When it comes to anxiety and parenthood, our culture communicates to all of us that we’re expected to handle things alone. The message is if something doesn’t come to you naturally, you are the problem and not the lack of supports or the problematic systems around you. This message is especially loud when it comes to parenting. We were not meant to raise children in isolation. But our culture of disconnection often leads parents to feeling isolated and alone. So these are the messages that I hope all mothers and parents will take in when it comes to raising children and experiencing anxiety.

As a therapist, I've seen firsthand how anxiety can wreak havoc on relationships. When you're feeling anxious, it can feel impossible to be present and engaged with your partner. It can mess with your ability to communicate, make you paranoid about your partner's intentions, and leave you feeling like a big ball of insecurity. Thankfully, there are solutions. You don’t have to keep struggling. In this post, I'll share how anxiety might show up in your relationship and give you some tips to keep you feeling confident and connected with your partner.

If you struggle with anxiety, you’re probably very familiar with how it impacts your mind. There’s a good chance you have an active brain that is skilled at coming up with detailed (and often terrifying) scenarios. This is the blessing and the curse of the anxious brain. We can be wildly anxious or wildly imaginative. In fact, there’s been research to confirm that people with anxiety tend to be more intelligent with a greater connection to creativity as well. So how do we channel this active mind and anxiety into our creativity to improve overall well-being?

If you were raised in a household were sex and sexuality were taboo topics, it can be difficult to break those patterns when parenting your own children. Even if your child is now a teen, it is never too late to make changes and choose to parent in a different way and break cycles of shame you may have internalized.

You may have heard you need to “feel your feelings” in order to overcome anxiety or depression or to process trauma. But what if your feelings feel too overwhelming? For many people the idea of feeling their emotions is terrifying. Perhaps you’re flooded with too many emotions at once and the sensations become too much to manage. If you’re feeling this way, it makes sense that you’d want to avoid tuning in to your body and emotions. It is your body’s way of protecting you.

So how do we get into this state? How do we get ourselves to a point where we feel just enough, but not too much. If you find yourself either too overwhelmed or feeling numb and disconnected, here are some tips to help you find more balance and connect with your emotions more clearly.

Many of us with anxiety struggle with indecisiveness. It could be decisions about school, such as deciding what classes to take. For a lot of high school seniors, the decision about what college to attend can feel paralyzing. For young adults, it might be the decision to take a job, make a move, or decide if it’s time to end a relationship. Whatever the decision, there are ways to approach it that can reduce anxiety and increase your confidence and trust in yourself.

When you combine this developmental reality with the real stress that teens have been under since the pandemic, it is understandable that they can become easily overwhelmed by emotions. There’s even a recent study that showed teens’ brains aged faster in the first year of the pandemic due to increased stress.

So how do we help our teens at such a crucial time? How do we help teens cope with anxiety and depression? Teens need us now more than ever to guide them through how to cope and help them to feel they’re not alone. Here are some tips to help your teen when they are overwhelmed by big emotions:

For many people, anxiety is most intense first thing in the morning. You may find yourself waking with symptoms of anxiety as soon as you wake up, even before your feet hit the floor. If you find yourself feeling the most anxious in the morning hours, here are some strategies to find relief.

You have probably heard that mindfulness is good for anxiety. You may have even tried to start a daily mediation practice. If you found it challenging to stick with, you are not alone. Many of my clients report having difficulty with meditation and come away with the conclusion that it doesn’t work for them. They might find that their mind is racing with thoughts, they focus on their breath and it becomes more tense, or they simply can’t keep their body still for any stretch of time. This is a common experience. If you’ve experienced trauma in your life, sitting still with your own thoughts and sensations may feel incredibly uncomfortable or even unsafe. So how do you get the benefits of mindfulness without sitting still?

It’s normal to feel some stress and worry about school. There is so much to deal with in high school! From homework and tests to the pressures that come with changing friendships and social expectations. Then there are things that you might worry about beyond the classroom. Maybe your parents are always fighting or you’re dealing with trying to balance school work and a job. And let’s not even get started on the stress and pressures of college applications! Anyone who said that being a teen was easy and carefree clearly has amnesia.

So how do you know when your worry and stress goes beyond what’s typical?