I used to think managing anxiety meant a total life overhaul. Like I had to wake up at 5AM, drink celery juice, meditate for an hour, and go on a 3-mile hike just to “cope.”
Spoiler alert: That didn’t work for me.
What did work were small, realistic changes that fit into my already overloaded life — with kids, a full-time job, homeschooling, and chronic overthinking.
I’m not cured. But I’m managing better than I used to. These are the shifts that actually helped.
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There’s a special kind of exhaustion that comes from feeling everything so deeply… and still having to smile, keep it together, and be the calm in your kids’ storm.
When you’re the anxious mom, panic doesn’t wait for a convenient time. It shows up in the middle of homeschool. In the middle of Target. In the middle of your room while you’re prepping folders and trying to keep everyone on task.
But even when your chest is tight, your shoulder aches out of nowhere, or your heart skips a beat — there’s still a little voice in your head whispering: “Stay calm for them.”
It’s not easy. It’s not fair. But it’s reality for so many of us.
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