7 Essential Actions to Avoid for Overcoming Burnout and Boosting Your Wellbeing

Burnout is more than just feeling tired after a long day. It’s a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. When burnout takes hold, it can drain your energy, reduce your productivity, and harm your mental health. According to the 2026 Motherhood Index, conducted by Peanut and Nuna a staggering 93% of mums globally report experiencing burnout, with 58% saying they feel burned out often or almost always. The research suggests that for many women, exhaustion has become the "normal" state of motherhood. Recognizing what to stop doing is just as important as knowing what to start. This post highlights seven key actions to avoid if you want to recover from burnout and improve your overall wellbeing.

1. Stop Ignoring Your Body’s Signals

When you feel burnt out, your body sends clear signs like feeling of fatigue, headaches, anxiety, muscle tension, or trouble sleeping. Ignoring these signals only worsens the problem. Many mothers push through exhaustion, thinking they must keep going to meet deadlines or responsibilities. This approach usually damages your mental health and lowers productivity. Ignoring the symptoms of burnout longterm, can also lead to serious illness down the track.

What to do instead: Pay attention to your physical and emotional state, especially when you're feelig .overwhelmed and overworked Take regular short breaks, practice deep breathing, or go for a walk. These simple actions help your body recover and improve your focus.

2. Stop Saying "Yes" to Everything

Burnout often comes from taking on too much. Saying yes to every request or opportunity can leave you overwhelmed and stressed. Guilt, or nagging are usually the underlying culprits pushing you to say "yes' when you really want to say "no". t’s easy to feel guilty about saying no, but when you say yes all the time, you can often end up feeling resentful, angry, or overhwhelmed. Overcommitting then tends to drains your energy and reduces your ability to perform well.

What to do instead: Prioritize your tasks and commitments. Be mindful of how much you're committing to and be brave when you know it's time to step back. People may not like it when you say "no", but you have a right to look after your needs too. Practice saying no politely but firmly. Focus on what truly matters and what you can realistically handle.

3. Stop Skipping Rest and Sleep

Rest and sleep are essential for mental clarity and emotional balance. Skipping sleep to work longer hours or stay connected online can backfire, increasing burnout symptoms like irritability and poor concentration. Mums often stay up late becuase it's the only time they get to themselves all day. Whilst it's important to have this time, it can lead to hours of phone scrolling or TV binging at a time when your body really needs the rest.

What to do instead: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Take the Mum Matters App 7 Day Sleep Challenge to reset your sleep habits. Create a bedtime routine that helps you unwind, such as reading or listening to calming music. Think about the things you have put into place to help your. children sleep. See if you can apply some of these routines to your life to improve your sleep.

4. Stop Isolating Yourself

Burnout can make you want to withdraw from friends, family, and colleagues. Isolation, however, can deepen feelings of loneliness and stress. There are times when you need to be on your own to reset. However, it's important to recognise when you are avoiding people becuase you are feeling down. These are times to push yourself to be social. If you feel you need time alone to re-energise, that's OK. Just make sure it's not for longer than one day as social connections provide emotional support and help you gain perspective, boost your energy and improve your overall health.

What to do instead: Stay connected with people who uplift you. Even short conversations or spending time with loved ones can boost your mood and reduce stress. Even having a chat with your local coffee barista, your apartment concierge, your Uber driver or a parent at school pick up, can make the world of difference to help you feel connected.

5. Stop Relying on Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

Some people turn to unhealthy habits like excessive caffeine, alcohol, junk food, or screen time to cope with burnout. These may offer temporary relief but ultimately harm your body and mind, making recovery harder. Excessive sugar, for instance, boosts your energy and mood, but within minutes your energy drops lower than it was to begin with.

What to do instead: Choose nourishing foods that slowly release energy levels like almonds, oats and avocados. Make sure you stay hydrated, as being dehydrated can result in more tiredness and headcahces Further, find healthy ways to relax, such as meditation, gentle exercise, or hobbies you enjoy. The Mum Matters App also has a range of quick-fix meditations and mood boosters you can try over 7 days completely free.

6. Stop Multitasking Constantly

Trying to juggle multiple tasks at once can feel productive but often leads to mistakes and mental fatigue. Mums often boast they can do a million things at once, but how many of these are done to well and without mistakers; and how many of these things are leading to you feeling overwhelmed? Multitasking divides your attention, making it harder to complete tasks efficiently and increasing stress.

What to do instead: Take a few minutes each morning to write down your thoughts. If you see there are too many tasks on your list, then dr-prioritise those that are not so urgent and see if there is anything you could delegate to other family members or friends. Turn off notifications and set clear priorities to manage your workload and parenting tasks more efficiently.

7. Stop Neglecting Your Passions and Joy

Burnout can make you lose interest in activities you once loved. Mothers have a tendency to put themselves last. Neglecting hobbies and joy reduces your sense of fulfilment and can deepen exhaustion.

What to do instead: Schedule time for activities that bring you joy and make time for your own needs. If you're struggling with the demands of motherhood and the need to be perfect, have a read of our book 'Perfect Mum: How to Survive the Emotionally Rollercoaster of Motherhood" which has been endorsed by the Centre of Perinatal Excellence.

Burnout can leave you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and wondering how you're going to keep going. But the good news is that recovery doesn't usually come from making huge changes overnight. It often starts with small, gentle steps that help you protect your energy and care for yourself a little more each day.

As you reflect on these habits, remember that this isn't about judging yourself or adding another thing to your to-do list. It's about noticing where you might be giving too much of yourself and finding ways to create more balance, rest and support in your life.

Even the smallest changes can make a meaningful difference to your wellbeing. When you look after yourself, you're not taking anything away from your family—you are giving them the best version of you.

And most importantly, please remember that self-care isn't selfish. It's a necessity. You deserve to feel healthy, calm, energised and supported too.

If feelings of burnout are becoming overwhelming or aren't improving, reaching out to a healthcare professional or mental health professional can be an important step. This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice.