How to Manage Parental Anxiety

Anxious parents make for anxious children, and as researchshows, it isn’t so much the genetic factor that matters. One of the best things you can do for your child is to create a relaxed environment where your child can live and grow without learning to stress about everything. The question is: how can you do that when you have anxiety yourself?

Identify Your Stressors and Risks

Anxiety always has a cause. You might not be able to put your finger on why you feel the way you do, but you can identify the stressors in your life and recognize your risk factors.

Stressors might include:

• Family moves

• New responsibilities

• Someone in the family has medical problems

• Work stress

• Being away from extended family

• Spouse’s deployment or other absence

• Death of a family member

• Pregnancy

Risk factors for parental anxiety are:

• Being a first-time parent

• Having been a shy child

• Being female

• Financial limitations

• Anxiety disorders in your family

Give Yourself Me-Time

As a parent, taking good care of your children is a major concern. You may find yourself focusing so much on your family that you ignore your own needs. Putting your family above yourself might seem noble at first. When you realize yourfamily depends on you being your best, you can understand that you need to take care of you first. Give yourself some time to relax, de-stress, and enjoy life with and without your children.

Learn Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation is hard to come by when you’re a parent. You may feel like you barely have time to catch your breath, especially when your children are babies. The following relaxation techniques can help you center yourself very quickly and help you release anxiety:

• Yoga

• Deep breathing

• Systematic muscle relaxation

• Guided imagery 

• Exercise

Stick with Today’s Reality

Parents often have trouble staying focused on the here and now. You may be constantly worried about your children’s future, whether it’s how they’ll get into college or how you’ll keep up with them as they grow more independent. 

Stop it! It’s fine to plan and prepare for the future. It’s a part of being a parent. Just don’t worry and obsess about things you have no control over in this moment. Focus on the here and now of parenting, and tomorrow will take care of itself.

Don’t Over-Parent

Let your kids have as much independence as their maturity allows. Overparenting not only keeps you in a state of anxiety. It also makes children more anxious or angry.

Get Help for Persistent or Intense Anxiety

If you can’t manage your anxiety on your own, get the help you need to learn how. A psychiatrist might be able to help you with anti-anxiety medication, and a psychologist can help you through therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy. Support groups can help, too, if they’re relevant to your specific situation.

It’s easy to tell yourself not to worry and stress about being a parent, but it’s harder to actually manage your anxiety. You can do it, though, with the right mindset and techniques.

About the Author
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.