Transforming Challenges and Worry Into Positive Change on Your Evolving Autism Journey as a Mom

Welcome back to another episode of the Thriving Moms of Autistics Podcast. 

Have you ever had a close call or been in an accident where you felt that lightning bolt of fight or flight go right through you? Your heart was beating a mile a minute, and you were left with disbelief, asking yourself “What just happened?” 

When my son was about 4, he loved running up and down the hallway giggling at church. He would run like the wind. I used to say that he would run in the Olympics some day. 

One day, he was running as fast as he could down the hallway as the church let out. This day was different. He made an unexpected turn when someone opened the door to the exit.

My heart skipped a beat as husband and I bolted after him as the herd of people exited to the parking lot that had a very busy street on the other side of it. 

I thought it was odd that no one stopped as the tiny child flew past them while we were making our way through the crowd, yelling his name in utter horror. You could tell something was so wrong.

I was scheduled to have ankle surgery, which slowed me down considerably. It felt like we were moving in slow motion. Have you ever seen something happening right in front of you and you had little power to stop it. You imagined the worst that could happen on repeat in your brain. 

Just when I saw the worst in my mind as my son was approaching the busy road, a man in the parking lot stopped his car, got out, and stopped my son. Had he not been there, this would be a very different ending to the story.

In this episode, we explore ways to effectively manage anxiety and worry and achieve peace on your autism journey.  

Find the full transcript for this episode on your favorite podcast app. 

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Moms of Autistics Experience Ongoing Anxiety and Stress

Anxiety and worry are common in moms of autistics. We experience so many challenges. Many of those have life or death consequences or severe consequences at best. So it makes sense that we experience high levels of anxiety.

These ongoing experiences are hard on our mind and body. Our stress level is out of this world. That’s probably not going to change much.

How we respond and what we do with it is very important for our longevity. Longevity is key for moms of autistics. We want to live as long as we can for our children. One of our greatest fears is what will happen when we’re gone.

When I started out as a therapist three decades ago, we didn’t have the research that we have now on how stress truly impacts us physically. In fact, we thought that panic attacks just felt like a heart attack, but they didn’t have super lasting effects.  Now we know more as a result of ongoing research.

Chronic worrying can impact one’s sleep, lifestyle habits, appetite, and so much more. It can even lead to overeating and addiction.

Also, chronic worrying can impact your mindset and invade your thoughts. 

I explore this in my Thrive course. I help moms break down the origins of their stinking thinking, how it impacts them, and what to do about it. This is critical for well-being. 

I feel this on a deep level because I have been there, have overcome this myself, and I am devoted to helping moms achieve higher well-being. Why? Because they deserve it! …So do their children. When moms are doing well, it overflows onto their children and has a positive impact on them. 

THIS! This is what it is all about, right!!! 

How Do Moms of Au