Conquering Fear and Anxiety In A Scary World

It has been a terrible week in my hometown of Orlando, Florida. We’ve suffered a series of unimaginable tragedies. A performer was shot and killed while signing autographs after her concert. The deadliest US mass shooting and the nation’s worst terror attack since 9/11 occurred at a local nightclub. And a two-year old boy vacationing with his family was dragged into the water by an alligator and drowned.

My heart is broken for so many people I’ve never met. I can’t fathom what the victims’ loved ones are thinking and feeling. They have suffered unimaginable loss.

Although I think of myself as a positive, glass-is-half-full kind of person, these tragedies have really affected me. I can’t help but to be terrified by all the scenarios that pop into my head – especially throughout the night when I’m trying to sleep.

What if something happens to my children? My husband? My family? My friends? What if something happens to me and my children lose their mom? I am so scared something is going to happen to someone I love.

I try not to think about it, but I can’t help it. That part of my brain doesn’t have an on/off switch that I’m aware of. I try to replace negative thoughts with positive, but still, I’m scared.

Usually, as time passes from the traumatic experience that triggered the fear and anxiety, it does get easier. We fall back into our normal routines, and the busyness and responsibilities of our day to day lives take over our thoughts.

But not always. And that’s what I’ve struggled with this week.

I refuse to be a prisoner to my own thoughts, or miss out on life because I’m too afraid to live it. And I definitely don’t want to project my fears onto my children. So, to learn some coping methods, I turned to my virtual therapist, Pinterest, to search for articles that would help me learn how to ease my mind. I found the following very helpful, and hope you will too.

1. How to Parent With Anxiety

Parenting is hard enough – but when you have anxiety – it can be a major challenge. Here are some tips on how to parent when you have anxiety.

Source: Anxious Toddlers

2. Anxiety Has a Purpose; Know It and Beat It

Anxiety has four common purposes. Knowing them, and how you can use them to your advantage, can help you overcome it.

Source: Healthy Place

3. How To Help Our Kids Deal With Fear

Adults aren’t the only ones who suffer from fear and anxiety. Our little ones are just as susceptible. So how do we help our children deal with their greatest fears? Learn from a mother who faced cancer when her boy was little and still struggles today.