A Belgium study of more than 2,000 moms and dads, published in 2017 in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, found that 12.9% of mothers and 11.6% of fathers in the group had what the authors labeled as “high burnout.” At least once a week, these parents experienced feelings of exhaustion, were less productive and competent, and emotionally withdrawn — symptoms the researchers equated to what professionals feel when they hit the wall at their jobs.
While her book may be titled Mommy Burnout: How to Reclaim Your Life and Raise Healthier Children in the Process (let’s admit it, dad books don’t market or sell nearly as well), psychologist Sheryl G. Ziegler addresses how both moms and dads can avoid reaching their wits’ end as they navigate between work, caring for children and elders, personal relationships and self-care in her appearance on the latest Modern Dads Podcast.
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Ziegler founded and operates The Child and Family Therapy Center at Lowry, a group private practice in Denver. She has led more than 10,000 face-to-face sessions in the past decade focused on parental burnout and its related issues including anxiety, depression, and divorce. This experience formed the basis of her new book.
Ziegler writes for and has served as a source for journalists at many publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Time, Yahoo! Parent, WebMd.com, the Denver Post, Colorado Health and Wellness, Colorado Parent, and Modern Psykology — Sweden’s Psychology Today. She has been named top contributor on The Today Show blog, and has appeared on national broadcast talk shows and National Public Radio.
Dr. Sheryl Ziegler talks to the Modern Dads Podcast about avoiding parental burnout and her book, “Mommy Burnout.” Listen to it now wherever you get your podcasts.
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