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If you’ve ever had a toddler hurl a sock at your face with the force of a thousand tantrums and instead of yelling or laughing, you just… cried – congratulations, my friend.
You might be dealing with a little thing we like to call mom burnout.
Let me set the scene: it was 6:42 p.m. on a Tuesday (because of course it was a Tuesday).
I was reheating the same chicken nuggets we’d had for lunch don’t judge me, they were the dinosaur-shaped ones, so basically gourmet.
The baby was glued to my leg like a barnacle, my five-year-old was yelling about the injustice of bedtime existing, and my eight-year-old was having a full-blown existential crisis over his missing Minecraft sock.
Then, out of nowhere, a sock came flying across the room and smacked me square in the eye.
And that was it. Not a scream. Not a sarcastic “really?” Not a dramatic mom monologue. Nope. Just tears. Silent, exhausted, surprisingly cathartic tears.
Burnout: It’s Not Just You
Mom burnout isn’t always some big meltdown or dramatic “I’m running away to Aruba” moment. Sometimes it looks like crying over a sock. Or zoning out while someone tells you a very detailed story about a squirrel they saw three weeks ago. Or wondering when you last peed alone.
We juggle so much: school forms, birthday parties (who invented goodie bags?!), dinner plans, snacks, tantrums, laundry mountains, emotional support duties, and sometimes… our own emotions don’t even get on the to-do list.
Signs You Might Be Burnt Toast (I Mean, Burnt Out)
- You fantasize about being alone. Like, in a hotel. With room service. And zero humans asking for snacks.
- You forget what day it is. Frequently.
- Your eye twitches when someone says, “Mom? MOM? MOOOOM???”
- You feel like you’re doing everything and still falling short.
- You cry over socks. (It’s a classic symptom.)
So, What Do We Do About It?
Glad you asked, sock sister. Here are some tiny-but-mighty burnout busters that’ve helped me (and might save your eyeballs from future sock attacks):
1. Lower the Bar
Repeat after me: Done is better than perfect. Dino nuggets for dinner? Great. Clothes came out of the dryer but never made it into drawers? Still counts. Kids are alive and mostly clean-ish? You’re nailing it.
2. Phone a Mom Friend
Sometimes the best therapy is texting your bestie: “Today was trash. The end.” And her responding with, “Same. Want to drop them all off at grandma’s and go eat carbs in silence?”
3. Steal Micro-Moments
I’m talking five minutes hiding in the bathroom with a chocolate bar, a solo Target run (the holy grail of mom escapes), or drinking your coffee hot while pretending not to hear anyone yelling “MOM!”
4. Ask for Help (and Actually Accept It)
Yes, you could do it all. But should you? Nope. Ask your partner to do bedtime. Let grandma take the kids. Order the pizza. No one is handing out medals for martyrs. (But if they were, we’d win gold.)
5. Feel the Feels
Crying doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’ve been strong for too long. So let it out. Ugly cry in the laundry room. Scream into a pillow. Then wipe your tears and know you’re still a rockstar.
Final Thoughts From the Sock-Stung Trenches
Motherhood is beautiful and wild and rewarding and also… SO MUCH. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed.
It’s okay to admit you’re tired. And it’s absolutely okay to cry when someone throws a sock at your face. (Honestly, I recommend it. Very cleansing.)
So if today’s been one of those days where you feel like you’re running on fumes and dinosaur nuggets, just know: you’re not alone. You’re doing amazing, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
You are seen, you are loved, and your sock-hurling child probably thinks you’re the best thing since string cheese.
Now go grab that hidden chocolate bar, mama. You’ve earned it.
