When it comes to parenting and family life, worry tends to come with the territory. I have been told that the worry doesn’t stop the moment the kids become adults either—it seems that we parents are susceptible to worrying about our children forever! I think there are ways to temper that worry and learn how to cope, though, and ways to get ourselves through those particularly long nights of worry and concern…
If possible, it helps to try to keep things in perspective. While worry may come with the territory, we don’t have to let our imaginations run wild and bring in concerns that are not actually a part of the picture. It helps to stay in the moment and focus on what is ACTUALLY happening, not all of our visions and fantasies about what COULD happen. Stay present and deal with things as they come up—this allows you to reserve your energy for when it will be most needed.
Try to let go of old worries and not cling to past events. I find that this can be one of the ways that I get stuck in the stress of worrying—not letting go and clinging to what happened before. For example, if we know someone whose child missed curfew because she was in an accident, and then we immediately assume that our child has been in an accident because she is late—we’re letting past events skew our present thinking and introduce more worry than is necessary.
Find someone to talk things through and help distract you during times of worry. Being able to talk or walk or have a laugh can help to alleviate some of that stress and also help to add some different perspective to a particularly worrisome time. I find that I can create all sorts of drama in my own head, but when I talk things through with someone else—a trusted friend or family member, I can get my worry under control and am better able to see things as they really are.
Also: Overcoming Worry
Do You Worry What Other Parents Think?