacks (because you don’t need to continue being a stressed out homeschool mom or dad!).

Coping with Home school Burnout #1: Revisit why you are homeschooling.

When you start to feel like, “Why am I homeschooling, anyway?” it’s time to slow down and think back to a time when you started homeschooling.

Why did you want to homeschool in the first place?

How did you feel when you first started homeschooling?

Remember that excitement (and terror) of starting a new journey that got your adrenaline pumping?

That’s where you want to be again!

What can you do to get yourself back there?

What was working back then?

 

Coping with Home school Burnout #2: Talk to your kids.

How are your kids feeling about homeschooling?

(Have you asked them lately?)

Maybe you’re feeling the burnout because your kids just aren’t interested in homeschooling any longer?

Or, maybe your kids hate their curriculum and they’re just afraid to tell you so it’s creating some tension?

Finding out where everyone is on the homeschooling scale can help clear the air and could, surprisingly, put you back on track.

 

Coping with Home school Burnout #3: Try a new homeschooling curriculum or homeschool method.

Switching from a homeschool curriculum that your kids hate is one of the biggest tips on how to make homeschool less stressful.

Maybe it’s time to switch it up and follow another method of homeschooling?

If you’ve been following a specific curriculum, try out a child-led unit study method (especially if your current method or homeschooling program isn’t working!). 

 Or, maybe you’ll enjoy joining a co-op and sharing some of the responsibilities with other homeschool parents? Co-ops are the trick to how to homeschool when you don’t want to!

 

Coping with Home school Burnout #4: Take a break.

Maybe it’s just time to take a break?

Life and school can be extremely hectic, so taking a break from homeschooling for a little while can be refreshing (and a flexible homeschool schedule is one of the biggest benefits of homeschooling!).

Try a period of unschooling where you just let your child direct their learning. You’ll probably be shocked at how much they learn on their own.

Also, spend this time doing field trips , visiting festivals, going to museums or spending a lot of time outside.

It’s a fun way to learn, but it seems like you’re getting a “break” from school.

 

Coping with Home school Burnout #5: Travel or roadschool.

Maybe you just need to get out of Dodge for a while and gain a new perspective?

Traveling doesn’t have to mean a big vacation or even real travel.

(Although those things are great for homeschooling because kids learn so much during travel.)

Travel can be a day trip or a staycation in your own area.

Also, consider roadschooling if your work schedule and budget can handle it.

You can spend an extended period of time traveling while also homeschooling and learning from stopping at historical sites, parks, landmarks, and more.

 

Coping with Home school Burnout #6: Give up on a stretched extracurricular schedule.

You may be feeling the homeschool burnout because you’re being pulled in too many directions.

(You can’t do everything!)

Are your kids in too many activities outside of the home?

Are you a regularly overcommitting to other activities?

How many homeschool meetups or playdates are you attending?

Are you trying to squeeze in every homeschooling curriculum or topic that interests you or your children?

It might be time to give up some stuff and lead a more slow-paced life (at least for a little while).

 

Coping with Home school Burnout #7: Organize and declutter.

You know how sometimes when you shower or you get a haircut or put on a new outfit it can entirely change your mood?

Well, that can happen with a space, too.

Your homeschool burnout might be because it’s time to give your homeschool space a “facelift.”

And, it doesn’t have to be a big and expensive room change and you don’t need a huge space.

A new coat of paint, decluttering, cool learning rugs, or even something as simple as moving furniture around can give you a new outlook on things and might give you (and the kids!) a new excitement about homeschooling.

It sounds simple, but it really does work!

(Seriously. I’ve tried it.)

GET A FREE PRINTABLE DECLUTTERING CHECKLIST!

 

Coping with Home school Burnout #8: Get support.

You really need a trustworthy homeschool support group (in person or online) so that you can speak frankly and not be judged or have it held against you.

Talk to your group about how you’re feeling and get some feedback and support from them. 

You may even be surprised at how your homeschool friends may be going through the same thing!

(If you’re looking for a great group, join us. We’d love to have you!)

 

Coping with Home school Burnout #9: Stop homeschooling.

You may have asked yourself, “Should I quit homeschooling?”

Maybe you really are burnt out on homeschooling — just done! Need to quit homeschooling!

(Yes, even quitting homeschool mid year is OK!)

So, now what?

Maybe you are wondering when to stop homeschooling?

It might be your time if you just aren’t interested in getting back on track.

Give it some thoughtful consideration and time before making any decisions and practice some of the previous tips listed here.

And, if it’s time to move to a different style of schooling, then that’s OK.

Be sure to check with your local school system and see what you need to reintegrate your child back into a private or public school system.

It doesn’t make you a homeschool failure. It just means that you’re choosing the best education for your child and family.

IF YOU’RE FEELING OVERWHELMED WITH LIFE OR SUFFERING AND NEED HELP, PLEASE CALL 1-800-273-8255. YOU ARE NOT ALONE AND CAN GET HELP FOR FREE!

Homeschool Burnout Book Recommendations

 

Learning how to homeschool without stress isn’t realistic. However, learning how to cope with homeschooling exhaustion is possible!

How do you handle home school burnout and overwhelm?