Just read this anxious morning and yes this is my biggest struggle. This year especially has been intense because I’m advocating for my daughter who has selective mutism. They dropped the ball with her placement this year and everything has spiraled. I’m meeting with administrators, teachers trying to fight for her so she can have a positive year and the school year hasn’t even begun. It’s hard to stay positive
about it for my child when the seething rage about the incompetence of adults who are supposed to be there for you is so apparent. Can you tell I’m momma bearing?😬
My son is already on his third week back in school. I felt the anxiety increasing a couple of weeks leading up to the start of the school year, for many reasons you listed as well as this being his first year of in-person school. I have always had a lot of anxiety surrounding sickness and getting sick, so naturally the last two and a half years have been a test. I had all of the urges to keep my son out of in-person school again leading up to this school year, all of the anxious thoughts about 'what if he gets sick? what if he brings home something? how will I cope?" etc. I really leaned on my values leading up to the school year, focusing on the exciting things and experiences my child will get to have. Thinking about him and what he wants, NOT what anxiety wants. Those anxious thoughts about sickness didn't have the weight that they had previously had anymore, they rolled on through instead of stopping me in my tracks as they would have done just a couple of years ago and beyond. And well, in life's true fashion, guess who brought home *the sickness* after the first week of school? I stayed mindful, in the moment, didn't follow the catastrophic stories my brain wanted me to listen to and give into. Was it anywhere near as bad of an experience as the catastrophic stories and anticipatory anxiety would have led me to believe? No! Was I able to cope and handle it? Yes! And not only did I cope and handle it, but I handled it WAY better than I would have ever imagined. But most importantly I learned how much less I suffered by only sticking with the normal, expected anxiety about having your child sick and not adding anything else on top of it.
Oh my god thank you for putting this. I’m a father to 4 . 22/18/12/11.
I’ve been out of work for a couple of years since I had what I think is some kind of breakdown due to caring for both parents who passed away the. My own business wasn’t a good match for me . Along with this , I’ve been slowly coming off prescribed anti depressants , which I’ve been on longer than I care to remember .
I’ve started to fear time , fear moving forwards , so anxious as kids get older . It’s like I can’t see where this is coming from ? And it scares the hell out of me , making me very low .
My wife goes to work , and then I run the youngest two into high school . Leaving me home alone . And feeling un needed and feeling the tick took of time so loud . Reading this made me realise this is just another symptom of my amazing anxiety .
I haven’t really experienced these anxieties as such before , and I was in some kind of therapy for a while recently , where the therapist said what I am feeling is a normal feeling ? And that I should attend the local Buddhist group to practice mindfulness ? And I should allow myself to be vulnerable ? I thought this was just a load of rubbish , but maybe ?
I also think for me , I’m not on as many anti depressants that have kept all my emotions pushed down for decades , and maybe now I’m experiencing all these emotions at full force . Thank you drew , I’m not alone with this then
Just read this anxious morning and yes this is my biggest struggle. This year especially has been intense because I’m advocating for my daughter who has selective mutism. They dropped the ball with her placement this year and everything has spiraled. I’m meeting with administrators, teachers trying to fight for her so she can have a positive year and the school year hasn’t even begun. It’s hard to stay positive
about it for my child when the seething rage about the incompetence of adults who are supposed to be there for you is so apparent. Can you tell I’m momma bearing?😬
As a teacher my back to school anxiety is because I feel trapped at work all day sometimes and can't escape.
My son is already on his third week back in school. I felt the anxiety increasing a couple of weeks leading up to the start of the school year, for many reasons you listed as well as this being his first year of in-person school. I have always had a lot of anxiety surrounding sickness and getting sick, so naturally the last two and a half years have been a test. I had all of the urges to keep my son out of in-person school again leading up to this school year, all of the anxious thoughts about 'what if he gets sick? what if he brings home something? how will I cope?" etc. I really leaned on my values leading up to the school year, focusing on the exciting things and experiences my child will get to have. Thinking about him and what he wants, NOT what anxiety wants. Those anxious thoughts about sickness didn't have the weight that they had previously had anymore, they rolled on through instead of stopping me in my tracks as they would have done just a couple of years ago and beyond. And well, in life's true fashion, guess who brought home *the sickness* after the first week of school? I stayed mindful, in the moment, didn't follow the catastrophic stories my brain wanted me to listen to and give into. Was it anywhere near as bad of an experience as the catastrophic stories and anticipatory anxiety would have led me to believe? No! Was I able to cope and handle it? Yes! And not only did I cope and handle it, but I handled it WAY better than I would have ever imagined. But most importantly I learned how much less I suffered by only sticking with the normal, expected anxiety about having your child sick and not adding anything else on top of it.
Oh my god thank you for putting this. I’m a father to 4 . 22/18/12/11.
I’ve been out of work for a couple of years since I had what I think is some kind of breakdown due to caring for both parents who passed away the. My own business wasn’t a good match for me . Along with this , I’ve been slowly coming off prescribed anti depressants , which I’ve been on longer than I care to remember .
I’ve started to fear time , fear moving forwards , so anxious as kids get older . It’s like I can’t see where this is coming from ? And it scares the hell out of me , making me very low .
My wife goes to work , and then I run the youngest two into high school . Leaving me home alone . And feeling un needed and feeling the tick took of time so loud . Reading this made me realise this is just another symptom of my amazing anxiety .
I haven’t really experienced these anxieties as such before , and I was in some kind of therapy for a while recently , where the therapist said what I am feeling is a normal feeling ? And that I should attend the local Buddhist group to practice mindfulness ? And I should allow myself to be vulnerable ? I thought this was just a load of rubbish , but maybe ?
I also think for me , I’m not on as many anti depressants that have kept all my emotions pushed down for decades , and maybe now I’m experiencing all these emotions at full force . Thank you drew , I’m not alone with this then
OMG Drew! This is totally me!!!
But I get so anxious 2 weeks before!!!
Here my “ Why (s)”
- wake them up on time
- fixing breakfast ( even though, I let everything ready one night before)
- worried about them to miss the bus / this is the worse 🙈
- thinking if they would be able to cope (specially my daughter who has social phobia)
When I survive everything thing above ( a little bit calmer) I rush to workout, breakfast, work…
( during these 6/7 hours, ruminating about my daughter) 🥹