It is natural for parents to worry about their children. Are they doing well in school? Are they making friends? Are they happy, healthy and safe?
These questions and worries are commonly on a parents’ mind. However, could there be a time when these natural worries overflow and become too much?
What is parental anxiety?
When worries become so overwhelming that they interfere with your daily life, medical and mental health experts classify that as an anxiety disorder. Many experts also recognize subcategories of anxiety – with one of those being parental anxiety. Verywell Mind notes that while parental anxiety is common in new parents, it is characterized by excessive, even irrational, worry about one’s children. In 2024, even the U.S. Surgeon General noted that parental anxiety is a serious health concern across the country.
How can a divorce factor in?
A divorce is already a stressful experience. As a parent, of course you would tend to worry more about your child’s wellbeing during this time. Parental anxiety may be common in new parents, but it could also develop due to:
- The divorce itself, and the changes it brings to your whole family
- Compounded worries about how the divorce could impact your child
- How your child is adjusting to the new child custody arrangement and family dynamic
- Normal worries increasing when you are away from your children, when it is the other parent’s parenting time
You may not be a new parent, but parenting after a divorce is a whole new experience. Navigating this new situation can be anxiety-inducing on its own. Worrying about your children on top of that? It is no wonder why the risk of parental anxiety could be high after a divorce.
It is important to be aware of how a divorce can affect your mental health. Knowing what can trigger anxiety to develop can help you proactively take care of your own and your children’s mental health.
To manage the stress of divorce in North Carolina – and parenting after divorce – do not be afraid to seek out help and support for your mental health. You are not alone, and it is possible to work through and move forward from anxiety stemming from a specific, life-changing situation.