What, Me Worry?!

A little anxiety comes with the mommy turf. It’s how you manage it that matters.

The other night, I awoke as I often do at 3 a.m., my mind racing with questions. Should my girls get a flu shot next week? Will we be able to afford college? Do they eat too much candy?

Let’s face it: We all get a case of OCD and anxiety when we become moms. We want everything to go well for our children, be it the food they eat, the friends they make or the grades they get.  So we invest hours into preparing perfect meals. We create extravagant birthday parties. We spend days pondering the virtues of swim lessons versus music lessons. The whole thing can leave us pretty stressed and exhausted.

           

My neuroticism was even worse early on. Like many type As, I wanted things to be perfect. I also wanted to be both a working mother and a stay-at-home mother, which anyone who has tried it knows is like being the head chef and a waitress at the same time.

           

Fortunately, time and experience have a way of making us all a little wiser and a lot calmer. I’ve learned that an occasional sleepover isn’t going to make them sick (grumpy the next day maybe, but not ill). Their social lives aren’t ruined because one kid doesn’t like them. And the rare splurge at Halloween isn’t going to rot their teeth.

One thing is for sure: All the worrying certainly doesn’t do anybody any good. So we need to find ways to resolve problems, simplify our lives and better manage our time. Most important, we must create ways to remain centered and balanced without losing ourselves in the worries that come with motherhood.

           

Of course, releasing your worries doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot for moms to mull over. Even if I’m not quite as OCD and anxious as I was when I first embarked on this journey, I still have plenty of things to ponder. After all, these are our babies we’re talking about.

           

That’s where this blog comes in. Here I’ll share the many ways moms try to stay balanced, happy and whole, even as we try to juggle families, careers and all the things that life throws our way, things that sometimes cost us some shut-eye and give us a few gray hairs. Ultimately, we’re all just trying to do the best we can. I hope that as you read my posts, you’ll find nuggets that enlighten, entertain and nourish you. I hope you’ll realize that you’re not alone in this adventure we call motherhood. And I’d love to hear what’s on your mind too.

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