Fighting Family Burnout During the COVID-19 Crisis

• After 3 months of COVID-19 togetherness, families across the nation are experiencing symptoms of family burnout.
• The pressures on single parents are especially high.
• Marriages are also suffering, with inescapable togetherness highlighting the fractures in relationships and leading to an increase in petitions for divorce in other countries.
• Parents should be focusing on encouragement and positive reinforcement for children who are acting out and regressing.
• Mental health services are perhaps more accessible than ever before for those who may need additional help.

All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication. Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub and follow our live updates page for the most recent information on the COVID-19 outbreak.

After several months of stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many households are beginning to experience family burnout from spending so much time together.

Now that schools are out for the summer and millions of Americans are currently unemployed, partners, parents, and children who are together 24-7 may soon feel even more desperate for a few moments alone and a return to their pre-COVID-19 routines.

But the current rise in cases and the delay of reopening plans in several states may signal that families will need to remain together at home even longer than they realized.

However, households that are feeling togetherness fatigue can take steps to alleviate family burnout and ease the strain on their relationships.

What is family burnout?

How do you know if you’re experiencing family burnout resulting from COVID-19 togetherness?

Dr. Pavan Madan is a board certified child and adolescent psychiatrist with Community Psychiatry, the largest outpatient mental health organization in California. He explained there are three main symptoms to look out for. They are:

• feeling physically or emotionally exhausted
• not being able to handle usual tasks
• feeling annoyed easily

These are symptoms a large number of people may be feeling right now, with exhaustion being reported across the internet. Also, despite the fact that people are home and seemingly have all the time in the world on their hands, this inexplicable fatigue is becoming a common phenomenon.

In fact, Madan said, “Although no clear data is available, a 2018 survey found that half of all parents experience burnout — and this was prior to the pandemic.”

Given the heightened rates of family togetherness now, it stands to reason those numbers are much higher, especially for single parents.

The additional toll faced by single parents

For single parents still working, now depleted of their normal childcare assistance, the pandemic may mean more to do and fewer opportunities for self-care than ever before.

Prairie Conlon is a licensed mental health professional and clinical director of the telehealth company CertaPet.

She explained, “In a two-parent household, division of tasks allows each parent to have some relief, but single-parent households typically take on all of these tasks themselves, which can absolutely lead to burnout quicker.”

For single parents in a pandemic, there’s no partner to help share responsibilities and there are few, if any, opportunities to get away and breathe by oneself. The result can easily lead to family burnout.

“One of the earliest signs of burnout is having less patience,” Conlon said, “whether it’s snapping at your kids or making a microwave dinner.”

There are other factors that can contribute to family burnout in the time of COVID-19 as well.

“How demanding your job is or how the rest of your family is handling quarantine can further exacerbate burnout,” Conlon said.

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The Simple Science Behind Why Masks Work

• The CDC continues to advise wearing face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• Masks work by creating a physical barrier to the spread of virus-containing respiratory droplets.
• Growing evidence supports their effectiveness.
• While many Americans have objected to wearing masks, experts say their concerns are unfounded.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to strongly advise the wearing of face masks to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

On July 14, 2020 the CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in a press releaseTrusted Source: “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus — particularly when used universally within a community setting.”

While these recommendations have been met with some skepticism among the public, scientific evidence continues to show that masks do work.

As to the reasons why, the experts say the science is quite simple.

Why face masks work

Transmission of the coronavirus is thought to occur through respiratory droplets that are released when people speak, sneeze, or talk, according to Dr. MeiLan Han, a professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary and critical care at the University of Michigan.

If these droplets land in the mouth or nose of people nearby, or are inhaled into the lungs, a person can contract the virus.

Masks create a physical barrier that catches these droplets and prevents them from spreading as far into the surrounding air as they normally would.

Han said the masks become even more important because a significant proportion of people who get COVID-19 either don’t exhibit symptoms or there’s a delay before symptoms show up.

Studies show, however, that these people can still transmit the virus to people around them.

The data suggest that the use of face coverings can help limit the spread of the disease by these asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals, said Han.

Until you get through this, count on our support

In difficult times, you need to be able to turn to experts who understand and can help strengthen your mental well-being. We’re here for you.

Growing evidence supports mask effectiveness

In the July 14, 2020 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the authors of an editorial pieceTrusted Source said that “the time is now” for universal mask wearing.

In support of their opinion, they pointed to two case studies that were published that same day.

The first studyTrusted Source showed that a universal mask wearing policy in a Boston hospital system reduced the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Prior to the institution of the mask policy, new cases among healthcare workers who had either direct or indirect patient contact were increasing exponentially.

After the policy was put into place, however, the proportion of symptomatic healthcare workers who tested positive for COVID-19 “steadily declined,” according to the report.

The editorial additionally spoke about a reportTrusted Source in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) which showed that wearing a mask appeared to prevent two Missouri hairstylists from spreading the disease to their customers.

Both stylists had continued to see customers for several days after developing symptoms, but wore face masks as per local government ordinance. Ninety-eight percent of their customers wore masks as well.

Of the 139 customers that the stylists saw before being diagnosed, none developed COVID-19 symptoms during the follow-up period. None of their secondary contacts developed symptoms either.

In addition, of the 67 clients who agreed to be tested, none were positive for the virus.

Answering the skeptics

Despite the scientific evidence supporting the wearing of masks, many Americans have voiced objections to their use.

We asked Dr. Vinisha Amin, hospital medicine physician at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health to counter some of the more frequently raised concerns and misinformed myths that are currently being spread.

1. Masks don’t work

“Let’s disintegrate that myth!” said Amin. “Masks are helpful and effective in protecting you and your loved ones from the virus.”

“There is a plethora of scientific data and research to help solidify this recommendation,” she added.

“In the scientific world, evidence-based medicine takes precedence, and we must put trust in our physicians and scientific community when they make such recommendations given that they are for your own and your loved ones’ medical/health safety,” Amin said.

2. They’re so uncomfortable to wear

“That means you have only tried one mask and gave up quickly on finding one that works well,” said Amin.

“Yes, they may create humidity, but in that situation, wear a cotton material mask which is a more breathable material than polyester,” she advised.

“Yes, they might hurt your ears. In that situation find a mask where the elastic band that wraps around the ear is cloth covered or a softer elastic band which won’t irritate your skin,” she said.

“Yes, they fog up glasses. I have the same issue,” she added. “In that situation, place your eyeglasses over the mask on the bridge of your nose to help hold the mask in place and also help mitigate the fog under your glasses.”

3. I’m worried about carbon dioxide building up and making me sick

“There is absolutely no scientific reasoning that supports the claim that there is carbon dioxide buildup due to masks,” said Amin.

“Healthcare professionals such as our physicians and surgeons have been utilizing tighter and more impenetrable masks for decades, yet we are still able to breathe through them,” she said.

She continued, “Masks allow for oxygen to penetrate in just as readily as they allow for carbon dioxide to penetrate out.”

4. I’m not at high risk

Amin acknowledged that the most vulnerable people are those with comorbid conditions or those who are immunocompromised.

She noted, however, that “although you may be healthy and fit, you might not even be aware that you have acquired the virus and could be shedding high viral loads to your vulnerable loved ones at home.”

“We are all co-dependent on each other for our well-being and health as a community,” she explained.

The bottom line

There’s growing evidence that masks do work in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Masks works in a very simple way by capturing the virus-containing droplets we emit when we speak, cough, or sneeze.

Although the principle behind masks is a simple one, they’re a very important part of containing the disease.

Experts say they work best when we all cooperate and wear them.