Is My Child Getting Burned Out? Major Signs To Recognize Child Burnout

It’s a universal fact that today’s kids have a lot of pressure to deal with, be it studies, family issues, friendships, their hidden anxiety, or trying to keep up with the changes. Burnout in kids is nowadays a common mental health issue faced by a lot of children and it can develop due to different reasons or causes and can show differently in children.

Signs and symptoms of a kid’s burnout can be hard to notice in the beginning however, when the situations go out of control, the symptoms can be seen easily. Therefore, it’s really important to protect our children from kids’ burnout before the situation gets out of our control. 

If you think your child has been acting weird for a long time, don’t ignore the signs and watch out for signs of mental health issues such as kids’ burnout, social anxiety in children, or depression in children.

In this blog, we will be taking a close look at what child burnout is, its signs and symptoms, and how to overcome it. So, let’s get started! 

What is Child Burnout?

Burnout in children can be defined as the state of physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion that can be developed due to ongoing frustration or stress. It specifically happens when the children don’t get time to relax or recharge. In most of the cases, burnout in children develops due to overloading work or school. In such cases, the parents must be aware of such mental health problems and they must address the situation before it gets worse. 

5 Major Signs of Child Burnout 

If you think your child might be having burnout, it’s important to watch out for the signs of burnout in kids as they are already working really hard to prove themselves and often face more hurdles comparatively. All the hurdles, workload, stress, or matching expectations can lead to burnout in kids at school or home.

When the level of burnout reaches at peak, it can dissolve the motivation for improvement and put the child into chronic stress and anxiety. Below listed are the 5 major signs of child burnout: 

1. Procrastination 

Procrastination is one of the major signs of child burnout as during the burnout you might have to remind your child several times. Seeing your child procrastinating a lot might also put you under stress because you’ll see your child always complaining or filibustering over little things. 

2. Avoiding situations 

Your child might have loved going to school or playing with friends, but now they have started avoiding situations they once loved. Psychologically, child burnout can appear in different forms or signs however, when they start avoiding certain situations, you can evaluate that something needs to be corrected.

For example, if they are continuously saying no to extracurricular activities, they might be loaded with extra work at school or if they are continuously saying no to classes, there might be a different situation leading to the cause of kids’ burnout. 

3. Unknown fear or anxiety

Sometimes, we get too late to acknowledge the fact that school can be really tough on children, especially when your child is working hard to meet the expectations or goals they might have set for themselves.

During such hurdles, the unknown anxiety or fear takes place which can be so intense that your child cries every day to meet them and shockingly, we don’t even acknowledge such issues due to mental health stigmas around children. 

4. Lack of concentration

Due to ongoing stress, workload, or expectations, your child might not be able to concentrate for even 10 minutes properly. Lack of concentration or being easily distracted is one of the major signs of burnout in kids at school. If not managed on time, this can result in a lack of motivation as well. 

5. Irritability or anger 

If your child is easily upset, angry, or annoyed by little things, note that your child is going through a mental issue that needs to be corrected. If not burnout, it can be a possibility of other mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, social anxiety, and others. Therefore, in such cases, it’s always better to look for a mental health professional for proper assistance and treatment. 

To connect with a certified and experienced mental health professional through online platforms, click below: 

Parent’s Guide: Tips to Overcome Child Burnout

1. Openly communicate with your children and learn about their emotions. 
2. Set realistic expectations and help them divide their goals into short-term goals. 
3. Make your child learn better management tools and strategies to maintain motivation and concentration levels. 
4. Join hands with your kids, become a team, and teach them self-care and self-love to fight the blues of child burnout. 
5. Teach stress-relieving activities or self-care activities. 
6. Let children learn about failure and success as a part of life. 
7. Take a break and carve out time for activities, fun, or entertainment as well. 

I hope this blog helps you understand child burnout and the signs of burnout in kids. For more such content, connect with us through all social media platforms. 

Thanks for reading!