How do I cope with anxiety caused by my teen's mood swings?

Hello, thank you for reaching out; this has been a lot for you with the responsibility to raise your children as a single parent. The challenges of a sudden loss of a spouse is devastating to the entire family. Raising a teenager with hormones developing, lifestyle changes from a two parent to a single parent household is devastating. Certainly there are financial challenges and parenting challenges, especially given problematic worries, sacrifices, and emotional hurt.

Sometimes growing up and parenting enhanced with a history of family conflicts coupled with grief can be emotionally a lot.  Anxiety can grow and grow and suddenly we find ourselves in defense mode. Anxiety comes from the amygdala in our brain, when triggers occur it's almost like an alarm clock going off. This anxious feeling you feel is quite understandable as you have experienced a lot, and care about your relationship with your son. Finding ways to communicate and talk with one another in healthy ways is important but challenging during teen years. Finding time for your own self care, listening to yourself when you need a break and you feel tired.

Allowing yourself to identify the anxious triggers that occur, and validate how you feel. Are you always reacting or do you think, listen to your thoughts and then respond. Looking at the coping strategies that work for you to emotionally regulate your feelings when there are triggers. Recognize your own self worth and happiness, not allowing yourself to get to a place of shutdown or disappointment. Looking at what you can do, and following through on tasks that is self care time, social time for you. Allowing yourself to heal from the hurt that's caused you pain and identify what anxiety triggers manifest the most, time of day, event, social settings, getting up in the morning, certain key topic triggers with your teen? Recognize the cause and effect and how the two correlate and evolve with anxious symptoms, may help you learn to build confidence, clarity, boundaries, and follow through on self praise and care.

I hear what you are saying and it's not been easy, you have tried so hard and sometimes so many responsibilities overwhelm. Life has challenges and parenting and lifestyle changes are big ones. Anxiety may feel big right now but anxiety when it's emotionally regulated may reduce symptoms when the appropriate coping strategies are implemented.