How to Overcome Parenting Anxiety: Tips for Busy Moms and Dads

Parenting anxiety (or as I like to say: feeling anxious as parents) is something many busy moms and dads face daily.

Balancing work, household responsibilities, and parenting can often lead to feeling overwhelmed and anxious.

However, it’s possible to release and reduce this anxiety by taking ownership of our internal world and emotional response.

Here are some tips to help you overcome parenting anxiety.

1. Acknowledge and Challenge Negative Emotions.

One of the first steps to overcoming anxiety is to recognize and challenge the negative emotions that contribute to it.

Often, we try to suppress our emotions, but acknowledging them is crucial. We need to become better at recognising them.

When I feel overwhelmed, it is usually more than simply “overwhelmed”. I will also feel anxious, frustrated, annoyed, angry, lonely, alone, sad and so forth.

It is important here to spend time in checking the intensity of those emotions. We may feel terribly or super angry, as well as extremely overwhelmed. When we are able to rank those emotions, it actually helps you become more aware of them.

When I spoke to a client about this, she realised that anger was a massive part of the overwhelm she was feeling. Being aware of that created a deep sense of relief. She realized she had an underlying belief that anger was something she felt she was “not allowed to feel” because she had struggled to become pregnant. Therefore, she “should” feel more loving and happy to get home and look after her daughter. This realization was liberating for her.

Awareness alone is healing.

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Tip: Start a journal where you write down your triggers.

Something that can help is saying things out loud, or write them in a journal.

“Keeping an emotional journal can be more effective than simply writing your thoughts” Sam Qurashi.

What is important is how we feel, not WHY or WHO we feel the emotion towards.

When you feel anxious about not spending enough time with your children, say it out loud:

“I feel anxious about not being present enough.”

This simple act of validation can lower the emotional charge of your anxiety. Ask yourself:

What emotions am I feeling? Which one is the most intense?
Can I feel it somewhere specific in the body?
Am I familiar with this feeling? If so, does it remind me of something?

2. Discover Your Values and Align Your Priorities

Understanding your core values can help you prioritize your actions and reduce anxiety.

When your daily activities align with your values, you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed. If family time is a top priority, make sure you allocate specific times for it in your schedule, even if it means saying no to other commitments.

Tip: Download my “Defining & Finding Your Core Values” Workbook

(Click here to download the workbook now!)

This worksheet will help you define your core values.

Once you know your current core values, you can evaluate how much time you’re dedicating to each.

Adjust your schedule to ensure you’re honoring what’s most important to you.

In my free 5-Day Confidence Boosting Challenge for Working Parents, I share quite a few resources on how to create time around those values.

Ready for a Confidence Boost? Join my free 5-Day Confidence Boosting Challenge for Working Parents!

Join the Challenge Now

3. Streamline Your To-Do List to Decrease Parenting Anxiety

A cluttered to-do list can heighten parenting anxiety.

It is very hard to “manage” something that does not have an end to it. Time is not finite, it is infinite. Therefore “managing” it is in itself impossible (Sheldon Cooper would say…)

However, we still need to create some structure around it. We are responsible for how we behave around time. The management is in our behaviour —not on time itself.

So what behavior can help with time management? Prioritizing!!

We hear about prioritizing a lot more than we would like… But you might find yourself wondering: Where do I start? But most importantly, HOW?

The thing is, whilst career minded people believe that most of their To Do List is a priority, they also know that it is not sustainable. When we feel everything is a priority, there is usually something else happening behind the scenes.

Could it be that we find the most important thing daunting? We might not have the skills or know how to start?

Sometimes, we genuinely think that EVERYTHING is important. If that is the case, I would like to invite you (before anything else!) to complete my “Defining Your Core Values” exercise…

(Click here to download the workbook now!)

Chances are this will help you understand where the frustration is coming from.

Then I invite you to download my “Time Management for Working Parents” PDF.

I share actionable tips to help you take control of your schedule and achieve a healthier work-life balance.

(Click here to download my time management freebie)

4. Practice Mindfulness and Breathwork for Parenting Anxiety

When you feel a lot of unwanted emotions together at the same time (in a disproportionate amount), creating distance between the emotional world and your reaction is can help you feel more in control.

One key is to breathe, that’s the quickest and most accessible way to do it.

Breathe in through the nose two times (short inhales) and out through the mouth once (deeper exhale). Doing this a few times can help calm the nervous system down.

Tip: Notice and Breathe, instead of reacting.

We often regret what we say or do when we are very overwhelmed by something triggering us. If we do not like the way we show up, something needs to change. Trying breathing and finding what is easiest to relate to can help.

You can count to 20 or 30 before reacting next time you feel triggered.

A simple breathing exercise (box breathing):

Inhale for four counts, hold for four counts, exhale for four counts, and hold for four counts. Repeat this cycle for a few minutes to calm your mind and body.

5. Build a Support Network

Having a strong support network can alleviate anxiety. Whether it’s family, friends, or a community of like-minded parents, sharing your experiences and receiving support can make a significant difference.

Tip: Join a parenting group or online community

Joining a community where you can share your challenges and get advice from others who understand what you’re going through can be super helpful. It allows you to reflect your experiences and emotions, feel supported, and gain practical advice.

6. Set Realistic Expectations to Overcome Parenting Anxiety

Have you ever heard of the “20-mile Journey” concept?

As working parents, we will often overbook ourselves when we feel at our best. Instead, we should find what is our best cruise pace.

What do I mean by that? Instead of pushing ourselves to the limit every day and then feeling totally burnt out and unable to achieve anything, ask yourself: When is a good time to stop? And actually stopping is key.

The 20-mile journey was inspired by Norwegian explorers who reached the South Pole and came home safe and sound. They decided to ONLY travel 20 miles a day, no matter the weather and physical condition. This successful story is often shared in comparison with British explorers who traveled uneven amount of miles depending on the weather and did not come back to base alive.

Consistency is key, “keeping the habit alive” (BJ Fogg) is key. Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself as a parent can lead to unnecessary parenting anxiety.

Tip: When you’re feeling exhaustion or the need to reset, listen to yourself.

Ask yourself: What do I need? To go out for a walk, distance myself from the computer?

Sometimes when we finish a meeting, instead of jumping into our emails, it can be good to scan our body and see if we actually need to sip some water or go to the bathroom! Small changes can take you a long way.

7. Seek Help When Needed

If your parenting anxiety feels overwhelming and persistent, seeking professional help can be beneficial. A therapist or coach can provide strategies and support tailored to your specific needs.

Tip: Don’t hesitate to reach out for help.

What is it that you can delegate? Is it something you can ask your partner or friend? Do you have a support network or could it be that you need to create one for yourself?

Whether it is professional help or personal help, there is really no shame in asking for it. Showing up and being a parent is heroic enough, we don’t need to prove anyone else that we can do it alone and with no help!

Join the 5-Day Confidence Boosting Challenge

If you’re looking for structured guidance to help overcome parenting anxiety, consider joining my 5-Day Confidence Boosting Challenge for Working Parents.

This free challenge offers practical tips and daily support to help you build confidence, manage anxiety, and navigate the demands of work and family life with greater ease.

Sign up today and take the first step towards a more confident and balanced life.

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**Career Mum Coach | ACC Executive Coach**

Meet Tania!

With three energetic kids, I know what it’s like to have to juggle your career goals and desire to be a good parent. That’s why I’m so passionate about helping working mums manage your time in the best way, so you can spend quality time with your kids and still find the courage to go after what you want in life.