Mothers worry, which is not pathologic unless this anxiety
interferes with the ability to enjoy and engage in motherhood, as I explored in the
first article of this two-part series on maternal anxiety.
Most
mothers will tell you they would jump in front of any target to protect their
children. It makes sense based on how strongly we love our kids that we are
terrified at the thought of any harm coming to them. Our feelings travel along
a spectrum, from blinding love at one end, to white-knuckled, catch-your-breath
terror on the other.
When
our thoughts turn to our children’s well-being, our brains play out hundreds of
anxiety-driven “What If” scenarios, hoping to preempt anything bad from
occurring by warning them of potential dangers. Despite the functional benefit
to some degree of anxiety, when ratcheted up, this same anxiety can lead to irrational and
excessive fears.
Addressing
this anxiety can be tricky, as it needs to be dampened down but is impossible
to completely banish. If the goal was to rid a mom of all anxiety then the plan
would be doomed to fail from the start.
From
working with many women in my practice, I have developed a method that allows
women to tackle their overwhelming anxiety without considering it the ultimate
enemy. My approach involves taming and redirecting this energy in a way that makes
it a beneficial tool for motherhood.
My 5 step strategy for empowerment over excess anxiety is called FINcE
FINcE
1.
Stop a moment, close your eyes and take three cleansing breaths (Focus)
2.
Notice the thoughts that cause anxiety (Identify);
3.
Remember you are hard-wired to worry (Normalize);
4.
Isolate the anxiety so that it does not overpower your ability to function and
act rationally as a mom (Compartmentalize);
0 Comments