The question is: Are the circumstances of our lives within our control? Or, is it life something that happens to us? I have a definite opinion, and it may not be what you think if you knew my circumstances.

I believe how we live is a choice.

I say that as I sit in my kitchen typing on an old laptop while wondering how certain bills will get paid — mostly because of circumstances over the last few years that were beyond my control, including my chronic illness. Even still, how I live my life is a choice.

I truly believe that.

This Year, I Vow to Take Off the Mask

I’ve had a hard weeks in regards to my anxiety and pain. I’ve been a little (a lot) depressed about how it JUST. WON’T. GO. AWAY.

There have been nights that I sit in a hot bath and cry while my family sleeps. But, even that was a choice. I chose to stay in that place for a while, feeling my anxiety and depression before I decided to deal with it.

I needed to just be before I could do.

But, do we must.

I’m not saying that mental illness is a choice.

I’m saying that we have choices that determine our quality of life. Hear me before you disagree.

Our illnesses aren’t something that we ask for, so it stands to reason that (even without knowing the psychology behind what caused them) there really isn’t a way for us to “will” them away.

But we can choose how we respond to them.

We always have choices.

When we feel like we are slipping into the abyss, we are not without a lifeline.

We can choose to reach out and tell someone close to us that we need something more than we are getting if we are struggling emotionally, physically, or financially — be that counseling, a friend to listen, or a change in circumstance such as a new job or leaving an abusive relationship.

We can choose to say, even in a whisper, that we deserve to feel better. That we deserve more. That we deserve to live (and we do.)

Just pick something.

I’m a planner. I love to know what will come not only in the next step but in four steps beyond that. Sometimes, though, we can’t plan where our circumstances will take us. If we get too hung up on all of the steps, overwhelm gets added to the details of our situation.

But, we can choose to do the next thing.

When the options before us are causing stress, we can choose to stop and focus on just one thing — the next thing. We may feel like we have to do it all, but we can give ourselves the option to just pick one thing.

Will this solve our circumstance? Maybe. Or, maybe not. What it will do is keep us moving forward. It gives us action and momentum to fight back. It allows us to have power over our circumstances instead of just being victim to them.

Because how we live is a choice. And we can choose to fight.

Stephanie Pitcher Fishman is a writer, blogger, and mom living with chronic illness, a mid-life baby, and a coffee addiction. She writes about fake people (fiction), dead people (family history and genealogy), and sick people (herself included.) Read more at writerbloggermom.com, and say hi on Twitter.

How many goals or resolutions have you made so far this year? Research shows that an estimated 95% of us will drop those resolutions by January 31st.

That means that most likely we’ll both drop our resolutions and goals sometime in the next three weeks. That’s right. You and I will become like the majority of the people in the U.S.

Finally! We’re average!

Often times our abandonment of goals is because we choose to work on something that’s too big in scope. We get frustrated. We get worn out or overwhelmed.

It’s even harder for those of us with a chronic illness, especially if we are in a flare. We have brain fog to deal with, pain that sidelines us, and far too many other symptoms to list. Overwhelm isn’t something we have the space for in our lives.

But, what if I told you we have a hack for that?

If we focus creating small, meaningful habits instead, can beat that statistic and make some real changes in our lives. The way that I hack my habits isn’t revolutionary or even new. But it works, and it will work for you, too.

What are SMART habits?

Let’s get SMART. And, I’m not talking about being wise. By following the SMART formula, we’ll be making small, significant changes before you know it. What does SMART stand for? Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals.

There’s a great chance that we’ve all heard of this method in one capacity or another, but have you applied it to your life? That’s the key. It’s not a tool if it isn’t put to use.

Make creating smart habits a tool of change in your life rather than a simple cliche trope that shows up every January in the form of a resolution.

“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.” ~ Henry Moore

Step One: Be specific in the description of the new habit.

As simple as this sounds, many times not being specific is the first mistake that we make in setting out for change.

I want to be healthy. Yes, but what does “healthy”mean?

I want to move forward in my career. Okay, most of us do. So what?

I want to get involved in the community again. And, that looks like what to you?

If you haven’t honed your goal into a clear idea, how will you know what you need to do to achieve it as well as when you’ve accomplished it? It’s the first step that we take in setting ourselves up for failure.

Let’s be honest. Saying that I want to “be healthy” is great, but the reality is that my version of health will be different than my significant other’s. For me, healthy means that I have the energy to play with my daughter each day and the fortitude to stay up and write at night. It means that I’m not sick after I eat a meal. It means that I can walk around a store without becoming too tired.

Saying I want to be healthy isn’t a goal. Saying that I want to be able to have better sleep is. Get specific so that you know what it is you are working toward.

Step Two: Choose a way to measure your accomplishments.

Kids aren’t the only ones that like a gold star when they do something good. Our progress means nothing if we don’t recognize it. Acknowledging our gains and being honest about our losses helps us keep the moment that we need to make changes in our lives when change is hard.

In order to do that, you need to know what progress looks like.

Are you one that likes to hit milestones? Create one for each week of your goal. Complete it then check that bad boy off your list in bright pink highlighter. Do you respond to reviewing your progress and comparing it to where you are going? Take a recap of your day and find what worked or what didn’t to help motivate you through the next.

Whatever your personality, create a way to define and measure your goal that works for you — such as a checklist for the week or a list of accomplishments in a daily gratitude journal. Me? I love a good planner and a great accountability group so I’ve established both with some of my closest friends. We’re doing it together.

Steps Three (and Four): Make your goals reasonable.

We need to make it something that we can attain, not something out of our reach. Stretch yourself but don’t set yourself up for failure by choosing something that is outside reasonable expectations.

We also need a way to keep it in the realm of what we are capable of doing at this season in our spoonie life.

But, here’s the thing…

I believe that we should not limit ourselves because of our chronic illnesses. We are more than the sum of our diseases. If you want it, go for it. Just not when you are working on hacking some new habits for the year.

If you can dream it, put it on a dream board. I’m a big fan of those and will be creating one for the year to come. But, this kind of dream isn’t good for establishing new habits. We need a goal that we can rock without stress.

Your Last Step: Don’t forget to give yourself time — just not too much!

Finally, we need to put a time limit on how long we will try to form this habit otherwise we run the risk of frustrating ourselves because we haven’t gotten it “soon enough.”

Having a time-bound goal is helpful for anyone, but it is especially helpful for those of us living with chronic illness. It gives us both a finish line to reach for and a finish line to relax in. It’s a reminder to keep going just as much as it is a reminder that the pain of change won’t last forever.

My current time-bound goal? A 30-day yoga challenge by Yoga with Adrienne meant to establish a daily practice of yoga as well as encourage self care and self love. It gives me something to strive towards but also the knowledge that if I can make it 30 days I will have reached my goal. It’s not that I have to do something for 365 days of the year. I just have to make it through the month before I evaluate and set another goal.

Putting a time limit on my goal lets me know that I can do this. I think it will work the same for you.

Let’s recap…

Consider these things when choosing the habits you want to instill in your life:

1. Take your symptoms into account. Don’t choose something that is outside what you can comfortably do each day.
2. Give yourself time. Understand that it takes at least 21 days to create a new habit. But, don’t dwell on something that isn’t working either. Know when to adjust or cut ties with a habit that isn’t for you.
3. Choose something that you can maintain. Putting on make up every day might be a good goal for some, but I just don’t like make up enough to wear it when I’m not leaving the house. This would not be the goal for me.

What habit are you trying to instill this year? Will you use SMART steps? I’d love to hear about what you are working toward this year. Tell me in the comments below or catch me on social media!

Stephanie Pitcher Fishman is a writer, blogger, and mom living with chronic illness, a mid-life baby, and a coffee addiction. She writes about fake people (fiction), dead people (family history and genealogy), and sick people (herself included.) Read more at writerbloggermom.com, and don’t forget to say hi on Twitter.

Last week, my holiday thoughts centered on my small shopping budget and my kids’ big expectations. I came to the conclusion that it isn’t their expectations that I was trying to exceed. It was the expectations of the season that society set for us. And it doesn’t matter. They won’t remember what is in the box.

Your Kids Won’t Remember What Was in the Box

Once we’ve released the idea that stuff is the meaning of Christmas, it’s time to turn our thoughts on the other stressor of the season: how we spend our time.

What’s your holiday season like?

No matter what holiday you celebrate — Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Three Kings Day — there are things that we do in order to create the perfect experience for our families. It’s not just the gifts that take my focus away from the meaning of the holiday. It’s planning and executing the special meals, the annual activities, and the outings with family and friends that get my stress levels high.

It was the same in my multi-faith family for two decades, no matter which holiday we were celebrating. We had a calendar filled with seasonal activities. It was exhausting.

Then again, I’m a mom with anxiety so maybe it’s just me.

When we were rushing through the weeks leading to Christmas and Hanukkah, we lost the quiet moments. I lost the meaningful moments.

I’m not advocating that we eliminate everything on the schedule or tell the kids that mommy can’t read their favorite Christmas book eight hundred times. I’m advocating that we are intentional about where we spend our energy just as we are trying to be intentional about where we spend our money. This will allow us to read those special books with our children. Eight. Hundred. Times.

What stays and what goes?

After nearly two decades with the same spouse and extended family, I got divorced. Now, I’ve got a new spouse and a new extended family which means finding a balance again between my traditions and his. We are also creating the traditions that we want for our youngest daughter as a blend of those two families.

Deciding which activities we will keep is a work in progress. It isn’t going to happen overnight.

Families have an emotional attachment to the way that they decorate or the foods that we eat at a holiday meal. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s tradition! We have to be careful — for us as much as for our kids — when we start monkeying with that tradition.

Much like I did with simplifying our gift giving this year, I’ve decided to look at meaning versus costs — physical and financial. I live with chronic illness, so factoring this in is also a method of self-care for me.

Holiday Self Care in 7 Quick Tips

I’m asking myself a few basic questions:

• Is this something my kids will remember when they are adults?
• Is it something that everyone enjoys?
• Is it in line with our renewed focus on the meaning of the holiday and not the commercialism of the “holiday”?

If an event can pass these requirements, then it stays. If it doesn’t, it goes. This is my easy way through the hard job of simplifying holiday traditions.

I’m making the evaluation a question with clear yes or no answers which will, in theory, help eliminate the guilt for me. So far, it’s working.

What’s changing for us?

Having a toddler in the house dictates quite a few of our choices in decorations, meal preparations, and activities. When I think about what I want my home to feel like during this season of Advent, the simple nature of child-proofing fits — again! — with my goal: simplicity and meaning.

We’re going to decorate, but we aren’t going to feel like it needs to be perfect or in every nook and cranny. I want our home to reflect the warmth of the season in a way that my family can feel (and the baby can touch.) I’m not sending out 150 Christmas cards. I’ll make phone calls, send notes, and ignore the idea that I need to send a card to people I love to let them know I am wishing them a wonderful holiday season.

We’re going to make salt dough ornaments and Christmas cookies, not reservations. We are blessed to live in a metropolitan area with a lot of holiday-themed activities. But you know what? These are the things that my daughter remembers from her childhood. These are the memories that she connects to our holiday celebrations. So, these traditions will stay.

We’re going to enjoy our time together. I’m not going to pack the month with Martha Stewart-style expectations. If I did, it would take me away from my family for planning, execution, and clean up. That’s the opposite of what I want this season. I want to be with my kids, not away from them.

I’m not going to just celebrate Christmas this year. I’m going to experience it.

What’s your focus for the holiday season? Share it with me in the comments below.

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Stephanie Pitcher Fishman is a writer, blogger, and mom living with chronic illness, a mid-life baby, and a coffee addiction. She writes about fake people (fiction), dead people (family history and genealogy), and sick people (herself included.) Read more at writerbloggermom.com, and don’t forget to say hi on Twitter.

About five years ago, I started thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up. My youngest daughter at the time only had a few more years in high school which meant I only had a few more years before I was laid off from my job as a homeschooling mom. I had a wise friend suggest that I find what my passion would be outside my kids before that happened.

So I started writing.

Words filled my thoughts as well as every empty space in my day. With a teenager as the youngest, I was able to find time to write almost whenever I wanted. She could make her own dinner and entertain herself. I didn’t have to supervise her every moment of the day. I was a little spoiled.

I carved a pretty nice little niche out for myself as an indie author and a freelance writer. It was a modest living, but I was on my way to a solid career. And then, I got the best surprise of my life — a midlife baby.

I found myself in a high-risk pregnancy during a phase known as “advanced maternal age.” Besides to making me eat everything in sight, the new baby also demanded every ounce of energy that my brain had allotted to creative pursuits. The words left me.

This isn’t a complaint. I adore my youngest daughter, and she is exactly what my life needed. But she did add a plot twist to my writing adventure. What good is a writer who doesn’t have the time, energy, or ideas to write? Not much.

Dear Old Mothers

For the nine months of pregnancy and the first year of her life, I didn’t do much writing. I created a short series of picture books that I wanted to read to her, but beyond that every project stalled. I couldn’t find the words to make characters come alive when I was a walking zombie myself. (Why didn’t I write zombie fiction…)

When my daughter turned a year old, I decided that I wanted to write again. I needed to write again. My heart had been mourning the loss of words, and it was time to add them to my life for my sanity and the sanity of my family.

Writing with a toddler is a terrifying situation. It’s virtually impossible to write while she’s awake. Most days my kid doesn’t sleep well, so writing during nap time is out. Night time? I’m exhausted.

Finding a routine was excruciating, and I’m still working on putting together the right one for my family. But, I did figure out a few things that are important to my success.

Find a writer mom friend.

It’s great to have friends who are moms. It’s great to have friends who are writers. But it’s necessary to have writer mom friends if you are going to be successful at this creative calling that is also wrapped in poopy diapers and roasts that didn’t thaw in time to put them on for dinner. No one quite understands like another writer mom in the trenches.

I’m lucky that I have a few different friends who are writer moms. Some are where I was a few years ago — writing with a quiet house and a hot coffee. One is in the middle of potty training and homeschooling. She gets me.

She’s there when I need someone to tell me that I have to write (even if it is crap.)

She’s there when I can’t sort out all the marketing, planning, and promotion that needs to come with being an indie author (because there’s just ALL. THE. THINGS.)

She’s there when I am convinced that I am writing in vain, spinning my wheels for no reason since no one will read my novels or my stories about mental health.

I’d be sunk if I didn’t have someone who knew how real the struggle was. She throws me a lifeline (usually in the form of a gif) and helps bring me back to my goal of being a writer.

Make room for self-care.

It’s too easy for us to fall into the routine of squeezing in a writing sprint here and a blog post there during any free time during the day. Even more likely are the nights that we are sitting in a darkened kitchen, banging away at the keyboard while the rest of the house sleeps.

If you aren’t taking time to relax and care for yourself, you risk becoming bitter toward your writing. Your characters will take a hit. The storyline will suffer. Writing won’t be fun anymore.

Whatever you do, don’t let this happen. As a writer, you are your instrument. The laptop and pen might be the tool you use, but your creativity is the instrument that makes music. Take care of it — of you — so that you can continue to send your own unique composition into the world.

Use tech to your advantage.

We may have different finish lines — a novel, a poetry collection, a nonfiction book — but we all have the same goal. To get those words out of our hearts and into the hands of readers. Do what you have to in order to do that. Use what you have available to you.

Maybe you use an app to help you remember character ideas while standing in line at the grocery store. Or, maybe you crank up that Kindle Fire for your toddler to watch videos so you have a few more minutes to finish a blog post. Don’t judge me.

Either way, sometimes a little technology can go a long way to keeping you moving forward in your wordgirl dreams. And that is the point of all these sleepless nights and stolen moments.

Keep writing, girl. You got this.

Are you a stay-at-home writer with kids? I’d love to hear how you manage to give parenting and creating a balanced approach. Share your story with me in the comments below.

Stephanie Pitcher Fishman is a writer, blogger, and mom living with chronic illness, a mid-life baby, and a coffee addiction. She writes about fake people (fiction), dead people (family history and genealogy), and sick people (herself included.) Read more at writerbloggermom.com, and don’t forget to say hi on Twitter.

Being a creative person is hard. It’s full of doubts that creep up in every shadow, corner, or quiet moment in our minds. It’s time we start believing in ourselves so we can impact the world.

We plug into communities of artists, writers, and musicians where we encourage and support others creating in the same space that we are. Yet, when it comes to our own work, we let anxiety and doubt creep in to convince us that we aren’t going to do anything with our passion or talent.

Why do we do that? I’m still trying to sort out that answer.

We would never dream of telling another writer to give up because their work is garbage, yet we tell ourselves that with any dry spell or writer’s block. We are harder on our own psyche than that of a friend or even enemy.

It’s time we start treating ourselves like a friend instead of an enemy and believe in what we are doing.

“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” Slyvia Plath

Stop comparing and start supporting — yourself and others.

Comparison kills the heart of every creative. What makes us get trapped in the cycle of holding our work up to that of another (usually more successful) author? We all have our own experiences to share through our art, and each one has meaning.

I’ve been working with a friend over the last few weeks to help each other put forward movement into some of our projects. When you are an independent creative, you work in stolen moments and corner spaces — alone. Creating a mastermind group with my friend and several other writers has given me something that I don’t normally have in my chosen avenue of employment: work friends.

It’s amazing the boost of confidence and motivation that come with setting goals within a group of creatives. The accountability is amazing, but better yet is the advice that we give when we struggle. We always have a kind word for that person. We share the reality that this career path is hard but worth it, so we must keep going.

We are talking to the other members of the group, but really we are also saying what we need to hear. It’s time we started listening to ourselves.

Your work matters.

Whether you are writing as a mental health advocate or to entertain preschoolers through jokes, the work you are doing is important. It makes a difference in the lives of others to see someone else rise above struggle or to be given a moment of fun with their child. If we stop what we are doing, someone will miss it. It’s hard to accept at times, but it’s true.

I struggle with anxiety and chronic pain. A friend struggles with a different mental illness. Several authors I know are in toxic relationships or have a child who is bullied because of autism. All of our voices need to be heard.

It doesn’t matter that my structure or style isn’t as unique as Toni Morrison or that my worlds aren’t as fantastic as Stephen King. I can reach people because of the emotions my experiences bring to the work.

If I allow my self-doubt to stand in the way, I’m not just robbing myself of the experiences. I’m robbing others of the support or distraction.

Believe in yourself so others will, too.

I’m not advocating — or dissing — a “see it, be it” type of lifestyle. But the truth is that if we don’t believe in ourselves, no one else will. It’s something cliche that we all know, yet we rarely follow it.

“If you hear a voice within you that says you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” Vincent van Gogh

My older daughter has a great way of instilling bravado into my belief. She leaves me notes on the wall that sits behind my desk. If she hears me say that I don’t have faith in my abilities, I find reminders of the things that I have done well in the past written in a quick scrawl on a yellow post-it note slapped just above where the edge of my laptop will sit. And, she writes it as if I was saying it to myself.

I’m forced to look at that post-it note while I write, reminding me that I can and should continue writing.

It’s not my ego getting petted that gives me confidence. It’s saying to myself that I have accomplished something that lives deep within my heart where our most sacred passions reside.

As writers, we have to believe in ourselves and function within that belief in all that we do otherwise we will never write that post, hit send on that submission, or write the first sentence of the novel. Belief leads to action, and action changes our attitudes (and the world — see my earlier point on impact!)

Consider me your yellow post-it note telling you to believe in yourself until you can do it on your own without me.

Do you struggle with self-doubt in relation to your art? How do you handle the nagging voice of doubt that sometimes gets far too loud? Let us know how you combat it in the comments below. Your suggestion might be the thing another creative needs to hear today.

Stephanie Pitcher Fishman is a writer, blogger, and mom living with chronic illness, a mid-life baby, and a coffee addiction. She writes about fake people (fiction), dead people (family history and genealogy), and sick people (herself included.) Read more at writerbloggermom.com, and don’t forget to say hi on Twitter.

The Writing Cooperative is a community of people helping each other write better.

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It’s Time to Believe In Yourself was originally published in The Writing Cooperative on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I’ve struggled with anxiety and panic disorder for many years now. Early in my years as a mother, I was fairly carefree and healthy — both mentally and physically. I felt like I was on fire as a parent.

When my anxiety ninja attacked, I wondered how it would affect how I raised my kids. I was afraid that it would make me less than they deserved. After years of doubt, I realized that much like every other event in life, struggles with your mental health can have both positive and negative effects.

As surprised as I was, I learned one important lesson: My anxiety has made me a better parent, and my kids are better for it.

#1: My anxiety makes me a more hands-on parent.

Whether it’s fear that I’ll miss out on experiences or the reality that I actually do because of panic attacks, I’ve found that I am extremely focused on connecting with my kids — especially my toddler.

Anxiety is a Liar

My anxiety whispers the lie that I won’t be around as she grows. It causes me to worry what I want her to remember should I not be around on her wedding day or the day she becomes a mother. My rational mind reacts by packing in as many experiences and traditions as I can while she’s growing up. The benefit for her is that we spend a lot of time doing things together. It is intentional and focused rather than just taking up the same space at the same time.

We connect. And it’s amazing (and fun!) I’ve found that my mind has shifted from the worry that I will be gone to the focus of quality experiences with her. Funny enough, the anxiety led to a shift in perspective that ended up reducing my anxiety.

Anxiety inception.

#2: It leads me to think ahead and plan.

By nature, I’m a procrastinator. I am spontaneous and have a tendency toward a change in plans. I go with the flow — and the weather, or my feeling, or whatever cool idea I saw on Facebook or Pinterest that day. I don’t like sticking to a schedule. I want to experience life in a free-spirit fashion.

But that was before I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder.

Now, my reality is that my anxious brain is always bombarding me with cruel what-ifs and maybes that cause me to channel my inner planner. I think through scenarios and carry twice the clothing we need on trips.

And it’s awesome! My kids are rarely without something that they need. I may have mismatching outfits, but I always have a spare change of clothing for my toddler. I have extra toys, snacks, and rain-check plans in abundance. My anxiety makes me a better planner. And, the plan helps reduce my anxiety.

#3: My experience with anxiety helps me comfort my children.

When I was growing up, it didn’t seem that we talked about anxiety much. My doctors looked for causes with a root in traditional medicine, but one it was determined that it didn’t have one I was on my own.

My mother was awesome at helping me cope the best way we knew how. (Hi Mom!) But she just didn’t have the resources that are available to parents today.

In the course of my life, I managed to produce two very empathetic, very anxious daughters. Making anxious babies is my superpower. With that, comes the responsibility of helping these kids learn to live with the anxiety that follows them.

Because I have dealt with both appropriate and unhealthy levels of anxiety, I can recognize the look of fear as it crawls across my daughter’s face or croaks it in her voice as she calls my cell phone just to say hello. I see it in my toddler when the crowd becomes a little too large or a scary noise comes expectedly from the kitchen.

I may not be able to remove the anxiety from their lives, but because I have lived with it for all of mine, I am able to walk alongside them to show them how to cope. My experiences can help guide them through theirs.

These things are all helpful, but there is a downside to parenting with anxiety.

My anxiety can also make me miss out on memories.

More than once I’ve had to tell my kids that I couldn’t go somewhere with them because I couldn’t handle the crowds or location. I’ve stayed home because my breathing was labored from anxiety or my heart wouldn’t stop having palpitations caused by the adrenaline rush I got just thinking about stepping out of the house.

It’s happened more than once, and I’m sure it will happen again.

I don’t travel as much as I would love to because I just can’t. The anxiety that comes with it makes me evaluate what is truly worth the panic attacks and what isn’t. And if I don’t go, they don’t go. My anxiety causes them to miss out.

When these moments strike, I try to remind myself that it will pass. Some days I’m more successful at living with my mental and physical health challenges. Others, they have more control over me.

But I always remember that I am doing my best, no matter what kind of day it is. And that is what truly makes me a good parent.

Need some resources to help you?

If you are parenting with anxiety, check out these resources for ideas and support.

• Don’t Panic: Advice for Moms with Anxiety Disorders
• The Inner Monologue of a Mom with Anxiety
• Parenting When You Have Anxiety Can Be Terrifying — But It Can Also Be a Positive Thing

What has your anxiety or depression taught you about being a parent? Let’s chat in the comments. We can support each other here and through social media.

Your experience may be the advice that another parent needs to hear today!

Stephanie Pitcher Fishman is a writer, blogger, and mom living with chronic illness, a mid-life baby, and a coffee addiction. She writes about fake people (fiction), dead people (family history and genealogy), and sick people (herself included.) Read more at writerbloggermom.com, and don’t forget to say hi on Twitter.

3 Ways My Anxiety Makes Me a Better Parent was originally published in Publishous on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.