They're all about how fast the time with our children goes and how they'll leave us one day. And they always make me sob into my pillow during my nighttime scroll before bed.
I get the intention. These Instagram influencers are trying to make you appreciate this time, and stop focusing on the little inconveniences, like the meltdowns or the blowouts or the relinquished personal time (And, who are we kidding, also trying to get views). But, for me, thinking this way has done the opposite.
Instead of living in the moment, every time I hold my son, I think, "He won't always be this small." Whenever he runs up to hug me, I think, "He won't always be excited to see me." Whenever he wants me, over everyone else, I think, "Someday, he's going to pick somebody else over me."
But, as someone with anxiety, I've always been like this. Anxious during my parents' birthdays, instead of celebrating, because I know that means I'm one year closer to life without them (morbid, I know. Sorry, Mom and Dad!) And anxious in relationships because I'm scared of them ending, instead of appreciating them.
That's a common symptom of anxiety. You live in the future or the past, instead of the present. For me, that makes it difficult to enjoy the good times because I'm always anticipating something bad happening.
So, it's no surprise that, after having a child, this dread has increased. It also doesn't help to see all these social media posts, trying to be helpful, but actually making me feel like crap.
So, how can you start living in the present and start appreciating the moment?
Tips to break the anxiety loop
First and foremost is probably this: PUT DOWN YOUR FREAKING PHONE! (Please do this after you finish reading this blog post 😜) When you put your phone down, you won't see those depressing social media posts that make you want to crawl into a hole. It's also a lot easier to live in the moment when your face isn't constantly in a screen.Stop dreading the 'maybes'
Since becoming a mother, I’ve become a hostage to Instagram’s "mom-guilt algorithm" — an endless stream of reels with ...
