Blessing Your Burned Out Bucket: Counseling Wisdom for Homeschooling Moms
I remember many years ago my great aunt was planning to move to some property that she and other family members purchased on the top of a hill. The time for the move finally came! In the middle of the move, my grandmother received a postcard that said, “We looked fine when we started out but you should see us now!”
The process of homeschooling, like any new project, can be a similar experience. There are many dreams, hopes, and visions! When I taught in public education, I would start off every year with an absolutely perfect plan of how the classroom was going to run.
Once school started, my perfect plan was short-lived.
The Bucket
Taking on any new task (such as homeschooling) requires our bucket to be full. However, many of us are running on empty buckets. When we are little, our parents and other caregivers are supposed to fill our buckets with unconditional love, confidence, and a host of other items that will carry us through life. Sadly, we live in an imperfect world with imperfect people who may not have what we need to fill our buckets.
The Burnout
When most think of burnout, they think of a corporate executive who is burned out from extreme pressure or an employee who is living under impossible work demands. What if thinking of work, parenting, homeschooling, or any other task as the cause of burnout is too narrow and it is more about being expected to give more than what you have received? In other words, when our buckets are empty, any or all of those aspects of our lives can suffer.
The Blessing
The blessing is that we as human beings can refill our buckets! If we did not have our emotional needs met, as adults we have the freedom and the choice to fill our buckets with what we did not receive, whether it is by adopting an older person as a parental figure, having coffee with a friend, or allowing ourselves to enjoy something that the child in us never was able to do.
When we permit ourselves to fill our buckets, it is one of the most unselfish acts we could ever do! When we fill our buckets, we position ourselves to be more present in the moment, both for ourselves and those we love. We can be our best spouse, parent, family member, and friend when our buckets are full!
Want to Write for Us?
Learn more about how you can become a guest blogger for The Homeschool Counseling Network here.
Let’s Keep In Touch
Be sure you do not miss a blog post by signing up for our newsletter or joining our Facebook group.
Blessings,
Kimberly Bennett, LPC
Founder/CEO, It’s Only Homeschooling
Founder/CEO, The Homeschool Counseling Network
This website is not a professional counseling website and nothing here should be construed as professional counseling advice. Although Kimberly Bennett, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor, she is not your counselor, and no counselor-client relationship is established unless she has signed an agreement with you. All information provided through this website is for informational and educational purposes only.
I totally agree! I often try to take time off, even during homeschooling days to just recharge. I take the kids out for a hike or just stroll around some cute towns of Gold Country (California).
The 3 of us feel way better after that. We come home ready to tackle another homeschooling day!