Coping with Anxiety as a Parent: A Raw Insight into Mental Health
Mental Health in Australia
1 in 5 Australians are affected by mental illness, yet many don’t seek help due to the stigma and discrimination surrounding it.
To acknowledgeWorld Mental Health Day, we reached out to our wonderful community to see if someone could shed light on the everyday battles people face.
Cath Grigg fromJones and Co Beauty, Clontarf, kindly offered to share her experience with anxiety and parenting. What follows is araw, honest, and moving accountof her journey. This post may be triggering for some readers, so please proceed with care.
Anxiety Feels Like Paper-Thin Skin
Trying to manage anxiety feels like having skin made of tissue paper—tearable and fragile. Parenting with anxiety feels like a battlefield, aconstant tension, a ticking emotional bomb.
The Dream of Motherhood vs. Reality
Being a mother was never a question for me. I always wanted children—it was something I needed to fulfil. I believed I’d be a natural: patient, nurturing, calm. But reality didn’t match my expectations.
Conceiving wasn’t easy. Thanks to modern medicine, we have two beautiful boys. But nothing prepared me for howemotionally demandingandnon-intuitivemotherhood would be.
Guilt and Authenticity
There’s a particular guilt tied to struggling with parenthood after IVF. You’re supposed to feel endlessly grateful—but that doesn't mean your children don’t drive you up the wall.
Struggling doesn’t mean ungrateful. It means you’re real.
Wearing the Brave Face
With my first son, I was a mess—too proud to ask for help, too scared to make mistakes. I wanted to look like I had it all together so no one would question if I was grateful.
The truth is:newborns are magical and exhausting. The emotional shift can be earth-shattering, leaving you doubting yourself and putting on a brave face every day—especially if you're also navigating mental health challenges or postnatal depression.
What Anxiety Really Feels Like
My brain is a mess of jumbled thoughts. People see me as confident and easy-going—but they don’t see the work behind that façade.
Every day I’m teetering on the edge of panic.It’s draining.
The Weight of Sensory Overload
Sometimes, a simple cuddle or too much noise sends me into panic.
It’s terrifying to think how myreactions might affect my kids—or worse, that I’ve passed on my anxiety genetically.
But none of this makes me a bad mother.
I love my kids. I check myself constantly. I try, fail, and try again.
It's Okay to Cry
I’ve cried over the smallest parenting struggles.
But those tears?
They’re a sign youcare deeply. That you’retrying your best.
Remember the Person You Were
Parenting is tough. But don’t forget who you were before kids.
When I’m overwhelmed, I change the scenery—go to the park, get out of the house.
It helps. It really does.
Work, Passion, and Identity
I also know I need to work. It gives me purpose beyond parenting. Whether paid, volunteering, or a creative hobby—find something that’s just for you.
You existed before children, and that person matters.
Drop the Perfection Act
The biggest step toward peace?
Let go of the fantasy parent you thought you’d be.
Stop wasting energy on trying to be someone else.
Be your best version. Do what you do well. Be present.
You're Not Alone
If you're struggling,please reach out. You arenot alone, and support is available.
Resources for Mental Health Support in Australia:
Lifeline– 13 11 14
Beyond Blue– 1300 22 4636
PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia)– 1300 726 306
Your GP or local mental health professional
2 comments
Beautifully said, I very often struggle with verbalising how I feel but I could have written this. Thankyou for sharing xx
Thank you for your beautifully written honest account of your day to day life. I can relate so much to this, as a fellow anxiety sufferer and having suffered for years not knowing exactly what was wrong with me, I too have learnt as a mum and just life in general to take each day as it comes. Do my best whatever that may be.