BEATING BURNOUT

How to Recover from Mental Exhaustion Without Taking a Break from Parenting

Author

Curtis Leong
May 20, 2025

Hard Working Parents Newsletter

How to Recover from Mental Exhaustion Without Taking a Break from Parenting

Slow Down Home GIF

Hey hardworking parent,

Let me guess...

You woke up tired.
The baby cried.
The dog puked.
You stepped on LEGO.
And you haven’t had a full conversation that wasn’t about snacks or bills in what feels like 47 years.

Let’s be real: you’re not just tired. You’re burned out.
And if no one’s told you this yet today: you’re not broken. You’re doing a heroic job.

As a fellow dad who’s walked this fire trail—NICU stays, long shifts, side hustles, sleep deprivation, and all—I know how heavy life can feel.
So in today’s newsletter, I want to hand you something real. Not a Pinterest quote. Not a yoga pose.
But 5 practical, human ways to beat burnout and start feeling like yourself again.

And yes… we’ll sprinkle in some dad jokes too. We’ve earned ‘em. 😅

🔥 1. Stop Trying to “Win” at Everything

Let’s kick this off with a truth bomb:
You can do anything, but not everything—especially not all at once.

Burnout often starts when we say yes to everything:

  • Helping with school lunch prep (while on a Zoom call)

  • Fixing the car (while answering emails)

  • Building a business (while pretending we’re not exhausted)

🎤 Dad Joke Break:
Why did the dad bring a ladder to work?
Because he heard the job was up and coming. 😆

One of the biggest breakthroughs I had as a parent was realizing:
Sometimes, being great at ONE thing per day is a win.
And that’s enough.

✅ Some examples from my own week:

  • Tuesday: I crushed it at work—but we ordered takeout.

  • Wednesday: I played with my daughter for 20 minutes—emails had to wait.

  • Thursday: I said no to helping a friend move. I didn’t have it in me.

That’s not failure. That’s focus.
Try picking just one win per day and letting the rest go.

🛑 2. Give Yourself Permission to Rest

We grew up hearing hustle culture lies like:

“You’ll sleep when you’re dead.”
“Grind now, shine later.”
“No days off.”

But now that you’re parenting while working while building a side hustle...
That mentality is a fast-track to resenting your life.

One of my mentors once told me:

“Burnout doesn’t come from doing too much.
It comes from doing too much without rest.”

You need a reset. Not a retreat. Just 10 minutes a day to breathe.

🧠 Try this:

  • Sit in your car after work and don’t scroll—just breathe.

  • Lock the bathroom door, sit on the toilet lid, and listen to 10 minutes of a calming audio (I actually recorded one you can use—it’s in my Hardworking Parent Starter Kit).

  • Take a walk without your phone. (Okay, bring it, but airplane mode it!)

🎤 Dad Joke Break:
I tried meditation to help my burnout... but I kept thinking about laundry.
So now I just call it “Mindful Folding.” 🧺

Rest doesn’t mean being lazy.
It means recharging so your family doesn’t get the leftover version of you.

Shocked Bart Simpson GIF

🗣️ 3. Say It Out Loud

You know what made the biggest difference in my journey through burnout?

Talking about it.

Yep, wild idea, right?

Not suffering in silence. Not pretending everything’s “fine.”
Just saying it out loud:

“I’m tired.”
“This is hard.”
“I feel like I’m failing.”

And not just to your partner. To a friend. A coach. Your community. Even your kids (in an age-appropriate way).

Here’s how I told my daughter one day after a rough shift and a stressful DM campaign:

“Daddy’s a little tired today. I still love you big. But my energy’s kinda small.”

She nodded.
Then offered me a cracker. 💛

🎤 Dad Joke Break:
My kid asked me what “burnout” means.
I said, “It’s when your brain forgets how to brain.” 🤯

You don’t have to carry it all in silence. You weren’t meant to.

🧩 4. Get Real Help, Not Random Hacks

Burnout isn’t a productivity problem—it’s a capacity problem.
No “Top 10 Apps for Busy Dads” list will fix it if your brain and body are already tapped out.

What changed the game for me was getting actual support.

Not always paid coaching—sometimes it’s:

  • A friend who texts you daily to check in

  • A system that takes care of some marketing steps for you

  • A calendar that reminds you to breathe

For me, that looked like building a system (like System.io) that didn’t require me to code or pay $300/month.

Make life easier.
Not to be lazy, but so you can love your people better.

🎤 Dad Joke Break:
I finally automated part of my business.
Now my email funnel does the worrying for me. 🤖📩

Get tools. Get help. Get off the treadmill. Your future self will thank you.

❤️ 5. Remember Why You Started

Burnout makes us forget.
Forget the vision. The dream. The reason we took on that job, or started the side hustle, or stayed up past midnight to build a better future.

“Why am I doing this again?”

Let me remind you:

  • So you don’t have to choose between groceries or gas.

  • So your partner doesn’t cry at night because they’re worried about bills.

  • So your kid gets to grow up with memories, not just survival.

You’re here because you care deeply.
And yes, that’s exhausting sometimes—but it’s also sacred.

If you’ve been hustling so hard you forgot your “why”—pause and write it down.
Heck, write it on a Post-it and slap it on your fridge:

“I’m building this so I can pick my kid up from school without checking the clock.”
“I want to be the dad who’s present, not just providing.”

🎤 Dad Joke Break:
Why did the dad start a side hustle?
Because “dad jokes” don’t pay the bills… yet. 😅

🧭 In Case You Skimmed (TL;DR)

IIf you’ve been feeling stuck, tired, or crispy-fried, here are 5 things to remember:

  1. You can’t do it all. One win a day is enough.

  2. Rest is productive. Take 10 minutes daily to reset.

  3. Say it out loud. You’re not alone.

  4. Get real help—not just hacks.

  5. Reconnect with your WHY. It still matters.

 🎧 Want More?

If this hit home, I go deeper into each one of these in this week’s podcast episode:
Beat Burnout for Hardworking Parents”

There’s no fluff. Just real talk from one tired-but-hopeful dad to another.
We can do this, one honest step at a time.

And if you want the tools that helped me dig out of burnout (like my Reset Audio + Time Finder Formula), check out the Hardworking Parent Starter Kit. Wait list. It’s a life-saver.

P.S.
You're not behind. You're rebuilding.
You're not failing. You're carrying more than most.
You're not burned out because you're weak—you're burned out because you care.

Let’s make this season easier, together.

With you,
Curtis
Creator of the Hardworking Parent Club
Dad, husband, and professional LEGO stepper

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