"normal" anxiety?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-15-1998
"normal" anxiety?
7
Mon, 08-28-2006 - 4:50pm

Is there ever a point you feel "normal" anxiety? How can you tell? My oldest dd is in second grade and at the end of last year was reading over 2 years about grade level. They started school last Thursday, and today she came home with her new reading book for homework and it is level 2.2 (second grade, second month)! She should be at least in the 3rd grade level, and now I am so upset about it that I can hardly think of any else. I sent an email to her teacher inquiring about the level, but now I find myself thinking-- "Is it normal for me to be feeling this way? Am I obsessing? Does this mean that my Lexapro isn't working properly? Or would "normal" moms react like this too?"

Do you find yourself second guessing yourself? I talked to my best friend, and she agreed that I should be concerned, but she also has anxiety disorders! LOL

There are probably a lot of understandable reasons that she would be reading in this book (all the kids started in this book, the teacher wants to do independent testing, she hasn't gotten test scores from last year, etc) but until I have "THE" answer, I can't get it out of my head. I guess I am answering my own question-- it certainly sounds obsessive as I type it all out.
How long does it take an increased dose of a med to take effect? As long as the first dose took? I increased my Lexapro from 10-15mg last Tuesday evening (I take it at night) so I wonder if it still isn't enough. Or if I can't expect it will keep me from feeling this way.

Thanks for listening. I am so glad I found this board.
Karen

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Mon, 08-28-2006 - 5:17pm

I can understand how you feel, but don't bring so much anxiety on regarding dd.

Sheri Ann

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-15-1998
Mon, 08-28-2006 - 5:30pm

Thanks Sheri Ann,
I spoke to dh too and he agreed that it was "normal" to worry about this. I guess I am just feeling a little hypersensitive and hyperanalytical. I guess part of the problem is that I spent the majority of my life thinking that the amount of worry and anxiety I had was normal, and now I just don't feel like I know what normal is. LOL

The best thing about this board is that I always felt that people (friends, family) didn't want to hear about the things I "obsessed" about (I even had used that term in the past, never realizing that I really was clinically obsessing!) so it was hard to talk to people without being embarrassed or feeling I was bothering people. Now I know you all will understand and not think I am being silly.

Thanks!
Karen

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2003
Mon, 08-28-2006 - 6:41pm

hi karen...i TOTALLY know what you mean...i can't really tell the difference between normal anxiety and other anxiety....its sooo hard to tell when you're use to constantly being anxious...


ahhh! i try and constantly remind myself that some anxiety is normal, but i just want it all to be gone!


i think it becomes a problem when your anxiety goes to something you cannot stop thinking about and when it really starts to bother you, then you need to learn to take a step back and re-evaluate the situation...i'm still working on this one...


keep us updated on how it goes

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-15-1998
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 8:56am

SO here is the update-- last evening I had to go to a meeting with a friend who is a different 2nd grade teacher at my dd's school and I explained the situation and asked her if I should be concerned. She said that in second grade, there are only 2 reading texts, so 2.2 is actually the highest second grade level. (1st grade went through 1.6) Also, since they are not able to use the texts from different grades, they do this one for the grammar, then move into trade paperbacks. She also said that they don't really use the previous year's testing, and they haven't done any testing yet,so....

Anyway, I did get an email back from the teacher, saying basically the same thing. Still not thrilled that she has to start in the second grade level, but I understand that she needs the grammar, and feel much better know it is just this one text, instead of several levels of second grade.

So crisis over. :-)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Wed, 08-30-2006 - 9:28am

I am glad you received the email back and that it is resolved.

Sheri Ann

Avatar for alsmith32
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 08-30-2006 - 10:33pm
Wow! I know how you feel. I don't know what's normal anxiety either, and I feel like it's because I too spent a lot of time thinking this was normal thinking. Lol. Anyway last night I found myself obsessing because my childhood stuffed animal had lost its eye somehow since the morning and I think the cleaning lady must have inadvertantly moved it and then its eye fell out and I spent about 1/2 an hour looking all over my dd's room (where the stuffed animal was), and then I even looked in the trash, and then I realized that perhaps I was overreacting?? It's totally not the same thing as your dd's reading level but it's weird how I just get things in my mind and can't get rid of them. I have noticed I do this a lot about things that get lost. I don't lose things very often but when I do i have a really hard time just letting it go. Perhaps I need to work on this!!! Back to the reading, I was always ahead in reading in school myself and I remember being bored, but at home I read books constantly so it didn't really matter in the long run. In 3rd grade my seat was next to the bookshelf that ran under the windows and so I would just sit there and read books under my desk! Lol! My ds is in 2nd grade too and he is a math whiz, he could do math above his level but he is doing that level math. We just try to give him math type stuff to do at home to keep his interest up, like math websites & such.
Allie
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-15-1998
Thu, 08-31-2006 - 3:39am

Thanks Allie,
I know that I do this kind of thing all the time where I feel like I am stuck on something and can't get it out of my head. But now I feel like I am second guessing a lot of what I feel, wondering if it is "normal" or not. I certainly have looked through the trash for lost items before too!
I do feel a bit better about the situation with my dd's reading, as I had another mom (whose son is on the same level as my dd) call me to see what I knew about it, since she was also worried about the book level he brought home. We decided when we talked that it is harder for the both of us because we both are former teachers. The hardest thing about being a mom with kids in school is having teachers who don't do things the way I would have. The other mom agreed. So that gave some validation to my feelings.

Anyway, I hope the eye turns up, but if it doesn't it still shows how well loved the bear was. :-)

Karen