6 Strategies to Help You Stress Less as a Parent

Parenting is full of emotional ups and downs. One minute you may be bursting with pride and joy over your child. The next, you may feel paralyzed with worry. You may also question your parenting abilities and decisions, especially when the kids you love so much challenge them.

This range of emotions can start right away, cropping up as early as during pregnancy and persisting well into the teen years, and even beyond. Generally speaking, it’s common to feel parental anxiety from time to time. “It's built into the job description,” says Debra Kissen, Ph.D., a Chicago-based therapist and co-chair of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s public education committee and co-author of Overcoming Parental Anxiety: Rewire Your Brain to Worry Less and Enjoy Parenting More.

The thing is: Worry doesn’t solve problems and can wreak havoc on your mental health and happiness.