Meet Amelia: I have always been a bit of a perfectionist and liked things feeling in control. It got a lot worse when I got promoted at work and then fell pregnant shortly afterwards. I was worrying all the time about work and what my colleagues thought about me. I did more and more work at home in the evenings. I worried whether my boss thought I was doing a good enough job. I worried she thought I shouldn’t have got the promotion. I also worried if I would be a good enough mum or be able to manage work in the future. I also worried about our finances taking an extended maternity leave or if anything happened to my salary. We wouldn’t manage on just Jamie’s wage. I started to feel tense all the time. I couldn’t get to sleep at night, I couldn’t switch off. I became concerned I was worrying so much it would be bad for the baby. I spoke to my neighbour and she recommended that I went to see the local IAPT service. With their support, I used the worry management CBT techniques to feel better.
Physical symptoms Tension Difficulty sleeping Headaches Aches and pains
Behaviours Re-checking my own and team members work for mistakes Seeking reassurance from my friends and family Procrastinating Looking online about anxiety and being pregnant Taking work home
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Altered thoughts “What if I can’t manage?” “What if the team make a mistake, it will reflect on me” “What if I lose my job?” “What if my anxiety harms the baby?” “What if I will never be able to stop worrying?”
© Marie Chellingsworth (2020). The CBT Resource.
