having anxiety and still being a parent?

[calidreaming]

I was just curious... I am 24 single without children with anxiety...and on my really bad days I often wonder how people cope with severe anxiety and/or panic attacks while still trying to be a parent?

How do you parents do it? You can't really calm yourself down because you always have someone needing you. Do you have very supportive spouses? Or is life a huge hard struggle?

Im just curious, as so I know what to prepare myself and my disorder for the future!

 

[Ms_T]

In some ways it is easier and some ways harder. I have a thirteen year old daughter and I was a single parent for about six years. The positive is that my daughter gives me something else to focus on other than myself which helps. It was also helpful when she was little because she would make me laugh and smile so that helped my mood and I also had to force myself to smile and laugh for her. It helps too to have someone who loves you despite your anxiety, which we conceive of as a failure. On the negative side, it can be exhausting to always put a smile on your face when you are anxious or depressed. You also worry you will pass it on to them etc. I also struggle with OCD so sometimes it is hard to do things that she neeRAB me to do like school events etc and that blame can be awful. Overall, it is worth it and it is just something you do, just like anything else. It was nice that you asked this question because it helped me to think of nice thoughts and memories and how much I have gotten through and perservered.
Good luck and don't worry, one day you will do it too!:wave:

 

[ILUVLUCY22]

Hi..my son is now 26 but i had panic and anxiety for 18 years , but i will say i have a very very supportive husband..I missed alot of my sons school activities and ballgames while he was growing up, because of the disorder...and i regret that to this day, that i let this demon of a illness cause me to miss all that....But after i got on the right meRAB, i did get much much better

Lucy