Dear Anxious Moms: You are the Survivors. The Protectors

You’re going about your day when something sneaks up on you. Again. You feel the tightening in your chest, your heart starts pounding, your mind begins to race. It’s almost paralyzing, this feeling. Then that Voice inside begins to taunt you:

“What if you drop the baby? What if I do it on purpose? What kind of mom are you? Why can’t I get these thoughts out of my head? I’m a terrible person! Make this go away!!!”

Anxiety has you in its grip and now you’re fighting to get free so you can get on with your day.

HERE’S SOMETHING TO KNOW ABOUT ANXIETY

Anxiety is this useful function our brain does to keep us safe. Anxiety serves you well when you’re driving and someone cuts you off, and you automatically slam on the brakes. Anxiety gives you your Mom Reflexes of grabbing that cup before it hits the floor, or catching the toy mid-air just before it lands on someone’s face.

Thousands of years ago, or in tribal societies, Anxiety is the thing that kept you alive. Anxious Mama: if you lived there or then, YOU WOULD BE THE SURVIVORS. THE PROTECTORS.You would be the ones at the front of the pack, sniffing out danger, listening to your instincts. You are the Warrior Mamas. You are the ones keeping everyone else alive.

ANXIETY KEEPS YOU SAFE

Sometimes Anxiety likes to come around uninvited, when there’s not actually danger present. It whispers lies in your ear, telling you that you’re doing it wrong. That you’re not good enough. That something terrible is going to happen any minute now.

HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS

You don’t have to listen to Anxiety. You can put Anxiety in its place. Tell it to go away when it’s not needed. It’s a skill that takes practice. A skill we learn in Mama’s Mood Group, or in individual counselling. Anxiety has its place in keeping you safe, but it doesn’t have to control your life.

RAISE YOUR SPEAR, WARRIOR MAMA. YOU’VE GOT THIS!