Anxiety and Single Parenting

I am a single mother to a wonderful teenage boy. Life has not always been easy for us and things do not always go as planned. Especially when those plans are ruined by a panic attack.

I have been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD), PTSD, and Panic Disorder. Most days it is hard to even get out of bed. I always wish I could be like those mothers who are perfect at everything they do, but I am not. It would be nice though, wouldn't it?

My son has become a huge help to me. Now I know what you are thinking, he does not do all the housework for me. Actually he barely does anything around the house, except maybe take out the trash. I do all my own housework and cooking. I don't want to most days, but I do it anyway.

It isn't as easy as it sounds though. I have been told by a few that maybe I should try to not be anxious. That is not how it works. I don't even talk about it because doing so causes anxiety.

Here is how I manage to do what needs to be done daily:

1. Karaoke

I know it sounds kind of crazy (ha ha), but it does really help me. It is something I already enjoy, so doing it during times of stress and anxiety really calms me down and keeps my mind focused on something enjoyable. You don't have to do karaoke, but finding something that keeps you focused on the task at hand does help a lot.

2. Cross-stitch

I'm not very good at this, but I have started learning. I decided that during my downtime I needed something to focus on. This really helps when I can make myself actually do it. Anything that can take your mind off of the things that cause stress and anxiety is really helpful.

3. Journaling

I see a therapist and have decided that it will be easier to talk to them if I have a journal of my days. That a way I can tell them my good days and my bad days. I can describe what I was doing and what caused it to be a bad day, or show them that sometimes nothing is going wrong and an attack just happens.

I know it may seem small to you, but these three things help me get through my day to day quite often. There are still some days that I can't even get out of bed no matter what I do, but I will continue to work hard on doing so.