I have Emetophobia (and how I live with it)

I have always been really uncomfortable around people who are sick, including myself! When I had my daughter almost 10 years ago, it got extremely worse. I am talking really bad, so bad that when she would get up and be sick I had to stay far away her and sometimes had my husband deal with it. That is typically not a good response for a mother to have is to stay far away from our little ones when they need us the most. Anxiety would stop me in my tracks. Anxiety would tell me she would be okay and she did not need me as much as I thought. I now know anxiety is a damn lier! I knew I needed to get help and I had to stop acting like my child didn’t need me when she absolutely did!

I had to work really hard in therapy on this. The most important thing I did to try to overcome this was to get a notebook and write down the WORST things that could happen. If she woke up and threw up what would happen? My rational mind would say she would be okay and I would get her some water or juice and she would probably go back to bed feeling a little better. My anxiety told me awful things. My anxiety told me it was my fault that she was sick. My anxiety told me that she might die (yes you read that right, my anxiety told me my daughter was going to die if she threw up).

My best piece of advice I could give you is to get a notebook with your favorite affirmations and whatever else you want to remember during these times. My notebook would say: Madison is going to be okay. Madison will not die from throwing up. You can do hard things. This is temporary. I kept this notebook next to my bed for so long. I still get a little weird when someone is my presence gets sick or maybe will become sick but I am getting better everyday.

I hope this helps!

Heather