Child sickness anxiety on a big work day

When you have a big day at work, or a day when you MUST be in the office, do you every get ‘child sickness anxiety’?   I am sure it’s not a proper technical term, but let me explain.

Last week I was the keynote speaker for a Women in Leadership event, I was Chairing the day and delivering a workshop.  Then on Friday, I had a team strategy session for the Ludo team.  The night before, on both occasions, I had a bad nights sleep.  Not from anxiety of the big day ahead but anxiety my son would be unwell in the night or wake up unwell in the morning.

As a solo parent, he HAD to go to school.  My logistics depended on it.  There was no one else who could have stepped in at short notice, I don’t have family that live close by, and the worry of it kept playing on my mind.  I have had aupairs, and had a nanny for my girls when they were small, and it never seemed to worry me.  You might argue, the show must go on, and I know it does.  If I had failed to show up, things would have worked themselves out.  Going with the flow, pivoting in a moment, and replanning is the way it goes as a parent AND as a Founder of my own business, I want to show up.  I want to do well, I want to be my best.

More than ever, the idea of not showing up because my child is unable to go to school, feels crippling at 2am.  This is Mum worry, Mum guilt and Mum love all wrapped into one!  The pressure we put on ourselves, and the emotional weight we carry is too much sometimes.

I noticed the feeling, I noticed the worry I felt, and I noticed the pressure I was putting on myself.  I had a word with myself and told that inside voice to stop saying negative stuff, and I visualised myself on the stage delivering the keynote, I visualised myself leading my team strategy day and I visualised my son running in to school, happy and well!

Sometimes we just need to reframe the narrative and imagine the best, and go with the flow if the plan doesn’t go the way we expect.

By Elizabeth, Ludo Founder