Things I Didn't Realize Were Anxiety Until I Had a Child

 

When I became a mom, I expected to learn a lot about my daughter.

I didn't expect to learn so much about myself.

Like many parents, I find myself watching my daughter navigate the world and thinking, "Oh. You got that from me."

Sometimes it's the fun stuff. Her sense of humor. Her creativity. Her love of books and learning.

Other times, it's things I wish I hadn't passed down.

As she's gotten older, I've become more aware of her worries, her sensitivities, and the way she processes the world around her. And while helping her work through those feelings, I've had a realization:

A lot of the things I thought were just personality traits were actually anxiety.

I just didn't know it.

I Thought Being a Good Employee Meant Giving Everything. Then I Became a Mom.

I think the transition into motherhood is one of the biggest identity shifts we experience, and nobody really prepares you for how disorienting it can be.

Before I became a mom, I worked for a small, locally owned financial institution. They took a lot of pride in being a small-town business where everyone was “like family.”

And honestly?

I loved that idea.

Maybe, I loved it a little too much.