In Western culture, it’s easy to get caught up in the fast-paced hype of current trends. It seems there isn’t enough time to do what we set out to do. Our to-do lists are longer than our meals with our families. Sitting down to enjoy our family or take care of ourselves is becoming a thing of the past. Unless we stop, look and listen to how we are really or feeling deep down.

I am a single mother of a teenager and I know firsthand how to be an overly responsible workaholic. Being a single mom puts me in a position to be the superwoman. I have to cook, clean, organize, pay bills, go to work, take care of my daughter, be the absentee father, among other things that I am supposed to be or do as a single father.

I dove into my career as an entrepreneur twelve years ago. I am in the service oriented business. My passion was meeting the needs of my clients and for twelve years I did exactly that. What I didn’t plan was that overwork led to burnout. I was forced to work so that I could provide and live a good life for my daughter. I thought money was easier if I worked hard and was never home. I even worked two other jobs to make ends meet. What I found out is that my body can only do that for so long and then I got some kind of disease. That’s when depression hit me and it seems to be the highest emotional illness among single parents. I wanted to be the tough mom and the one who could “do it all” and show the world that I can do anything! well that was all wrong.

Workaholic and exhaustion came together and I crashed. I hated my everyday life, and I hated going to work, and I hated what I loved to do. Personally and professionally I thought I had made it. Wrong again. My focus was on meeting the needs of my clients and I neglected myself and everyone around me, including my daughter. She didn’t deserve that, but I felt like she had no choice in the matter.

we all have choices and i finally took a hard look at what i had been doing with my life and how it was affecting the lives of those around me. Yes, I would have done things differently, but I think it was my time to learn that being overworked and exhausted became a blessing. Why was it a sign of a blessing? Well, once I realized that I was an overreactor, I took that break that I needed and realized that I am a better person for having been through everything I’ve been through. I want to help others who are overworked and I want them to get the help they need before they feel guilty or regret some of the things I did. My motto: “Live without regrets.”

My advice to avoid burnout is to read the articles before it happens. Look for the written signs. If you have lost your will to live and are negative every day, seek help. Depression has set in or you need help for your depressive thoughts. When you are depressed, you affect others, even if you don’t think you are. My only wish is that whether you’re a single parent or not, overwork and burnout usually go hand in hand. Please do not wait until it is too late to get help. you need. Stop, look and listen to your true inner self. Above all, remember that there is a higher power that cares enough about you that “this too shall pass.”