The Importance of Mental Health While Homeschooling

As a classroom teacher, I learned that my approach to the day greatly influenced the overall mood in my room. If I came to school in the morning tired and snappy, my kids snapped at each other. If I put a smile on my face and spoke softly and warmly, they did the same. One time, early on in my teaching career, I had laryngitis for an entire week. I could only whisper. That was the quietest week of my teaching career. Without my instruction, everyone else matched my volume and whispered to one another all week long. This holds true whether you are a classroom teacher or a homeschooling parent. Your mood, your mental health, your approach to the day, matter greatly. Let’s think about the importance of mental health while homeschooling.

THE WORK OF PARENTING

Children are work. As a parent, you make meals and snacks, you do your child’s laundry, you make sure your child is clean and well cared for. Parenting is hard. The hours are long. The tasks of parenting compound exponentially when you decide to be your child’s educator. You’re still cooking and doing the laundry and caring for your child, but now you’re also responsible for their complete understanding of the world around them. You’re fully responsible for preparing your child for life beyond the safe walls of your home. This responsibility is not taken lightly. The work of parenting is heavy. The additional work of homeschooling can sometimes feel like a burden, even when you’ve chosen to homeschool…even when you want it very much. It can sometimes feel overwhelming. It can cause one to doubt.

HOW I PRIORITIZE MY MENTAL HEALTH AS A HOMESCHOOLER

It’s important to prioritize mental health while homeschooling. How should a parent then approach the additional work of homeschooling? How does one carry the increased load without buckling beneath the weight of such responsibility? I believe that a homeschooling parent should prioritize their own mental health. This lightens the load. When you bear great responsibility for another’s sake, it’s important to care for oneself. If you abandon that basic function of life, you’ll eventually find that you’re not equipped to provide for others. As a homeschooler, prioritizing my mental health looks like this: (We’ll examine each of these three down below.)

1. I begin each school day with scripture, song, and prayer.

2. I try to set aside other responsibilities during our scheduled homeschool time.

3. I prioritize time for personal activities that create a sense of joy.

WHY I BEGIN EACH SCHOOL DAY WITH SCRIPTURE, SONG, AND PRAYER

At the beginning of each school day, we take 20-30 minutes to read God’s word, sing a hymn, practice a memory verse, and pray. This time is very centering for me. I might drag myself into our homeschool room with heavy eyes and a full cup of coffee. I might show up early to prep the next week of school. Sometimes, I enter with a giant to-do list on my mind. Whatever my energy level or mood, this time in God’s word levels me out as I prepare for the day. It helps to remind me (and my child) that God is in control. All things hold together by his will. He is our help and comfort in all things. Even in the hours we spend homeschooling.

Each morning, we say Luther’s Morning Prayer.

I thank you, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that you would keep me this day also, from sin and every evil, that all my doings in life may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

God keeps me. He guards me. I pray that all my doings in life may please him…even the moments I spend teaching my child. I pray that the evil one would have no power over me. This includes my attitude. My mood. My sense of patience. As I pray for help, so does my son. We begin the day together humbly asking that God would protect and keep us from sin. This centers our time together each day. A continual focus on God guards our mental health while homeschooling. (Follow this link for other practical habits that help to integrate the faith into your home.)

WHY I SET ASIDE OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES DURING OUR HOMESCHOOL TIME

I have a giant to-do list each day. It can feel overwhelming. It sometimes (often) causes me stress. When I enter our homeschool room, I try to set aside my other responsibilities and focus only on the tasks my son and I have to accomplish that morning. Where my mental heath is concerned, this creates a sense of peace. It sort of clears my slate so that I am present and not distracted.

I have only a few exceptions to this “rule.” Sometimes, I will leave the room to switch out loads of laundry as needed. I will also move a lesson to the bar in our kitchen if I need to prep lunch or dinner during the morning hours. All other activities, I try to set aside. I put away my personal writing projects. I silence my phone. Business calls are pushed to later in the day. Prioritizing the time that I spend homeschooling makes me more attentive. When I force my other tasks from my mind, I am more at ease. When I am calm and less stressed, I am more pleasant to be around. That time in the day solely belongs to my child. I think this is good for my own mental health as well as his.

WHY I PRIORITIZE TIME FOR PERSONAL ACTIVITIES THAT CREATE A SENSE OF JOY

If I’m going to show up each day and project joy for learning, I need to first create that joy within myself. For me, this means that I need to prioritize time for personal activities that create a sense of joy. I need to have time during the day to read and write. I need to spend time outside in the sun. These things fill me up. They bring me not just joy, but peace. These things make me a better, more centered person. They ground me.

Whatever this may be for you, I think it’s important to set aside time for yourself. You don’t have to abandon your sense of self to become a parent or homeschooler. If anything, I find that it’s even more important to nourish my sense of self. When I neglect my interests, I become irritable and less patient. I find faults in myself and everyone else.

Prioritize your self. Prioritize time for your own interests. Fill yourself up. Ground yourself. Rediscover what brings you joy.

Your mental health matters while homeschooling. When you care for yourself, you are more equipped to care for others.