You're three years past the height of the pandemic, and you thought things would feel easier by now. Instead, you're still canceling plans, snapping at your kids, and wondering why you can't catch up. If you're still running on empty, you're not alone.

As a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a background in occupational therapy and over 14 years supporting overwhelmed parents, I've watched countless families navigate this particular exhaustion. Post-COVID parent burnout is a nervous system issue first, not a time management problem.

Standard self-care doesn't work because it addresses surface tiredness, not nervous system depletion. When your body is in survival mode, bubble baths can't touch the level of restoration you need.

Recovery requires nervous system regulation first, then practical capacity building. Here's what actually helps when you're still burned out years later.

The other day, I heard myself say something that surprised me: "I think I'm still burned out from COVID." Years after the pandemic, many capable, caring parents are still exhausted. Not because we're weak, but because we went from three years of hypervigilant, intensive parenting directly back to full life demands without any recovery time. Our nervous systems never got to reset. This is what compounded exhaustion looks like, and it's more common than you think.