Being a Mom with social Anxiety

Let’s be honest, we ALL have anxiety to one degree or another from time to time. But for some of us, like myself, anxiety can override all our systems and be downright debilitating.   

I had anxiety long before I had kids. In fact, I had anxiety long before I knew what anxiety even was. Sound familiar? I think we all have had experiences in the past, ones we cannot change, that affect us in the here and now. 

Before kids, I would sometimes procrastinate social situations and feel uncomfortable at gatherings with a lot of people. Surprising to some that know me since I never meet a stranger and am quite outgoing when Mr. Anxiety isn’t rearing his ugly head. But since having kids, some days the thought of getting us all to the grocery store and back is too much to bear. Having kids is like taking a piece of your heart and letting it walk on the outside and my anxiety just goes into overdrive. There is so much to worry about when it comes to our kids and even making Mommy friends and finding your tribe can be super stressful! So how do we rise above our fears and insecurities?

We face them. Over and over.

We have to have a heart-to-heart with ourselves and recognize what it is that is holding us back.  What are we so afraid of? Is it even reasonable? Or are we perhaps being our own worst enemy?

I know I can be my own. But the thing is, I love people and I don’t want to continue to allow my silly anxieties to hold me back from meeting new people, or anything else in life! So I’ve been facing my fears by making huge, conscious efforts at putting myself out there. And you know what? The results have been amazing. I have been growing so much and meeting so many wonderful people in my community and my kids have been benefiting from the same. My whole family is better the more we just get out there! 

My point here is, YOU can do the same. It doesn’t matter what is holding you down, with deliberate practice and determination, you can break free and live a more fulfilling life. It’s not always easy, but we deserve to be the best versions of ourselves we can be. And our kids deserve that version of us too!