Some mothers are victims of over-obsessing, and others are not. I am the former. Any obsessive-compulsive tendencies that I had before kids increased exponentially the moment I brought those bundles of joy home. Anxiety and worry became almost second nature. 

But I was given some good advice once. Whenever you’re fretting about something, turn your attention to caring for others … and the self-induced anxiety just kind of goes away. As mothers, our worlds can become rather small sometimes. We are focused on our families, our jobs, and our closest friends. It’s not that we’re being selfish, it’s just that we can’t find the time to fit in anything or anybody else. But that’s one of the reasons why we’re so lopsided (from a balanced-life perspective). Getting involved in your community in some service-oriented way is a very healthy move.

Unfortunately, I’m just now figuring this out. I think that my worry resulted from a life that was just too inward. For every minute that I’ve spent working in some form of community-service, I’ve noticed that I’ve become remarkably less anxious. And I’m not trying to set the world on fire. Trust me. I’m just volunteering here and there to do things like set up tables for a Chicken Pie Supper at the community church. It took 20 minutes. But the personal rewards were huge. 

There are so many ways to get involved, and you don’t have to choose something that’s all that time consuming. Whether it’s visiting a retirement home or delivering meals for a program like Meals on Wheels, you and your kids will benefit more from the experience than the individuals you’re serving. 

So next time you’re standing in the checkout line at the grocery store worrying that you didn’t buy the $7/pound organic grapes (which makes you a horrible, unloving mother), just walk right on outside and help an elderly person or another mother with a wailing kid load their groceries in their car. I bet that you’ll forget all about the grapes.