Mommy Burnout

December 18, 2017
Psychologist Ziegler’s superb self-help guide diagnoses “mommy burnout” as a distinctive syndrome of women being mentally and physically exhausted from chronic stress, distinguished from anxiety and depression by being entirely culturally and environmentally based. Thus, Ziegler reassures her audience, the problem is fixable by understanding it and making appropriate lifestyle changes. The book’s core advice includes rebuilding both female community networks and close friendships, avoiding overtending to kids, and resisting the urge to multitask and rely on “busy-ness” to feel significant. Grounding each chapter in the extended profile of an individual client from her practice, Ziegler gives a sense of complexity and realism to her example moms, but doing so sometimes causes her narrative to wander into side topics, such as a chapter on support networks that also dives into a consideration of special-needs children, relationships with adult children, and spirituality. The book has compassion and solutions for women on both sides of the working/stay-at-home divide, affirming that both routes leave women open to burnout. Most importantly, Ziegler manages to highlight the problems that family stress can cause for long-term health, for both mother and child, without piling additional guilt on readers already feeling judged by the world.

January 1, 2018

Born to a teenage single immigrant mother in New York City and then raised in a blended family in upstate New York, Ziegler, a child psychologist and mother of three, brings a variety of perspectives to the table on the issue of the stresses of modern parenting. The author points out that parents feel more pressure than ever owing to busyness and its resulting isolation, the lack of support networks in a world where extended family is often across state lines instead of next door, social media, and the need to find perfect options for everything from preschool to cloth diapering. Throw in career demands and the constant mobility of the current culture and results can range from emotional to physical maladies that put marriages, health, and children themselves at risk. Ziegler shares case studies from her practice in the beginning of each chapter and includes a fun quiz parents can use to gauge their stress in varying areas. Each chapter also includes a prescription plan designed to fight mommy burnout, including strategies such as compartmentalizing your life, creating emotional boundaries, and adding unstructured time to both your own and your child's day. VERDICT Mommy burnout is a common buzzphrase, and Ziegler's book provides a sound resource for anyone struggling in the trenches of parenthood.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2018

Born to a teenage single immigrant mother in New York City and then raised in a blended family in upstate New York, Ziegler, a child psychologist and mother of three, brings a variety of perspectives to the table on the issue of the stresses of modern parenting. The author points out that parents feel more pressure than ever owing to busyness and its resulting isolation, the lack of support networks in a world where extended family is often across state lines instead of next door, social media, and the need to find perfect options for everything from preschool to cloth diapering. Throw in career demands and the constant mobility of the current culture and results can range from emotional to physical maladies that put marriages, health, and children themselves at risk. Ziegler shares case studies from her practice in the beginning of each chapter and includes a fun quiz parents can use to gauge their stress in varying areas. Each chapter also includes a prescription plan designed to fight mommy burnout, including strategies such as compartmentalizing your life, creating emotional boundaries, and adding unstructured time to both your own and your child's day. VERDICT Mommy burnout is a common buzzphrase, and Ziegler's book provides a sound resource for anyone struggling in the trenches of parenthood.-Julia M. Reffner, Richmond, VA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.