Tess Holliday Nails the Anxiety Most Parents Are Feeling in Lockdown

Parents on lockdown across the country are really just trying to do their best. Parenting is a job that’s already full of stress and anxiety—add in a pandemic and it can feel like an impossible situation. But Tess Holliday wants you to know you’re not alone.

Yesterday the model and mom of two posted to Instagram a picture of herself with her 3-year-old son Bowie. “I’m doing my best.⁣⁣ I’m doing my best. ⁣⁣I’m doing my best. ⁣⁣Being a parent is already 24/7 guilt/stress/anxiety, but being a parent during all of this is another level of anxiety that I didn’t know existed,” she wrote in the caption. “I’m finding it so difficult to navigate work or to even feel creative enough to put out content, find time for myself, or most importantly, be a present parent. I feel so much guilt that I’m not able to juggle it all & stay sane right now. I constantly feel like it’s not enough.”

“I know I’m not alone in this. So far all of [the] parents & caretakers out there, it’s okay to not have it all figured out right now. If someone tells you they do, they are lyingggggg. So I apologize in advance that I’m not gonna be giving y’all tik tok dances, bread recipes or hair tutorials in quarantine (at least not anytime soon),” she continues. “But if you want dumb memes, someone who cries in the bathroom while eating cold scalloped potatoes & begging their 3 yr old to not drink the bath water, then you’re in the right place. We are all just doing our best right now, whatever that looks like. I’m sending y’all love & hugs right now.”

Her message has struck a chord with parents in quarantine everywhere. “Thank you so much! I feel everything in this post right now. It is so hard and I just keep trying to be grateful and let go of the guilt. This made me feel so much better,” one follower wrote, while another commented, “Thanks for this. Having a rough day. I needed to know there are others out there who are crying in the bathroom.”

If you’re struggling to balance everything in this new normal, know you’re not alone. There are ways you and your kids can develop good mental health, as well as plenty of meditation resources to help new and expectant moms.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.