Green Child Magazine Spring 2016 | Page 27

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 27