Parenthood Is Beautiful—But the Mental Load Can Break You
The Dr. Leaf Show
Dr. Caroline Leaf
4.6 • 3.2K Ratings
🗓️ 15 October 2025
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Being a parent doesn’t just ask for your time—it asks for your mind, your brain, and your body. The planning, predicting, soothing, deciding, remembering… it adds up. And the longer you carry the invisible weight, the more it rewires your mind to expect pressure instead of peace.
In this episode, I’ll show you the neuroscience behind mental load, why emotional regulation often falls to one person in the home, and how to use small brain-based strategies to reduce burnout without guilt.
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#ParentingNeuroscience #MentalLoad #DecisionFatigue #DrCarolineLeaf #HelpInAHurry #ParentBurnout #CognitiveLoad #EmotionalLabor #Neuroplasticity #ParentingSupport #MindManagement #InvisibleLabor #MentalHealthForParents #ParentingPressure #BrainHealth #ParentingPodcast #OverthinkingFatigue #StableParentStress #FamilyDynamics #DailyStress
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | A meal is more than food on a plate. It's comfort after a long day. |
| 0:05.0 | Laughter shared around the table and sometimes the only moments when everyone comes together. |
| 0:11.0 | But right now, many families across the UK are missing out on those moments and meal times altogether. |
| 0:18.0 | That's why Instant Pot are supporting Trussle to help end hunger together. |
| 0:23.5 | When you buy selected Instant Pot products, we'll donate an air friar to Woking Food Bank because |
| 0:30.1 | good food should never be out of reach. |
| 0:32.9 | Instant Pot. |
| 0:34.2 | Making life easier, tastier and helping families find comfort around the table again, |
| 0:41.2 | because life is better in an instant. Selected products apply. |
| 0:46.2 | Superdrug offers more than just beauty trends. It can be the first stop for your health too. |
| 0:51.5 | Superdrugs pharmacies offer the NHS Pharmacy First service. Get fast help for |
| 0:56.3 | things like UTIs, sore throats and sinusitis with no appointment and if suitable, prescription-only |
| 1:02.1 | medication on the same day. Learn more at superdrug.com slash pharmacy first. Subject to consultation |
| 1:07.9 | with a superdrug pharmacist available in England only. Aid restrictions may apply. This service is NHS funded. Rescription charges may apply if treatment is supplied. Sophie Tom and the kids are standing by the luggage carousel waiting for Sophie's bag. Looks like she's going to be wearing Tom's clothes for a week. But she's not worried. Their HSBC Premier bank account has comprehensive worldwide travel insurance that covers them, the kids and grandkids, if they had them. |
| 1:30.7 | Everything's Premier when your bank account is. |
| 1:32.9 | Search HSBC Premier. |
| 1:34.5 | HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity. |
| 1:38.0 | Apply with £100,000 annual income or £100,000 savings or investments with HSBC UK |
| 1:41.9 | or Premier Status Broad, covered provided by Aviva insurance limited age restrictions and limitations apply it's midnight you're lying in bed |
| 1:50.4 | mentally cycling through tomorrow's grocery school forms medication schedules the issue one of your |
| 1:57.5 | children is battling with and what time you need to leave to make it to the pickup on time. |
| 2:02.6 | No one asked you to do it. No one reminded you, but your mind is already sorting it all because that's what it's trained to do. |
... |
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