Barely coping: Dr Jo Prendergast
by Metropol | February 4, 2026 8:35 am
Juggling too many balls? Struggling to keep on top of everything? You’re not alone. Women across Canterbury are living on the brink, caught in the #coping epidemic.
“I kept hearing the same phrase from clients,” says Christchurch psychiatrist and comedian Dr Jo Prendergast. “They’d say, ‘I’m coping… but only just. Not thriving. Not enjoying life. Just surviving day to day.’”
That confession, repeated by women who were working, parenting, caring for ageing parents, and managing relationships, health and finances, became the catalyst for #Coping, a live show born from Jo’s own experiences and clinical work as a psychiatrist. “I kept having conversations with women who were doing everything – juggling so many ‘balls’ at once – yet still felt like they were failing.”
Layered on top of already full lives is what Jo describes as “a growing sense of dread about what’s happening in the world – climate anxiety, global conflict, economic pressure – all layered on top of already full lives. #Coping came from a desire to name that experience honestly, and to explore it in a way that feels human, relatable and, importantly, funny.”
Comedy, she believes, “allows us to say things out loud that we’re often supposed to manage quietly,” with Barbie-adjacent skits skewering the “toxically positive expectations placed on women.”
Jo calls this moment an “epidemic of coping”. “People are functioning – getting up, going to work, caring for others – but they’re doing so with depleted reserves,” she explains.
“There’s very little space for rest, pleasure or recovery. Coping becomes the goal, rather than living well.”
Midlife women are particularly vulnerable. “Many are part of the sandwich generation,” Jo says, “caring for children while supporting ageing parents, navigating menopause, peak career pressure, and carrying a disproportionate amount of emotional labour.” Too often, she adds, women “internalise the idea they should be able to manage everything and blame themselves when they can’t.”
The message of #Coping is clear: “Constantly ‘just coping’ is not a personal failure, it’s a signal.” Recovery, Jo says, “doesn’t come from trying harder. It comes from changing the conditions that made coping necessary in the first place.”
“#Coping isn’t about offering easy fixes. It’s about naming the experience, reducing shame, and reminding people that struggling in an overloaded system is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign you’re human.”
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Are you ‘just coping’?
From a psychiatric perspective, burnout is essentially what happens when just coping becomes chronic, says Jo. Namely, emotional, mental
and physical depletion caused by prolonged stress without
adequate recovery.
Jo says common signs include:
• Constant exhaustion that doesn’t improve with rest
• Feeling emotionally flat, irritable or tearful
• A sense of dread about everyday responsibilities
• Losing enjoyment in things that once mattered
• Feeling like you’re never doing enough
• Saying ‘I’m fine’ while feeling overwhelmed.
What actually helps:
• Lowering the bar – especially around parenting and productivity
• Reducing emotional load that isn’t yours to carry
• Prioritising recovery, not just productivity
• Speaking to yourself the way you would to a struggling friend
• Seeking support early – you can’t fix burnout with willpower.
See the show: Dr Jo Prendergast is #Coping. See the show on Saturday 28 February at the Lyttelton Arts Factory. Jo is then touring to Nelson and Dunedin Fringe Festivals.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/barely-coping-dr-jo-prendergast/