Avoiding Extracurricular Activity Burnout
Some of us are busy people. We work at jobs that keep us hopping all day long.
After a long busy day, most people want to come home and relax, right?
Well there are those who come home and get started all over again being busy.
Here are a few tips to avoid extracurricular activity burnout.
Are you busy because of yourself or your children? There is a difference and
there is a solution for both. The results of being too busy no matter what the reason
are the same: burnout. If you feel like you are close to going over the edge, re-evaluate
the need for all of your extra activities. No one has to be superwoman anymore.
If you are a member of one committee at church, you don’t need to chair another.
The PTA will survive if you are not on the executive board. Every event that the
neighborhood hosts doesn’t need your assistance. Too much to do usually means that
something isn’t getting done.
Write all of the activities down on a sheet of paper. Next to each, list the reasons that
you became involved in the first place. Be honest with yourself. If it was to impress
another person, then say so. Eliminate the ones that were begun for all the wrong reasons.
Choose no more than three activities a week. If you have children, even three may be too
much. Being absent from the house every evening doesn’t leave much time for family or
closeness with your spouse. Schedule your activities on the same night that the kids have
their practices. They don’t need to be at the same time, but this minimizes the amount of
time the family is out of the house. If everyone can take a few days a week for extracurricular
activities, then that leaves the other evenings for family time. If the cause of your imminent
burnout is shuttling the kids from one venue to another, get help. Organize a carpool with the
other player’s mothers. Each week, take turns carrying the entire group to practice. If you
need to, give your kids a limit on the number of activities they can be involved in during the
school year. Too many activities could mean meltdown for them as well. During the summer,
they can add on a few extra activities since school will be out.
Getting involved in the community is great, but too much of a good thing is bad for anyone.
Sometimes, you may have to say “No” when asked to volunteer in order to keep your sanity
and your family. Don’t lose sight of one goal for another. Learn to balance your work, family,
and extracurricular activities.
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