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Why Time Away Might Not Fix Your Stress

From the Parent Cue
Let me guess. You feel like you really need to de-stress.

Of course you do…you’re a parent.

Pretty much every parent I talk to is tired. Well, more than just tired. Stressed. Deeply stressed.
And kind of exhausted.

There’s a fatigue that comes with parenting that’s a little hard to describe. Throw a global pandemic into the mix and you’ve got stress on steroids.

You know what most families do to try to alleviate the constant stress? Live for vacation:
  • Fall break
  • Christmas break
  • Spring break
  • Summer Vacation

And in between, most parents throw in a few weekends at the lake, a trip to the spa, or get some time on the golf course in and tell themselves this is as good as it gets.
Now the bad news. And as tough as it is to hear, even large amounts of time off won’t be enough to refuel you or even fully destress you.

Yeah, I know.

Even if you get a few fleeting glimpses of peace at some point in your time off or day away, that usually evaporates the moment you head back into normal life. It’s like two weeks of progress get erased within minutes of heading into the SUV to head home.

So two questions:
First, “why?”
And second, “what should you do?”
Let’s tackle each in turn.