The Organized Homeschooler
Malia Russell
Burnout—And Recovery
I started learning to keep my mind fixed on the things above, the things going on
in the heavenlies, even while I was mopping floors and changing diapers.
Homeschooling is hard. Homemaking is hard too. Most women suffer at times from what we call burnout.
When I have experienced it, I have felt
like I was living daily with feelings of
dread, exhaustion, and despair. It is often
marked by feelings of failure regarding
all the things we are being called to do.
The most profound time I can recall
having a feeling of burnout was at the
very beginning of my homeschooling
journey. I went from working full-time to
being a full-time homemaker and homeschool mother during a relatively short
transition time. Before too long I found
myself struggling to put dinner on the
table and get a shower on the same day.
I recall feeling total despair regarding
the state of my house. I felt enormously
guilty about my lack of energy, and I
could not see how the situation would
ever improve. I knew other people seemed
to have their act together. Other women
had the perfect house, the kids in match-
ing clothes, and I was pretty sure they had
time to shower, put on make-up, and even
style their hair. They made amazing foods
that they brought to weekly Bible study.
Their cars were always neat and clean in-
side. But I was failing.
