Anxiety is defined as:  “Distress or uneasiness of mind caused by the fear of danger or misfortune.”  Sounds about right, although a bit technical.  For me, anxiety is a rapid increase in my heartbeat, as if I’ve had a lot of espresso.  It’s a jittery, panicky feeling, which makes any type of focus impossible.  I tend to obsess over what I’m anxious about, to the point of paranoia.  Seriously.  One thing that triggers my anxiety level is when I hear, “Allie, we need to schedule an IEP meeting.”

An IEP is an Individual Education Plan for students receiving special education services.  It sounds rather innocuous, but it comes with all kinds of emotional baggage for the parents.  On its best day, it’s kind of like a State of the Union address.  The school tells you all that they’ve accomplished for your child, with goals met and mastered and a plan is drafted to raise the bar.  At its worst, momma storms out of the meeting, slamming a heavy, industrial-sized door, which reverberates so loudly, I will still hear it in my subconscious, a year later.  (It was not my finest hour.)  Continue reading IEP Anxiety →