Worrying about your child is natural; not only do you love them immensely, you’re also responsible for their welfare. This can feel like a lot of pressure, so it’s not surprising that you might overthink situations sometimes, especially when it comes to their health as the stakes are high.
While all loving parents share concerns over their children every now and then, it’s a problem when these fears begin to take over your life, especially if there’s not necessarily anything wrong with your child. If you find yourself constantly worrying, it’s time to address the situation, for yours and your family’s sake.
What does parental anxiety look like?
Common Anxieties for Parents and Caregivers
Parenting and caregiving come with a huge emotional load, and anxiety is incredibly common. Whether you’re a new parent, a long-term caregiver, or supporting someone with complex needs, fears often stem from love, responsibility, and uncertainty.
Fear for the Child’s Safety
Fear of Not Being ‘Good Enough’
Fear About Development or Mental Health
Anxiety About the Future
Fear of Losing Yourself
Financial Anxiety
Relationship Strain
What These Anxieties Often Come Down To:
Understanding your triggers
A mental health ‘trigger’ is something that provokes an emotional response and sets off your symptoms. If you’re struggling with health anxiety over your child’s wellbeing, your triggers may be to do with their physical health, mental wellbeing, growth and development.
When your anxiety is triggered, it’s easy to overthink a situation and blow it out of proportion. For example, if your baby doesn’t reach a certain milestone at the age that you expected, you may become convinced that there’s something seriously wrong with them, when actually, they’re just taking their time.
It’s important to be aware of your triggers so that you can understand how they may influence your feelings in different situations. Ask yourself; should I be this worried about this situation or am I overthinking because one of my triggers is involved? To understand more about triggers and how to manage them, read this.
How to manage your anxiety
When your child is unwell (or you’re worried that they might be) it can be tempting to Google their symptoms, however, by doing this, you may scare yourself for no reason. There’s a lot of misleading information on the internet and it’s easy to stumble across the worst case scenario. Plus, the more that you research, the more focused that you are on the worry which means you’re unable to move past it.
If your child is unwell, it’s best to speak to a doctor as they will consider a number of factors before making a diagnosis, unlike professor Google. However, be wary of falling into a negative cycle of reassurance-seeking, which can feed your anxiety further. You can read more about the impact of self-diagnosis and accessing health information online here.
It can be helpful to reach out to other parents and discuss your fears - maybe they’ve been through something similar and have some good advice for how they handled it. Just be mindful not to fall into a comparison mindset as every child moves at a different pace. There are also parent groups and forums online that may be useful, such as Mumsnet and Family Lives. For tips on coping with life as a new parent, read this.
Making time to unwind is always important, but it’s essential when you’re feeling particularly stressed or anxious. Give yourself permission to relax and do whatever you feel like doing. You might catch up on your favourite show, do some baking or go for a walk. Breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation can also help you to calm down when you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed. We’ve included some examples in this blog.
Try this CBT-based reframe:
Instead of: “I’m a bad parent.” reframe to: “I’m a human, doing my best.”
Or: “What if I fail them?” to: “I can learn, repair, and grow with them.”
And: “They’ll never be okay.” to: “Kids are resilient, especially with love and support.”
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a form of talking therapy which is used to treat a range of mental health conditions, including health anxiety. CBT encourages you to challenge negative thought patterns and teaches you coping strategies so that you can manage your anxiety going forward. At ieso, we offer online CBT with skilled therapists and our service is free for many NHS patients. Visit our website for more information and to find out if you’re eligible.
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