86. When Anxiety Looks Like Control in Motherhood cover art

86. When Anxiety Looks Like Control in Motherhood

86. When Anxiety Looks Like Control in Motherhood

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In this episode of Experience Motherhood, I’m talking about a side of mom anxiety that doesn’t always get named: the kind that looks responsible, capable, and “on top of everything.” I share why managing anxiety isn’t about getting rid of it or becoming a calmer, less sensitive version of yourself, but about learning how to relate to it in a way that doesn’t cost you who you are.

I reflect on a season in my own life when I could manage everyone else’s emotions with ease, yet felt quietly disconnected from myself. From the outside, things looked fine. Inside, I was constantly bracing, anticipating the next need, and holding everything together. That experience opened my eyes to how often anxiety in motherhood shows up as control, vigilance, and over-functioning, and why it’s so easy to confuse anxiety with competence.

In this episode, I gently unpack why control deserves compassion, how anxiety often acts as a strategy rather than a flaw, and a few small but meaningful shifts that can help you soften without letting everything fall apart. We explore what it means to notice anxiety without letting it lead, and how staying connected to yourself inside of motherhood doesn’t require a drastic change, just awareness, permission, and trust.

If you’re a mom who carries the mental load, keeps things running, and feels both capable and exhausted, this episode is for you. You don’t have to become less driven to feel calmer. You can be responsible and rested, present and imperfect, and you’re not doing motherhood wrong.

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