It is no question that parents have a lot on their plate. Unfortunately though, there are many dads and moms who already have a tendency to overthink who then experience even more anxiety when deliberating issues about their children’s daily routine. Of course, it is normal to have concerns that may not always be within the realm of control (such as terrorism or disease), but the day-to-day routine of a child is not an area where parents should be causing themselves intense, unnecessary grief.
Living in continuous anguish is one outcome of allowing the upsetting thoughts to take their toll, but it doesn’t have to be this way. In order to push the troubled thoughts away, parents should relax and take a deep breath when considering how to react and situate their behavior. It is important to be an example of peace for your children to take to heart and hopefully mirror eventually.
Overthinking can create a cycle that could end in severe emotional disarray; it can be much more than simply an irritation. It can even cause people to seek outside comfort in coping mechanisms, such as food or alcohol consumption.
Is the Worrying Justified?
Actually, anxious parents should be relieved to find out that it is safer to be a child growing up in current times than it was not very long ago. In 1935, almost 450 child deaths took place for every 100,000 kids; today, less than 30 deaths occur out of 100,000 children. Reports of children who have gone missing have also decreased, and the number of child pedestrians hit by cars has lowered dramatically.
Despite these statistics, parents seem to feel like they are not in control as much as they’d like to be and have the habit of worrying excessively. Worrying about trivial daily issues may seem important temporarily, however parents should not feel overwhelmed by day-to-day life.
Putting an End to Excessive Worrying and Overthinking
It is important to limit negative ways of thinking for your mental wellbeing and for the peace of mind of your children. Parents may not realize how much children pick up on simply by spending time around someone who is often anxious and frenzied. The following methods may be useful for parents who tend to overthink.
Learn to Become Aware of Worrying Patterns
Recognizing your habitual ways of thinking is key to identifying how much you overthink. In order to diminish the bad habit, you must be able to recognize when you are actively overthinking. If you begin to notice yourself worrying about things outside of your control or replaying scenes in your head over and over, recognize that these types of thought patterns are not helpful.
Confront Your Negative Thoughts
Negative ways of thinking can quickly take over your mindset as a parent. Prior to thinking that missing one deadline could make you lose your home, or that calling into work sick may cause you to get fired, realize that you may have a tendency to overreact negatively. Recognizing errors in your ways of thinking is key when beginning to feel frantic or panic-stricken.
Concentrate on Finding Solutions
Focusing on issues may not be helpful, but locating resolution is. While there may still be issues out of our control that could occur throughout life, many of our relevant problems have viable solutions that are waiting to be discovered. Consider which steps could have been taken to more effectively to solve a problem the next time it may occur. It is not productive to obsess about outcomes, however reflecting on the issue can sometimes be of aid.
Incorporate Mindfulness
Bringing your attention back to the present moment can help when it may be tempting to let your thoughts wander. With practice, mindfulness can help with wandering thoughts and it may even help the obsessive worrying come to an end.
Even parents who are used to worrying or overthinking can obtain the mental strength to push through it. Parents can use these recommendations to achieve mental well-being, and by doing so they can set a positive example that their children will be able to use for life.
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