This Mom's Viral Video Perfectly Captures What It's Like to Parent With Anxiety
There are so many different ways stress and anxiety can wreak havoc on your body and brain pre-, during, and post-pregnancy. Whether it’s obsessive fretting about geting pregnant, agonizing over all the possible ways you could harm your baby in utero, or losing sleep thanks to postpartum anxiety, you are not alone. In fact, 33 percent of women will experience an anxiety disorder at some point during their lifetime.
That’s probably why this latest video from Tiffany Jenkins of the popular blog Juggling the Jenkins has gone viral—so many people can relate to the struggle of living with anxiety, especially when you’re a parent and have little ones to care for in addition to yourself.
In the video, which is the second installment of a two-part series, the first of which she released in May, Jenkins hilariously nails exactly what it’s like to be a mom living with anxiety—or really what it’s like to be anyone living with anxiety.
The video starts off with Jenkins asleep in bed until her anxiety (played by a goth version of Jenkins, obviously) kindly wakes her up.
“It’s time to wake up,” Anxiety tells her. “We’ve got a lot to do today. We’re not going to get any of it done, but we will spend a lot of time obsessing over it.”
Sound familiar? Yeah, to us too.
Next, Jenkins’ daughter asks her if she can sleepover at a friend’s house, to which Jenkins says yes—until her anxiety makes her reconsider.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa no,” her anxiety chastises her. “Have you not seen Chris Hanson’s To Catch a Predator? She’s going to end up on Dateline.”
Jenkins then quickly retracts her permission for the sleepover, offering this infamous mom excuse instead: “Maybe next week.”
Throughout the video, Jenkins’ anxiety also talks her out of calls and plans with friends, convinces her that her appendix is probably going to burst any second, and ensures that she has a horrible time falling asleep by reminding her that she has to go to the grocery store and put gas in the car in the morning even though her debit card might not work.
The whole thing, which you can watch in full below, feels hilariously accurate.
The sketch, which had already been viewed more than 6 million times as we went to press, resonated with many of her followers.
“My life in a nut shell. Every. Single. Day,” one woman wrote in the comments.
“You really hit the nail on the head with this video!” wrote another. “So true especially the moment you lay down, constant thoughts!
“My anxiety gives me cancer and any other terminal illness in the world,” confessed a third. “It kidnaps my son, leaves him trapped in a burning house with no way out (all in my head of course) tells me I’m too fat to wear that, won’t let me hangout with people because I might actually have to talk, and me and my anxiety both know I’m not as cool as I should be. I’m tired, I’m stressed, and it’s just plain exhausting. Side note: It feels good to know that I’m not alone in this. Thanks for your honesty.”
The best part? Jenkins ends the videos by assuring viewers struggling with anxiety that it’s okay to ask for help, which is absolutely true.
If you’re dealing with anxiety or any type of mental health concern, there are resources available to help. And you can start here, with these 11 tips aimed at helping you de-stress.
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