Dealing with Worry as a Special Needs Parent

Dealing with worry as a special needs parent can help you regain peace of mind, focus on the positives, and find solutions.

Special needs parents have many worries. I won’t list them here. Just know we all have them and they can keep us up at night.

While we cannot completely get rid of worry, we can take steps to reduce worries.

Why Reduce Worry?

Worry can interfere with sleep. It reduces peace of mind. Worry focuses on what is wrong instead of what is going well. It rarely focusing on finding solutions.

Furthermore, 85% of what we worry about NEVER HAPPENS! What does happen is often less catastrophic than imagined.

Action Steps for Dealing with Worry

• Write the worry down. This takes it out of your head and onto paper.

• Ask yourself if the worry is true or likely to even happen.

• Work the worry all the way through. Ask yourself, “so what if this does happen?” Work it all the way to the worst case scenario. You will often find that if worst case scenario happens it can be handled and/or isn’t as horrible as first imagined.

“Ask yourself what “problem” you have right now, not next year, tomorrow, or five minutes from now. What is wrong with this moment? You can always cope with the Now, but you can never cope with the future — nor do you have to. The answer, the strength, the right action or the resource will be there when you need it, not before, not after.”

Eckart Tolle in his book The Power of Now

More Ways to Deal with Worry

• Give yourself grace when you notice yourself worrying.

• Share your worry with a friend who will listen and not grow the worry or minimize it with fake positivity. Another special needs parent or caregiver can be a great source of empathy.

• If you find a worry continues to present itself, try focusing on “what ifs” to solutions. I like to be a solution seeker. Having some plans in place will also provide you with a safety net and may help lessen the worry. For example, having a financial emergency fund decreases worry about unexpected expenses.

• Build a gratitude habit. Try some action steps from out post on Gratitude and Emotional Health.

Conclusion: Dealing with Worry as a Special Needs Parent

Worry is a part of life. While you may not be able to remove it completely, I hope the steps shared in this post will help you minimize worry and it’s affect on your life.

You may also be interested in trying some more mindful activities. We discussed a few in Getting Started with Mindfulness for Special Need Parents.

The start of the school year can come with unique worries. Try some tips found in Reducing Stress at the Start of the School Year.

You may also find inspiration from Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. Check out this link for a free trial with Audible Premium Plus.

You can also visit us on our Facebook Page to connect with other special needs parents and caregivers. Share how you manage worry.