Working Mom and Dad Burnout: Rest Is Essential Even for Superhero Parents, Healing with Korean Medicine

The concept of spirit in the Donguibogam corresponds closely in modern medicine to mental state, cognitive function, emotional regulation, and the harmonious functioning of the nervous system and endocrine system. Parenting burnout goes beyond being merely tired; it reflects the widespread impact that chronic stress has on the brain and body. In particular, continuous overload hyperactivates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, our primary stress response system. Chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis causes continuous secretion of stress hormones such as cortisol. While this initially helps us cope with threats, over the long term it damages multiple areas of the brain. In particular, function in the frontal cortex, which oversees emotional regulation, decision-making, and planning, can decline. This leads to impaired concentration, forgetfulness, and difficulty managing emotions over trivial matters. At the same time, the amygdala, which governs anxiety and fear, becomes hyperactivated, leading to heightened anxiety and a hypersensitivity reaction to small stimuli. Sleep deprivation is another primary factor that worsens brain function. Sleep is an essential window during which the brain clears out accumulated metabolic waste, consolidates memories, and repairs damaged neurons. When the quantity and quality of sleep drop due to parenting, these recovery processes cannot occur properly. This causes an imbalance in neurotransmitters that regulate mood and stability, such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, deepening feelings of depression, anxiety, and lethargy. It can also lead to physical issues, including decreased immunity, increased inflammation, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Guilt is another central emotion in parenting burnout, arising from the gap between societal expectations, perfectionism, and one's actual day-to-day capacity. These feelings further amplify the stress response and disrupt autonomic nervous system balance, triggering physical symptoms such as indigestion, headache, and muscle pain. Ultimately, parenting burnout is a systemic condition in which the brain, body, and mind are closely intertwined, demonstrating how modern science explains the Donguibogam concept of an injured spirit through physiological and neurological mechanisms.