{"id":408,"date":"2012-01-08T22:43:48","date_gmt":"2012-01-09T03:43:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.positivelyparenting.com\/?p=408"},"modified":"2015-12-04T12:45:05","modified_gmt":"2015-12-04T17:45:05","slug":"what-to-do-about-that-pesky-parental-worrying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/fear\/what-to-do-about-that-pesky-parental-worrying\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do about that pesky parental worrying…"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Are you suffering from PPW?\u00a0 That would be Pervasive Parental Worrying (okay, coined by me, but it sounds real, right?)<\/p>\n

PPW looks like: \u201cI think Joey likes Tae Kwon Do, but maybe I should have gone with soccer because he mentioned he really loves soccer and now it is too late because the sign-up is over and I would be out $400.00 dollars and we said we were tightening the budget\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Get it?\u00a0 You are worrying about problems that are either non-existent or unsolvable.\u00a0 And these problems are like bed bugs: they travel easily and are hard to get rid of.\u00a0 Worrying like this hurts you and it hurts your kids, too!\u00a0 It robs you of being in the moment and deriving actual joy from what is real!<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s work on the worrying.<\/p>\n

Here are a couple of effective strategies for worrying.\u00a0 I have used all or some for many years.\u00a0 Feel free to mix and match; people are complicated; please don\u2019t think there is one path when it comes to addressing your worrying.<\/p>\n

1) Reality-check the worry.\u00a0 Is what you are worrying about actually true or real?\u00a0 By telling yourself “no, this worry is not real,” it tells your brain “enough!\u201d\u00a0 Sometimes, we haven\u2019t even challenged<\/em> the worry!\u00a0 Do it!<\/p>\n

2) Give yourself a mantra or a picture.\u00a0 I trained myself to put my worries into a box and I imagined that box being placed far away.\u00a0 Those worries are there, I can access them if I want to, but I have put them in their proper place.\u00a0 That feeling of control is so freeing for so many people.\u00a0 I have also repeated (aloud): \u201cI do not need to worry about this right now.\u00a0 I will worry about it at 8 PM.\u201d\u00a0 Again, I controlling the thoughts, not vice versa.<\/p>\n

3) Stop talking to people about your worries.\u00a0 Whatever you pay attention go, grows.\u00a0 Hence, stop talking talking talking about your worries.\u00a0 They stay front and center and keep you stressed.\u00a0 Not good.\u00a0 Put your friends and family on notice!\u00a0 Say, \u201cwhen I start to worry about _____, please tell me NO!\u201d<\/p>\n

4) Get busy.\u00a0 This can take many different forms.\u00a0 For instance, yoga is especially effective for worrying, and volunteering is a wonderful way to get out of your own head.\u00a0 Exercise, defining goals, completing tasks\u2026they all work.\u00a0 For a worrier, boredom can be challenging\u2026so find something that is meaningful<\/em> to move your mind to something else.<\/p>\n

5) Finally, nighttime can be tough for worriers.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be afraid to make a list of your worries if they will not leave your mind, as well as practicing relaxing breathing techniques and keeping a consistent, relaxing bedtime routine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And please, if your worrying consumes your life, hurts your marriage, friendships, and work, see a professional.\u00a0 There are great people doing important work in the field of anxiety, and you can be helped!<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you suffering from PPW?\u00a0 That would be Pervasive Parental Worrying (okay, coined by me, but it sounds real, right?) PPW looks like: \u201cI think Joey likes Tae Kwon Do, but maybe I should have gone with soccer because he mentioned he really loves soccer and now it is too late because the sign-up is over and I would be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[263,8,463],"class_list":["post-408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fear","tag-anxiety","tag-parenting","tag-worrying"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat to do about that pesky parental worrying... - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/fear\/what-to-do-about-that-pesky-parental-worrying\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What to do about that pesky parental worrying... - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you suffering from PPW?\u00a0 That would be Pervasive Parental Worrying (okay, coined by me, but it sounds real, right?) 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