Just one of those days: Anxiety, Stress and Panic
Today has been one of those days that I’m reminded just how challenging life really is. Sometimes I think I’m just so acclimated to the stress and chaos that it seems normal.
It takes a day like today for me to realize just how stressed out in really am.
Nothing went right today. From the moment I woke up, everything just went wrong.
Emmett has been in rare form..all day long. It’s like his sole purpose is to destroy everything. He’s literally throwing anything he can get his hands on. He’s bullying Elliott and Gavin both.
….and the screaming, oh God the screaming. I just can’t even begin to tell you…..
Lizze is in week 5 of her migraine and absolutely miserable. She’s not in the best of moods, which is completely understandable but that moods spreads.
Gavin..I don’t even know where to begin. He is struggling, especially with things like listening, remembering, following the rules ect, ect. I’m totally aware of the fact that this is not his fault and so I don’t blame him. With that said, it doesn’t makenit any less irritating,exhausting, frustrating, overwhelming and demoralizing… What it does do however, is make me feel guilty for all those feelings.
The antidepressant is simply not enough to help me manage all of this. My ability to cope diminishing rapidly. I feel sick to my stomach, my chest hurts and my anxiety level is through the roof. I think I’m having a panic attack, although truthfully, it’s been years since I had one of those, so I’m not sure.
I’m so ready to catch a break and find some relief.
All parents have unique stresses as the result of raising children, but what is being done to help parents cope?
My name is Crystal Lee, and I am a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Baylor University. For my dissertation I am studying stress and ways of coping with stress in parents. My hope is to use the data from my dissertation to create an effective way to help parents cope with stress.
I am looking for parents of children ages 5-12 in three categories:
1. Parents of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
2. Parents of children with Type 1 Diabetes
3. Parents of children with no diagnoses
If you meet the above criteria, please take this survey, which takes 30-45 minutes to complete: https://baylor.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0GJF7ldjuBwBWEk
If you do not meet the above criteria, please consider forwarding the survey to any parents you know that fit the above criteria.
People who complete the survey can participate in a drawing for one of three $50 giftcards to Amazon.com. Additionally, people who refer others to the survey get their name added into the drawing for each person they refer.
Thank you for your time and help,
Crystal Lee, M.S.
Doctoral Student
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Baylor University
Hi Rob. Like you, I need someone to remind me to *breathe*. Play something you can sing along with, read out loud (if only to yourself), do some simple floor exercises, do something that makes you laugh (bonus points if one or more of your children join you). All of these things make you *breathe*, and that helps lower the tension in your body.
I feel your pain. In addition to having an 11 yo boy and a 12 yo girl with Aspergers, the small company I work for is undergoing *serious* changes (my boss and my work partner have both left recently), and I am in the middle of a divorce. Maxxing out on stress points, too. 🙂
Remember to take time for you, anywhere you can, even for a few minutes to just *breathe*. Three against one is no fun, especially when your partner is down, but it sounds like in the big picture you are able to cope. And forget the guilt-thing. No time or energy for that, and it is counter-productive. Remind yourself of all the GOOD things you are doing, and congratulate yourself for being a great dad.
A note on the screaming (although this may not work for you). When my son was young and would scream and scream and scream, I started lightly patting his mouth to make wa-wa sounds. Sometimes it infuriated him, but other times he would dissolve in laughter. Work with what you’ve got!
And remember to *breathe*.