Do you find yourself wracked with anxiety over your child’s safety? This is a normal experience for many parents. Maybe you’ve always felt a sense of nervousness since they were born.
Perhaps your anxiety cropped up after a tragedy occurred in your area. Or maybe you struggled with anxiety before becoming a parent. But now that you’re responsible for your child’s safety, your anxiety has increased tenfold.
Anxiety and parenthood often go hand in hand. But you do not have to remain stuck in a state of anxiety forever. These tips will help you find a balance between maintaining rational concerns for your child’s safety and enjoying freedom from worry.
Identify the Roots of Your Anxiety
First, it’s important to think about when your anxiety really started and why so that you can come up with practical solutions. For example, were you always anxious, only for your symptoms to worsen after having a baby? Did a major event in the news spur your anxiety? Was your child sick or injured in the past, and now you’re worried that the same thing could happen again?
Be honest with yourself about what kick-started your anxiety. This will allow you to hone in on the right issues when you start making changes.
Age-Appropriate Independence
It can be hard to figure out what level of independence your child is ready for you. Maybe you feel like your parents gave you too much free rein as a child, and you want to supervise your own child more heavily. Or perhaps your parents were very strict. You hope to give your child more freedom, yet you don’t want to risk them getting hurt.
Talk to your parent friends with children around your age about how they give their child independence and where they maintain stricter rules. You can often learn from other people who have been in your shoes before.
Develop Healthy Coping Mechanisms
When you’re away from your child, whether they’re at school, with friends, or relatives, you might feel overwhelmed by anxiety. Instead of wallowing in anxiety, you need to find healthy coping mechanisms that you can turn to in order to get your mind off of these worst-case scenarios.
You may want to pick up a good book, go to the gym to work out, take a stroll through your neighborhood, or call up a friend. Simply shifting your attention can work wonders for your anxiety.
Expand Your Emotional Support System
Sometimes, parents fear so deeply for their child’s safety because they do not have a strong emotional support system. They may place lots of pressure on their child and become highly protective because they do not have anywhere else to focus their emotional energy.
Reconnecting with old friends, making new friends, and deepening your romantic connection with your new partner can all help relieve your stress.
Consider Therapy
What if you’ve tried several methods to alleviate your anxiety, but nothing really seems to help you in the long run? You might feel like you’ll never be free from your symptoms. If this sounds relatable, it may be time to seek therapy for your anxiety. You can connect with a professional who specializes in working with parents.
In therapy, your counselor will help you get clear on the source of your anxiety, develop skills to better regulate your emotions, build a stronger support system, and set limits and rules that make sense for your family.
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Are you struggling with anxiety over your child’s safety? Talking to a therapist can help ease your mind. Reach out to us today to discuss your options for scheduling your first session with anxiety therapy.