Managing Your Child’s School Burnout

Here we are. Spring has started, the holidays are mostly over, and it’s warming up outside.

Our kids and teens have been in school for about 7 months, and we’ve got the end in sight. Hooray! However…. We do still have almost 2 months left. So while it’s exciting to reach this part of the year, and see the light at the end of the tunnel, now is the time when kids start to really experience burnout. 

You find yourself reminding your kids to “finish strong” or not to give up just yet, because they’ve come so far! 

But you also see your kid getting really tired, and ready for the year to be over. Your kid is experiencing burnout and you’re not sure how to help.

Here are some signs of burnout in kids and teens:

1. Fatigue

   • Difficulty falling asleep at night

   • Falling asleep in class

   • Generally seeming tired throughout the day

2. Loss of appetite

   • Loss of interest in foods they used to like

   • Pushing around their dinner rather than eating it

   • Their lunch comes home untouched

3. Irritability

   • Tantrums or meltdowns that are unexplained

   • Unwarranted anger

   • Having more of an attitude

4. Trying to leave or stay home from school 

   • Frequent flier at the nurse

   • Complaints of stomach aches, headaches, etc

   • Attempting school avoidance

5. Depression

   • Socially withdrawn

   • Lack of interest in things they usually enjoy, dragging

   • Kind of have an “Eeyore-like” attitude towards everything (the Winnie the Pooh character)

6. Combative behaviors

   • Tantrums

   • Refusing to do chores

   • Refusing to do work in school

7. Avoiding homework

   • Outright refusing to do it, and conversations about it become “charged”

   • Writing down random answers without effort

   • Pretending they don’t have homework

If your child is exhibiting some or all of these behaviors, they could be dealing with school burnout, or stress related to being in school for so long when nearing the end of the year. 

It also should go without saying that the past couple of years have been more difficult school years for kids, since there has not been as much consistency in school due to Covid restrictions and unprecedented disruptions in their routines.

So, if your child is experiencing school-related burnout, what can you do?

1. Model open communication.

   • Telling your child that you see their struggle and completely understand it will go a long way.

   • Tell them that you see the effort they have put in and that you know this year has been difficult.

2. Check their diet.

   • Are they eating healthy?

   • All things in moderation, don’t restrict them, but make sure they aren’t overloading their sugar intake. This can make burnout feel heavier.

3. Be mindful of their schedule.

   • Are they overloaded with activities?

   • Are their weeks and weekends overscheduled?

   • Sometimes we put our kids in extracurriculars with all the best intentions, but it may be too much.

4. Limit your expectations.

   • It’s like when you have had a long, long day. How does that last hour or two feel? Like a huge drag.

   • This is how they may be feeling but for weeks straight.

   • Try to be patient with them and problem solve some ways to make it better.

5. Encourage them to ask for help.

   • Maybe the stress, anxiety, depression etc. is too much for them to handle.

   • It could be a good time to talk to their teachers about it, and even reach out for further support with a child or teen therapist who can help them manage their emotions.

As always, if you do determine that it would be the best next step for you to reach out to a child or teen counselor to help your child identify, manage, and regulate some of their bigger feelings, call today to schedule a free, 15-minute phone consultation with Amel Counseling & Consulting.