Anxiety is one of the most common experiences we have as human beings. It can be a natural reaction to occasional stressful events, but for some of us it is a constant state. Many think of it as a version of fear, and fear may certainly be present with anxiety, but anxiety is more complicated than that. Anxiety has a few functions that can be helpful to understand. When we understand that anxiety can be a teacher, we may be able to soften it a little bit and find out what it’s trying to teach us.

And then, if we become parents, the adrenaline doubles down. Now, we have a small being to protect, so our vigilance notches up, even (especially?) when someone else is watching the kid. We have constant pressure coming from pretty much everywhere to be impossibly perfect parents, especially if we have been raised as/present as women, because women are held to a certain punishing standard of motherhood in our society.