Over it – the realities of burnout and zoom fatigue is real!!
Every spring we see it – spring fever! This is the time of year where kids, parents and teachers are over it! Kids lose focus, teachers are ready for a much needed break, and parents are done with checking homework and packing lunches:) When I started Kick nearly 20 years ago (and before I was a mom) I planned a June recital. After one season I quickly learned the realities of seasonal burnout, and that life on our peninsula changes once the beach clubs open Memorial Day weekend. We plan our season to end in May just for this reason!!
This year COVID has truly amplified our feeling of burnout. Our kids have done an incredible job of adapting to a new learning platform and have worked so hard in both dance and school. Learning a new platform, plus missing their old life, plus missing their social development plus extending the stay at home order has brought a new level of burnout for both kids and parents. If schools announced that zoom was over and they were ending early the cheers would be heard for miles around! At Kick we should have completed our competition season and be preparing for a break and then summer training. Instead we are still prepping for postponed events, and running dances that were planned to be completed by now. These kids have shown incredible perseverance, dedication and strength – and I am personally SO PROUD of each and every one of them!!
We at Kick are truly understanding that our kids are needing a break. We also believe that closure and a feeling of accomplishment is very important. This is our big why with our end of season events for our young performers. Our kids need the chance to Finish Strong and rejoice in their accomplishments:)
A few tips to help our kids thrive in this time:
▪ Acknowledge their feelings and let them talk:) We are always here for our Kick family, especially if they are struggling
▪ Let them know that we are all in the same boat. Kids all over the country are feeling zoom burnout, missing their teams and activities, and are frustrated with how long this process is taking.
▪ This too will end. Until then it is important not to give up on goals or things you love and that it is ok to just pause for now. Remind them that the fun things will come back!
▪ Avoid making big changes. Let things settle and return to life before you make choices to change schools, activities, or other big decisions.
▪ In my house loosening up on the rules actually created more stress. Kids crave structure as much as they need down time. A balance of the two has helped my kids (12 and 14) find peace.
▪ At Kick and at school the finish line is in sight! We have just one week of zoom left before we move into our Virtual and Red Carpet Recitals! School wrap ups happen shortly after:) For our competition kids we have a break planned before we move into in person rehearsals for postponed competitions:)
Hang in there!! We are truly STRONGER TOGETHER!!
