Have you noticed how stressed parents are today? Maybe you’ve heard your friends talking about how busy they feel, or how you all never have time to get together anymore. Maybe you notice how exhausted everyone looks at the school pick-up and drop-off lines, and it only seems to get worse. Or it's probably instead that you are noticing it in yourself- this lingering pit of overwhelm that just seems to fester. It doesn't improve with more sleep or a night off. It's just always there.

When you stop to consider all that parents are juggling, it actually isn’t so surprising anymore. There are kids' weekend and after-school schedules, spirit weeks (yet again) at their school, homework to manage, sports practices, dance events, band lessons, in addition to trying to also somewhat manage an adult life that also likely consists of work, responsibilities, relationships, plus physical health, and parental mental health needs. At some point, it all begins to feel like too much, with every single item on the list seeming all too precious and sacred to set down.

In 2024, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A, echoed a similar thing in “Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents.” The advisory provides numerous statistics, data, and personal anecdotes demonstrating just how difficult parenting feels in the current moment. This advisory also carefully details how detrimental........

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