Parents and Caregivers

Parental burnout is an increasingly recognized form, estimated to affect somewhere between 5 and 10 percent of parents.

It is not about a lack of love. The most devoted parents often burn out — they pour everything in and leave nothing for themselves. The cause is lack of balance, not lack of love.

Caregiver burnout follows the same pattern. Caring for aging parents or an ill partner gives meaning but consumes enormous resources. Its unique cruelty is the guilt: you feel exhausted, then feel guilty for feeling exhausted. Society insists that good parents and caregivers never tire, and that guilt keeps people from asking for help — which only deepens the burnout.