More and more each day, my two sons are noticing whats going on with me. There only 5 and 3 and it just breaks my heart. They know that something is wrong with me and I dont know what to do or say to them.

Hi Andrea,

It is hearbreaking and guit forming when our children notice our "issues", it can scare them. When I was going thru my anxiety, my kids were 5 and 7 and my son missed a lot of school because he was worried about me. I kept reassuring them that I was okay and I was just anxious. I asked them if they knew how they felt when there was a thunderstorm, that is how mom feels. My son was an amazing inspiration to me. Just keep telling ghem that you are okay, you are not sick, you are just sad. Do not tell them that you are afraid of anything, as this will scare them. You somewhat have to fake how you feel around them, smile, and carry on as normal as possible.

email me anytime,okanxiety@aol.com
Kristen

Its just so hard. I dont know how to just pretend, I try but I know they can tell. I'll do like you say and tell them im okay and the sad thing, Ive told Sam I was sad, but then he asks why and if its because of him, I dont know what to say to that. I Just want to be the mom I was before all this came, Im so sad

Dear Andrea,

I know it's hard. And right now you are in a very scary place. I was there too. I would sip on chamomile tea when I was around the children, it really helped calm me down. I would also put on some fun music and dance with them. I felt so horribe but I put a smile on my face and just went with it. There were moments when I got so into the dancing I forgot about how horrible I felt. If your children are asking questions, please try very hard to reassure them. Tell them you aren't feeling well but it's nothing to be worried or afraid about. It's just that you are tired. That you love them all very much and everything is ok. My daugther is 12 and she noticed when I was not feeling good. I explained to her that I had anxiety and what it was and that I needed to rest more and everything would be ok. She knows what anxiety is because she has a spell when she was 10 over me having a baby. So she knew it would pass. Explain it according to their age level. With young ones, tell them you are overtired and need lots of rest. You rbody will heal and you will start feeling better after some rest and there is nothing to be afraid of. Tell them like when they have a virus or cold it just takes time for the body to heal but you will back to feel much better soon.

Andrea, everything is going to be ok. Work on reassuring yourself. I had to tell myself minute by minute "I am getting better and better every second". That really helped me. I also wrote positive affirmations in a journal. Only positives that I could go read when I was feeling bad. Please find time to do your relaxation tape. This will pull you out of the overanxious state and will help eleviate all those scary symptoms. You are going to be fine. Reassure yourself and your children. Best wishes on your journey back to health and peace of mind.