Stress from work bleeding into home life

21h ago1 min read

My job has been absolutely insane the last 3 months. We're in the middle of a major project and I'm constantly stressed. Problem is I come home and I'm short with the kids, I snap at my wife over nothing, and I just want to be left alone. Last night my 4 year old asked why daddy was always angry and that just hit me hard. I know I need to figure this out but I also can't just quit. Anyone found a way to actually leave work at work?

9 comments134 views

Comments(9)

LLucas M.New Dadjust now

Three months is a long haul. Make sure you're actually sleeping and eating right, because everything falls apart faster when you're running on fumes.

LLucas M.New Dadjust now

I've been in similar spots and honestly the guilt of bringing work stress home is sometimes worse than the actual stress. Just acknowledging it to your family can help - let them know dad's dealing with something big but it's not about them. Kids are more understanding than we give them credit for.

DDavid M.New Dadjust now

Three months is brutal. I've been there. The thing that helped me was literally leaving work at work for one hour before I walked through the door - just sat in the car and decompressed. Kids can feel that stress energy immediately.

OOscar D.Regular21h ago

That 3 month project sounds brutal. I've been there and it sucks bringing that energy home. Have you thought about even one thing you could do with the kids that's just for them, no work brain allowed? Sounds silly but it helped me reset.

TTyler M.New Dad21h ago

Man, I feel this in my bones. Three kids here and when I come home wound up from work, it just spills over onto everyone. What's helped me is even a quick 15 minute walk around the block before heading in, just to decompress a bit.

SSean M.New Dad13h ago

Man, I feel this in my bones. When the work pressure is high, I'm snapping at everyone at home for stupid stuff. Have you been able to talk to your boss about the timeline or is it just ride the wave till it's done?

SSean M.New Dadjust now

The kitchen gets messy when I'm stressed too, which then stresses me more. It's a cycle. You gotta find something to reset on - even 20 minutes of your own thing helps.

FFelix R.New Dad10h ago

This hits different when you've got three kids depending on you. Have you talked to your boss about the timeline or are you pretty locked in on this 3 month push? Sometimes just knowing there's an end date helps mentally, even if the work is still crazy.

JJasonRegular5h ago

Man, I feel this in my bones. Three months sounds brutal. I've been there where work stress has me snapping at the kids over nothing, and my wife just gives me that look. The trick I found is trying to create some kind of buffer between leaving work and getting home - even if it's just 10 minutes sitting in the car decompressing. Doesn't fix everything but it helps me show up better for my family.