First Week of Homeschooling: Fatigue

There is no other word that describes the first week of homeschool better than fatigue. Let’s chat about how to conserve your energy, enthusiasm, and dedication for homeschooling through the transition period in the first few weeks.

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Mom is tired.

You will probably be really tired.

Give yourself time to adjust. There is usually a lot of change at the beginning of the year and that can be overwhelming for all of us. Being tired and all of the emotional baggage that comes up with it is totally normal the first few weeks.

I told a mom this week that you will probably cry and doubt yourself a lot as you start this process. That is normal and probably a sign that you are doing it right. I’ve talked about the time I declared I hate homeschooling before and the importance of your own mental health, but the first few weeks can feel like the spoiler for the year of hell to come if you let your thoughts go there.

No matter how you are approaching homeschool this year it is probably different than how other years have felt. I want to just acknowledge that and say that the 2020-2021 school year doesn’t feel the same and that alone feels a little heavy.

Until we can all create the ultimate stress free homeschooling experience, we can work on our own thoughts to reduce the load a little.

Thinking about our homeschooling mindset.

The first thing I think you should do is process your feelings about the school year. Let’s start by clearing out some head space. Get out a sheet of paper and answer some questions.

What concerns you the most about this school year?
If you failed your kids this year, what would that mean?
If you could make this the best possible experience for you and your kids this year how would that look?
Respond to this statement: This school year has no limits. What thoughts pop up for you when you read that? How do those thoughts feel?

This is important because you can’t manage your energy until you can control some of those spiraling thoughts that are running in the background and draining you.

Review your answers to those questions. Ask yourself. Is this true? You might be surprised by how many are just your brain assuming the worst. Knowing that gives you the power to dismiss those unhelpful panic brain thoughts and focus on the tasks at hand. A lot of times it is that panic brain that is so draining on our energy because it is running all of this unnecessary programming in the background.

Dismissing unhelpful thoughts

I think there used to be a PSA that was like “the more you know”.

Knowing that your brain is trying to let you know all the ways this could go bad is great information to have.

This means that when your kids is in tears over a lesson or sitting with their arms crossed telling you they don’t want to do it that you can dismiss that inner critic, that will happily jump up to use this as evidence of impending doom. A great way to dismiss this type of unhelpful thought is to tell yourself that it is just a thought. This is just a moment. It doesn’t mean anything more or less.

If you find yourself stewing later ask yourself, what am I making this mean?

Once you can see the thoughts that are limiting your success in your homeschool, you can focus on the other areas where energy, enthusiasm and dedication can start to wane.

The day to day challenges of homeschooling…

This is where the rubber meets the road folks.

Changes in schedule.
New curriculum.
Technology issues.
Misplaced materials.
New teachers /tutors.
Work schedules.
Unexpected changes.
Sibling issues.
Friendship drama.

You quickly see why mindset can be essential in keeping it all going.

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Tips for the first week of homeschooling and beyond:

Energy:

Be a keen observer – but don’t make changes (write down some notes)
Do not be reactive.
Allow extra time for every task
Leave white space in your days.
Have something to look forward to at the end of the week.
Create a schedule or routine to help manage expectations – let kids know that we can make adjustments after the first few weeks.
Be willing to cut frustrating lessons short
Plan your weekly meals and choose convenience options or freezer meals that you have previously created that will allow more energy for school as you adjust.
Loosen your expectations on household chores as you adjust. The time to get things will materialize as the schedule solidifies.

How to stay enthusiastic.

Dismiss unhelpful thoughts
- That is just a thought.
- That is just a moment
- Is that even true?
- What am I making this mean?
Find time for yourself (especially the introverted mom)
- Selfcare isn’t bubble baths and pedicures. It is about creating a life you love. Make sure you aren’t sacrificing your mental health and well being for your homeschool.
- Create daily routines and rituals that help you reset.
Allow kids some downtime with you.
- Your kids might be resistant at first, but consider doing something together that isn’t school related (although school adjacent is fine)
  - Play a game
  - Watch a TV show
  - Get Outside
  - Look at photo albums
  - Cook together
  - Listen to music
  - Listen or Read a good book just for fun.

Tips for dedication:

Be comfortable learning from mistakes
Don’t dramatize issues that arise – take them as a learning opportunity and move on.
Be willing to make changes after the first couple of weeks.
Connect with other homeschool families for advice.
Consider writing down why you’ve chosen to homeschool this year everyday for the first few weeks – make sure it feels calm and controlled and positive. Ex. I’ve chosen to homeschool this year because I was more comfortable keeping my kids at home where I felt they would be safer.

Once you get over the first week fatigue, you will find your groove. Check out our recent episode on building momentum in your homeschool year. Please let me know if you were able to implement any of these strategies and how they worked for you.