How Acupuncture Helps with Parental Burnout: Restore Your Balance
Try asking a parent if they are tired and they will most likely laugh at you. “Tired” is often an understatement. In fact, research from Ohio State University shows that 66% of working parents are burned out. One in 10 parents experienced severe burnout.
Parents think they can just sleep the burnout away. However, there is a better way to deal with burnout. Traditional Chinese Medicine, guided by a well-known compassionate TCM practitioner like Dr. Carolyn Cook, is an excellent way to reduce high levels of stress in parents, whether you’re caring for your kids or balancing work and family life.
Key takeaways:
Inside this article, you’ll learn about:
What is burnout?
Burnout is a serious health concern described as “prolonged psychosocial stress exposure causing a persistent mismatch between demands and resources,” according to Science Direct. It has five key dimensions: emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and diminished professional efficacy, cynicism, and cognitive impairments.
Emotional exhaustion:
Feelings of energy depletion or emotional withdrawal from a formerly enjoyable and motivating activity.
Physical fatigue:
Feeling “tired all the time” even after rest.
Diminished professional efficacy:
The sense of ineffectiveness and lack of achievement.
Cynicism:
The negative, detached, or callous attitude toward recipients of one’s service or work.
Cognitive impairments:
Difficulty concentrating, persistent sense of mental fatigue, “brain fog,” and lower capacity for complex thinking.
You’ve probably heard about burnout mainly in the context of work—and for good reason. A 2024 multi‑country report found that nearly half (48%) of employees across the surveyed nations were struggling with it. The main cause of burnout among them is work stress.
However, burnout doesn’t stop at the office door. In fact, it hits one group even harder, though they rarely get the same attention: parents. Arguably, no one experiences burnout more intensely or more often than they do. Let’s see how they experience burnout below.
How do parents experience burnout?
Some days feel manageable. But most of the time, the tiredness never really fades, and sleep doesn’t seem to fix it.
Our society makes it seem like parental burnout is simply just part of the parenting role, but that’s not true. Parenting is stressful, but it shouldn’t be so overwhelming that it leaves you feeling intensely exhausted. For some parents, the mere thought of what to do for or with the children feels like they’re being asked to climb Mt. Everest. They are emotionally drained and at the end of their rope.
Meanwhile, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views parents with more compassion. They are not just parents who should accept the high stress, but people who are imbalanced. See more below.
What TCM says about parental burnout
TCM says that balance is the key to overall health. When we’re constantly pouring out energy for our children without refilling our own reserves, something upsets our inner balance. It creates patterns of imbalance in Qi (vital energy), Blood, and the major organs, especially the Liver, Spleen, Kidney, Heart, and Lungs.
In TCM, burnout is viewed as a combination of stagnation and depletion:
Liver Qi stagnation – Energy not flowing freely, leading to irritability, frustration, and feeling “stuck.”
Spleen and Kidney Qi/yang deficiency – Over time, this leads to depleted energy, fatigue, poor digestion, and reduced resilience.
Fatigue (疲劳症) due to overwork – Involves Spleen, Liver, and Kidney disharmonies.
How does acupuncture help with parental burnout
The benefits of acupuncture for parents are the following:
Rebalances the stress response.
For instance, this mother, who was dealing with postpartum depression, was treated by Dr. Cook, who changed her life:
“I came to Carolyn Cook during one of the darkest periods of my life. I was deep in postpartum depression–everything felt heavy, like I was moving through mud. Even simple things felt hard. My doctor offered antidepressants, but I wasn’t ready to go that route, and acupuncture felt like a last-ditch attempt.
Seeing Dr. Cook changed my life.My postpartum depression lifted, and I am genuinely happier than I have ever been. I feel light, energized, and inspired by the simplest moments. When I was depressed, I couldn’t plan ahead or imagine a future–now I’m excited about what’s next, motivated, and fulfilled at the end of each day.”
You may visit Classical Herbs and Acupuncture in Miami, Florida, or contact us at (305) 665-9711
Your well-being as parents matters too.
Request an initial consultation with us.
About Us
Miami Herbs is a wellness clinic rooted in the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), dedicated to helping individuals achieve better health through personalized, holistic care. From acupuncture and herbal medicine to tailored wellness treatments, our experienced practitioners support your journey toward balance, recovery, and overall well-being.
Sources:
Brennan, D. (2020). Burnout: Symptoms and signs. In WebMD.
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/burnout-symptoms-signs
Burnout – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (2010). In Sciencedirect.com.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/burnout
Gawlik, K. (2022). FAQ: Addressing working parental burnout. In Osu.edu. The Ohio State University.
https://health.osu.edu/community-health/health-and-society/faq-addressing-working-parental-burnout
Tilo, D. (2024). Almost half of employees worldwide suffer from burnout: report. In Hcamag.com. HRD America.
https://www.hcamag.com/us/specialization/diversity-inclusion/almost-half-of-employees-worldwide-suffer-from-burnout-report/493005
University of Canterbury. (2020, November 18). One in 10 parents experienced severe burnout in lockdown, study finds. Medical Xpress.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-11-parents-experienced-severe-burnout-lockdown.html