This Is My Healing From Burnout Era And The Reduced Mental Load is A+

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This school year, I am embracing my Healing From Burnout Era, which means I’m eliminating the activities that reduced my soul to a heap of ashes. No more PTA. No more room parenting. No more coaching or ref’ing for AYSO.

And you know what that means? My mental load has been significantly reduced.

All of these former volunteering roles took up considerable real estate in my headspace. Let’s just consider AYSO coaching:

  • Before the season even started, I had to recruit volunteers
  • Attend trainings in person and online
  • Do my Livescan and background check
  • I had to plan the drills I would run during practice
  • Remember to bring all the equipment we needed for practice
  • Run the practices, which meant not just organizing drills but managing the dynamics between the kids, keeping their attention, and making sure they didn’t do anything stupid
  • On game day, I had to arrive early so I could run more drills
  • Prepare the lineup
  • Run the game from the sideline
  • And during the week, there were numerous communications from parents about matches and practices.

I’m exhausted just writing that list AND THAT WAS JUST FOR ONE ACTIVITY. And let’s not forget that I am a mom and motherhood creates it’s own vast mental load, such as:

  • Remembering to play the tooth fairy
  • Organizing the magic of holidays
  • Homework
  • Flu shots
  • Dental appointments
  • Packing school lunches
  • timely application of sunblock
  • Remembering to charge their stupid Chromebooks after school
  • and unpack their lunches
  • buy their favorite healthy snacks
  • navigate their feelings
  • and
  • so
  • much
  • other
  • stuff

This is why I am Burnt Out AF. I overloaded my circuits with all the logistics I had to manage as a mom and volunteer. When I decided to dial back on my volunteering responsibilities, I knew I was freeing up time to relax, pursue my creative interests and declutter our house. But now that I’m several weeks into the school year, I can really appreciate the lighter mental load.

If I return to volunteering in future years, remind me to pick a way that does not add to my mental load. I’m really not interested in recharging my batteries just so I can deplete them again to pacify the patriarchy.