Mommy Burnout: How to Reclaim Your Life and Raise Healthier Children in the Process

by Dr. Sheryl G. Ziegler

$15.99

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Author: Dr. Sheryl G. Ziegler

Publisher: Dey Street Books

Paperback:
ISBN 10: 0062683691
ISBN 13: 978-0062683694

Hardcover:
ISBN 10: 0062683683
ISBN 13: 978-0062683687

The ultimate must-read handbook for the modern mother: a practical, and positive tool to help free women from the debilitating notion of being the "perfect mom," filled with funny and all too relatable true-life stories and realistic suggestions to stop the burnout cycle, and protect our kids from the damage burnout can cause.

Moms, do you feel tired? Overwhelmed? Have you continually put off the things you need to do for you? Do you feel like it’s all worth it because your kids are happy? Are you "over" being a mother? If you answered yes to these questions, you’re not alone. Parents today want to create the ideal childhood for their children. Women strive to be the picture-perfect Pinterest mother that looks amazing, hosts the best birthday parties in town, posts the most "liked" photos, and serves delicious, nutritious home-cooked meals in her neat, organized home after ferrying the kids to school and a host of extracurricular activities on time.

This drive, while noble, can also be destructive, causing stress and anxiety that leads to "mommy burnout." Psychologist and family counselor Dr. Sheryl Ziegler is well-versed in the stress that moms face, and the burden of guilt they carry because they often feel like they aren’t doing enough for their kids’ happiness. A mother of three herself, Dr. Z—as she’s affectionately known by her many patients—recognizes and understands that modern moms are all too often plagued by exhaustion, failure, isolation, self-doubt, and a general lack of self-love, and their families are also feeling the effects, too.

Over the last nineteen years working with families and children, Dr. Z has devised a prescriptive program for addressing "mommy burnout"—teaching moms that they can learn to re-energize themselves and still feel good about their families and their lives. In this warm and empathetic guide, she examines this modern epidemic among mothers who put their children’s happiness above their own, and offers empowering, proven solutions for alleviating this condition, saving marriages and keeping kids happy in the process.

Review

“[A] superb self-help guide” (Publishers Weekly)

From the Back Cover

THIS IS WHAT MOMMY BURNOUT LOOKS LIKE

Women today are fed up. What used to be the stuff of comedy—the harried mom in sweatpants and the messy bun—just isn’t funny anymore. Being everything to everyone is just too much pressure and the cracks are starting to show. Think of the number of times you’ve asked a woman how she was, only to hear, “I’m exhausted.” “I’m so stressed out.” “I’m just so busy.” Think of how many times you’ve said it yourself.

Modern motherhood is something very different from what our grandmothers and mothers experienced. The pressure to produce the most healthy, balanced lunches for your children, enroll them in enriching extracurricular activities for just the right amount of days a week, the birthday party bonanza that must be photo-worthy of posting on social media, and the pressure to get your kids into the right school—these are today’s concerns. Add in work-life balance, disconnection from friends and families, and a healthy dose of social media–induced anxiety and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. No one can sustain this, but millions of women are living this way and doing themselves damage in the process, because constant exposure to this kind of stress causes you physical and emotional harm. This is what Mommy Burnout looks like.

Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, a Denver-based child psychotherapist, learned after nineteen years of counseling families and children that while it’s generous to go above and beyond for your kids, the fallout goes beyond moms—husbands, partners, colleagues, and, most of all, children are feeling the effects, too. In Mommy Burnout, Dr. Ziegler shares insights on:

How to identify if you are suffering from depression and anxiety that requires medication, or burnout, or all three
How burnout can put marriages in jeopardy in surprising ways
How working moms envy at-home moms, and at-home moms envy working moms, and their levels of dissatisfaction are surprisingly similar
How your burnout makes your kids feel, and how it can even be contagious
Why burnout makes you feel like your life has no purpose

So how do we stop the burnout cycle and protect our children from the damage?

From years of personal and professional practice, Dr. Ziegler has devised a prescriptive program for addressing this epidemic—teaching moms that they can find ways to reenergize themselves and not get mired in guilt. Filled with real stories from real moms, and empowering, proven solutions for alleviating this condition, Mommy Burnout offers the hope modern moms need to save marriages and keep kids happy in the process.

About the Author

Dr. Sheryl Ziegler is a Doctor of Psychology and Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado and a member of the Colorado Association for Play Therapy and American Psychological Association. She lives in Denver with her husband and three children.

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Mommy Burnout: How to Reclaim Your Life and Raise Healthier Children in the Process