Coping with Parenting Fear
& Excessive Worry
|by Lisa Arie
“It was the middle of the night and my little
one was struggling to breathe. We rushed
to the ER, and it turned out to be a severe
asthma attack. Everything turned out fine
then, but I haven’t been the same since.
Now, it’s like I’m always waiting for the
other shoe to drop.
When will the next emergency happen? I
know that my fear is irrational but I can’t
stop worrying.
How can I let go of the worry and regain
some normalcy in my life?”
Sometimes we distract ourselves with “irrational fear” because we may not know how to deal
with actual fear. If that thought resonates with
you, take a moment to gently check-in with
yourself and see if what you’re actually afraid of
is admitting that you’re vulnerable; always and
everywhere, we humans are vulnerable.
And that’s a good thing.
When you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious,
backed into a corner by fear, vulnerability is
your guide to a restored sense of balance. Vul-
nerability asks you to acknowledge that you
are human and that, sometimes, you’re not
going to feel as though you’re in control of a
given situation.
Vulnerability, however, is not weakness.
It is truth.
Reconnecting with the truth empowers us to
rise above our “irrational” fears. When each of
us reconnects with the truth—that we are all
vulnerable—we reground ourselves.
Some call it “grounding” or “mindfulness” but
whatever you call it, getting back to a place of
internal balance starts by stopping. Once you
slow to a stop, you can begin to get a clearer
picture of why fear sometimes becomes irrational.
What is your belief system?
Your belief system is the status quo. A shock—
like the one you had—can be a walk-up call to
shake things out and take a look at what you
believe, and why. For instance, do you believe
in yourself? Do you believe that your family
has your back? Do you believe that it’s OK to
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