It happens to the best of us- exhaustion. It’s really unavoidable because that’s just the way parenting goes. In today’s episode, we along with our co-host, Nicole Goerges, discuss some practical ways to overcome the exhaustion bug.
We’re tired. In fact, just hearing the word “exhaustion” makes us want to take a nap. We’ve often said that we’re a grand total of 14 years behind on sleep. If we added our years of parenting to John and Nicole’s 14 years, we’re a combined 28 years behind! We’re kidding, of course, but sometimes it feels that way.
Parenting in general is exhausting. But when you’re a foster, adoptive, or special needs parent you often deal with exhaustion on a grander scale. One of the biggest questions we receive often, from weary foster, adoptive, and special needs parents is, “I’m so tired. How can I ever find rest?” We understand. All three of us are in that trench.
Listen To The Podcast.
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Notes and Quotes From The Show.
Here are the 6 steps we shared during the show…
- Call SOS. Be willing to call out and let other’s (specifically your support system) know you need help.
- Seek community. You need people around you that get where you’re coming from, are in the trenches with you, and are non-judgemental.
- Take a time out. Much like you give your children a time out to allow them the margin to think through what they’ve done, and change course, you need to take a time out to think and process every now and then.
- Do something that brings you joy.
- Gratitude. Make a list of the things you have been given in your life already. Be grateful for them. Give thanks for the things you’ve been blessed with, in-spite of the trials you are going through.
- Recalibrate. Stop what you are doing and hit the reset button in order to get back on course.
Here are some of our favorite quotes from today’s episode…
[shareable]You’re always going to have a measure of weariness in parenting, because parenting is hard.[/shareable]
[shareable]Giving thanks is key when things are going wrong.[/shareable]
[shareable]This is an adventure. Life isn’t over. Just wait to see what God is going to do.[/shareable]
Resources and Links.
The biggest resource we mentioned in this episode was the book that we co-wrote last summer called The Weary Parent’s Guide To Escaping Exhaustion. In the book we share a realistic 9-day plan to help you finally get the rest you need. We intentionally made each step practical because we know how difficult life is, especially when you’re an adoptive, foster, or special needs parent. To be honest, this was the easiest book to compile because we needed to jot down the things that we personally needed to do on our own journey! It’s a free download!
[button href=”Join Today” primary=”true” centered=”true” newwindow=”true”]Click Here To Get Your Copy![/button]
We hope you enjoyed today’s broadcast and we hope you enjoy our eBook. After you read the book, let us know what you think by sending us an email here. Our hope is that our words in today’s episode can bring encouragement and rejuvenation to you on this sometimes defeating journey!
[reminder]How do you find strength on the exhausting journey of parenting? Share your story with us[/reminder]
