Summer just started and you're already exhausted? It's all normal, you're parents.

Have you ever heard of that time of year called summer ? For many, this season is associated with lightheartedness, carefreeness, and fun . But there are also those who experience it in a completely different way: parents . They must deal with the phenomenon of "family fatigue," the stress of finding a new balance between children at home and a continuing job. To clarify, we turned to Unobravo , an online psychology service and benefit company, which conducted an internal survey involving a sample of approximately 500 therapists.

Women are the most affected

According to the survey results, more than half of Unobravo therapists report that parents often or very often report increased stress during the summer (68%) . It's an often underestimated transitional period, when daily routines suddenly change pace, but work commitments remain unchanged. Obviously, summer stress doesn't affect everyone equally, and in fact, the survey shows that working parents without external support are particularly exposed (62%), followed by couples with children aged 0 to 5 (40%) and those with children with special needs (30%). Analyzing these categories from a gender perspective, the clinical professionals interviewed indicate that women (85%) are the ones who suffer the most , as they continue to shoulder the greater burden of family management.

75% of parents suffer from mental fatigue

But what are the summer stressors most frequently reported by parents? At the top of the list is the difficulty in balancing work and family (73%) . This is followed by the high costs of summer camps or babysitting (67%) and, finally, the lack of support from family or a social network (40%).

This mental burden translates into a tangible emotional impact: Unobravo therapists report that the moods most frequently reported by parents during the summer are mental fatigue (75%), frustration (56%), and irritability (53%) . At the same time, 72% of specialists observe an increase in concern about the time their children spend online : for some therapists, this increase is very significant, for others, slightly greater than at other times of the year, often because online time represents the only form of entertainment in the absence of structured alternatives.

The best strategies for managing summer stress

So, are there any strategies that parents find useful for better managing summer stress? Among the most effective, enrolling their children in summer camps (62%) remains an important solution, as does actively involving their partner or family network (57%), which allows for sharing the burdens of care and support.

“Summer fatigue doesn't just affect mothers”

"What clearly emerges from this survey is that the mental burden continues to weigh more heavily on women , who often find themselves dealing with family organization alone, especially during periods when reference points, such as school and the support network of parents and/or friends, are lacking," says Valeria Fiorenza Perris, psychotherapist and Clinical Director of Unobravo. "But it's important to remember," she continues, "that summer 'fatigue' doesn't just affect mothers: even those without children often experience a sense of emotional and practical overload related to work, social, or family-related responsibilities, which increase precisely during the months when one would expect a break. Acknowledging one's own fatigue is the first step to addressing it with greater awareness."

The importance of building a "baggage of serenity"

For 71% of therapists, the summer season is therefore a challenging time for parents' psychological well-being. Surprisingly, however, this discomfort doesn't translate into a significant increase in requests for psychological support : 44% of specialists report a substantially stable demand throughout the year. In short, these are undoubtedly sobering data. Addressing summer stress as parents doesn't mean eliminating all tension, but rather building a "serenity" with concrete actions: time for yourself, communication, a flexible routine, support, and attention to one's well-being. Thus, summer can become an opportunity for new connections and growth, not just hard work.