Food Centered Anxiety? Over 40? That's me.

by Olga Rosales Salinas

A friend asked me recently what life would have been like if I hadn’t had kids. My kids are just out of diapers and still full of energy and enthusiasm, so I reflexively answered, “Well, I’d get to chat with my husband again.” We both laughed. The truth is not a single thing stayed the same after having babies. Not my friendships, my career, my physical body, or my self-identity. Nothing. When you’ve been through that type of transformation, you really can’t fathom what life would have been like if you’d made different choices. Her next question hit me even harder, “Would managing your anxiety be the same without kids?”

How my anxiety changed after having kids

Before I had kids, managing anxiety was already a significant part of my life: I was in therapy, took medication, and found hobbies to cope. My anxiety was recognizable, if not manageable. After kids, several new daily triggers for my generalized anxiety popped up, mostly related to the physical changes happening to my body and—unexpectedly—food.

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