Ep29. What If You’re Just Too Tired to Be Mindful?

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What happens when you know the mindful parenting strategies - but you’re simply too tired to use them? This episode is for the days when your tank is empty.

We explore what parental burnout really looks like, how to recognise it, and how to gently support yourself when mindfulness feels out of reach.

This follow-up to Episode 27 with Michelle Marks offers three low-effort ways to reconnect with your child, even in your most depleted moments.

You'll Learn

• What parental burnout really feels like (and why it’s often missed)

• Three gentle strategies for staying connected with your child when you're overwhelmed

• How to ask for help without guilt—and why it’s not a favour

• Ways to honour your limits and model emotional awareness with your kids

Why This Episode Matters

Parenting through exhaustion can leave you feeling like you’re failing. But often, the issue isn’t your mindset - it’s your capacity.

This episode helps shift the lens from self-blame to self-compassion and reminds you that you are not alone. You don’t need to be superhuman.

You need softness, support, and space to breathe.

Take Home Action

Pick just one small shift this week: name a limit out loud, ask for help like it’s essential, or try a 10-second reset. Whatever you choose, let it be gentle.

Take the Next Step

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to help you navigate this season. Book a free 20-minute Clarity Call to chat through your challenges and receive personalised support. You’ll find the link in the show notes below.

Links and Resources

• Book a free 20-minute Clarity Call

• Listen to Episode 27. Are you feeling the invisible weights of motherhood?

  
  

Let’s Connect

Want more support? Follow Nina on Instagram, or sign up for tips and updates at mindfulparentinglifestyle.com.au.

Have a question or parenting challenge you'd like addressed on the podcast? Send a DM or an email.

• Follow Nina on Instagram

• Website: mindfulparentinglifestyle.com.au

• Email: nina@mindfulparentinglifestyle.com.au

About the Host

Nina Visic is a mindful parenting coach, and host of 'Your Calm Parenting Path.' She helps parents move from overwhelm and reactivity to calm, confident connection with their children - without needing to be perfect.

Through her coaching, podcast, and practical tools, Nina shares a gentle, grounded approach to parenting that blends mindfulness with everyday realities. As a mum herself, Nina deeply understands the emotional load parents carry - especially when they’re exhausted.

This episode draws on her own experiences and asking for support, while offering practical, compassionate ways to reconnect with your child.

Her mission is to empower parents to create more ease in their home, more presence in their relationships, and more space to breathe - one small shift at a time.

Transcript

This transcript has been copied and pasted but not proofread or edited, so it may contain errors or inaccuracies.

Intro

You're listening to Your Calm Parenting Path. I’m your host, Nina, a mindful parenting coach and mum, here to help you go from overwhelmed and reactive to calm, confident, and connected with your kids.

This show is for parents who want to raise their children with more patience, less stress, and a whole lot more joy. Because small shifts make a big impact—and you can build the parenting life you’ve always wanted.

If you want to see what I’m up to, follow me on Instagram at [your handle]. And don’t forget to hit follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Now, let’s get started!

 

Script

Hello and welcome.

I want to start today by sharing something Michelle Marks said in our last episode that really landed with so many of you. I’ve had quite a few messages from listeners saying that Michelle’s story felt so real, so validating, and so close to their own.

Here’s what she said:

“You come in (to parenting) with rosy glasses on thinking, ‘Oh, I'm going to be such a good parent. This is going to be amazing. I love babies!’ And then you quickly learn that this is the hardest thing you've ever done in your life—but simultaneously the best thing.”

Yes. That push-pull is exactly it.

It’s beautiful. And exhausting.

And so many of us are doing it while carrying invisible weights.

So in today’s episode, we’re picking up where Michelle’s story left off. We’re talking about what happens when you know the mindful approach, but you’re simply too depleted to take it.

This is for the days when your tank is empty.

When you’re too tired to be the calm parent.

When you don’t need more advice—you just need space to breathe.

I want to start by saying: if you are in a season of burnout, you are not alone. Parental burnout is real. And it doesn’t always come from something big. Often, it’s the result of the everyday—small, repeated moments of emotional labour, decision fatigue, broken sleep, background noise, and unspoken expectations.

You might notice you’re more irritable than usual. That the strategies you normally use don’t work. That your nervous system just feels… stuck.

So what do you do when you know what would help—but you just don’t have the capacity to do it?

That’s what we’re going to explore today.

I’ll walk you through three gentle strategies you can try when you're too tired to be mindful—but still want to stay connected with your child. They’re not big. They’re not energy-draining. And they are absolutely good enough.

Let’s start with the first one.

1. Name your limits out loud

This one is simple, but powerful.

Sometimes, just naming your experience can help shift the energy in the room.

You don’t need to hide your exhaustion from your kids. In fact, letting them know what’s going on models emotional honesty and self-awareness. It can also help prevent misunderstandings that lead to conflict.

You might say something like:

• “I’m feeling really tired right now, so I need us to keep things quiet for a little bit.”

• “I want to help you, but I’m not thinking clearly because my brain is foggy from a long day.”

• “I’m not angry at you—I’m just really exhausted.”

It’s a gentle reminder to yourself and your child: I am human. I am doing my best. And right now, my best might look a little different.

2. Ask for help like it’s essential (because it is)

We often wait until we’re at breaking point before we ask for support—and even then, we ask like it’s a favour. Like we’re putting someone out. Like we’ll owe them something in return.

But parenting isn’t a solo job. And support in a partnership, or from your village, isn’t a luxury. It’s essential.

If you’re exhausted, depleted, or barely coping, ask for help the way you’d want your child to ask you: clearly, directly, and without guilt.

You don’t have to justify it. You don’t have to make it cute or convenient. You can simply say,

·         “I need you to take over now. I’m done.”

·         “This isn’t me asking for a break. This is me telling you that I’ve reached my limit. I need you to take over for the next hour.”

·         “I’m not coping right now. I need to step away so I don’t lose it.

And sometimes, the help will be offered before you ask.

A few weeks ago, I was really sick and sitting in the car at school pick-up, barely holding it together. Another mum saw me and said, “You stay here—I’ll collect the boys and bring them out.” At first I declined. I didn’t want to be a burden. But then I realised—I couldn’t keep going. So I said yes.

And when she brought them out, I cried. Not because I was sad, but because in that moment, someone saw my struggle and gave me exactly what I needed.

So here’s your reminder:If someone offers to help—say yes.

Let that help in. You are not weak for needing it. You are human.

3. Quick, low-effort resets

When you’re burnt out, it’s hard to do anything that feels like a “practice.” But there are small things you can do in the moment that don’t require energy or planning.

Michelle shared a beautiful example in her episode:

“Every day I look forward to having my hot steaming shower where I can lock the door and nobody needs me for that five minutes.” So and that combined with the hot water, it's just like that thing that you can focus on to have that peace of mindfulness

Here are a few other mindful micro-moments you might try:

• Grounding touch: Place your hand on your chest and feel its warmth. Breathe into that space.

• Anchor breath: One slow inhale. One long, slow exhale. Nothing fancy.

• Sit and sip: A warm cup of tea, coffee, or even just water—held with two hands, sipped slowly.

• Feel your feet: Stand barefoot. Wiggle your toes. Notice the ground beneath you.

• Lean on sound: Choose one sound and listen to it fully—birds, a song, the hum of the fridge.

You’re not trying to fix anything. You’re just coming back to now.

Even a 10-second pause is enough to shift your nervous system slightly—just enough to stay afloat.

TAKE-HOME ACTION

Your invitation this week is simple: choose just one small shift that supports you.

Maybe it’s naming a limit out loud—even if your voice trembles.

Maybe it’s letting your partner take over dinner while you step outside and breathe.

Maybe it’s texting that friend who offered help and replying, “Actually… yes. I really could use a hand.”

You don’t need to do all the things. You don’t need to have it all together.

Let whatever you choose be small. Let it be gentle.

Because burnout doesn’t shift all at once—it softens gradually, through moments of honesty, self-compassion, and connection.

And if you find yourself defaulting to old patterns—snapping, holding it in, pushing through—that’s okay too. Just pause, notice, and gently come back. This path isn’t linear.

You are not failing. You are finding your way.

And each moment of care you offer yourself matters.

Final words

Michelle reminded us last week that it’s not that we don’t know what to do—it’s that we’re already doing so much.

If you’re parenting through exhaustion, through neurodivergence, through grief, illness, or just the relentlessness of the everyday—then you already know how heavy it can be. You don’t need more advice, more pressure, or a checklist of things to fix.

You don’t need to be superhuman.

What you need is softness.

You need support you don’t have to earn.

You need space to breathe—without guilt or apology.

So if today’s episode gave you that space—even just a little—know that it’s here for you anytime you need it.

And if you haven’t yet listened to Episode 27 with Michelle Marks, I really encourage you to go back and listen. Her story resonated so deeply with so many of you. It’s honest, powerful, and full of little moments that make you feel seen.

Together, these two episodes are like a gentle exhale.

A reminder that you’re not alone—and you never have to carry it all by yourself.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with another parent who might be feeling the same.

And if you’d like to talk more about your own experience of burnout or low capacity parenting, I invite you to book a free 20 minute clarity call with me. You’ll find the link in the show notes.

Thanks for listening. I’ll see you next time on Your Calm Parenting Path.