Regretful Parents: "Motherhood Has Been Hell For My Anxiety” | Reddit Stories
Dinky27 Nov

Regretful Parents: "Motherhood Has Been Hell For My Anxiety” | Reddit Stories

Welcome back to our Regretful Parents series. In this episode, Kristen and Erika react to a Reddit post titled “Motherhood Has Been Hell As An Anxious Person,” where an overwhelmed mom explains how becoming a parent completely destroyed her mental health, sleep, and sense of stability. This is one of the most honest Reddit parenting stories we’ve covered. Before having kids, the original poster felt her anxiety was under control. She had routines, sleep, self-care, time for exercise, friendships, and a stable lifestyle. But motherhood brought sleep deprivation, overstimulation, constant responsibility, and the loss of basic personal freedom. Her anxiety returned with a vengeance, leaving her controlling, exhausted, and unable to maintain her own mental or physical health.

We discuss:
• What happens when anxious people become parents
• Sleep deprivation and the mental health collapse it can cause
• The myth that motherhood is always fulfilling or “worth it”
• Why self-care is not selfish, especially for parents
• How societal pressure pushes people to have kids they aren’t prepared for
• The fear of being labeled selfish for prioritizing mental health
• Why so many parents feel regret but cannot say it out loud
• Neurodivergence, overstimulation, and sensory overload in parenting
• How childfree people often avoid these struggles by choice

If you’re exploring the childfree lifestyle, questioning parenthood, managing anxiety, or looking for honest conversations about modern parenting, this episode dives into the real challenges parents face—but aren’t allowed to talk about.

More episodes and resources: DinkyPod.com
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok: @dinkypod
Join our childfree community and group trips at DinkyPod.com
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:17 Why anxiety and motherhood often collide
02:00 How sleep deprivation destroys mental health
05:00 The motherhood myth and societal pressure
07:00 Why parents don’t expect the loss of freedom
10:00 Self-care vs. “selfishness”
13:00 Neurodivergence and sensory overload
18:00 The fear of constant danger
20:00 Final thoughts

Keywords: motherhood anxiety, anxious mom, regretting motherhood, regretful parents, parenting burnout, sleep deprivation mom, overwhelmed mom, childfree by choice, should I have kids, mental health and parenting, Reddit stories, Dinky Pod, Kristen and Erika, parenting regret, motherhood expectations, anxious parents, overstimulation parenting

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dinky--5953015/support.

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Season 2 Is Here!: Childfree & Antinatalism (With ‘The Parenting Simulator’ Creator Matt Simpson)

Season 2 Is Here!: Childfree & Antinatalism (With ‘The Parenting Simulator’ Creator Matt Simpson)

Welcome back to Season 2 of Dinky! In this season premiere, Kristen and Erika catch up on what happened during the break — from weddings, to health scares, and beyond. We introduce some new changes and cover what’ll be new in this season, including more celeb content, and a deeper dive on antinatalism and being childfree. Plus, we’re joined by Matt Simpson, the creator of the Parenting Simulator from Season 1. Listen in to hear him reveal the real reason he created the game, his takes on how to know if parenting is right for you, and more. ‘My Five Wives’ is available to stream on Discovery+ To follow Matt Simpson, find him on Twitter To play the Parenting Simulator yourself, download the app HERE. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

25 Okt 202246min

Childfree Celebs & How Pop Culture Influences DINK Life

Childfree Celebs & How Pop Culture Influences DINK Life

In this season's finale, we’ve been saving the best for last!!! Kristen & Erika love reality television, celebrity news, and gossip — so we finally combined our favorite topics of all time to discuss the intersection of the childfree lifestyle and celebrities. This episode is all about childfree icons and the pressures of having children as seen in pop culture. To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster. To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here.  Here’s a comprehensive list of every article we referenced during our conversation: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/celebrities/news/g21965029/11-celebrities-on-not-having-children/https://www.reddit.com/r/childfree/comments/w36tp5/who_are_your_favorite_childfree_celebrities/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmfhttps://www.wellesley.edu/news/2014/04/node/41168https://screenrant.com/best-tv-shows-about-married-couples-without-children/amp/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

29 Aug 20221h 1min

BONUS: Americans Have A Lot To Learn From Japanese Women

BONUS: Americans Have A Lot To Learn From Japanese Women

This bonus is special conversation that was cut from our episode on the declining birth rate on the factors behind Japan's shrinking population, and the genius way Japanese women have handled the inequality in parenting relationships.  To learn more about Japan's shrinking population, read this article from the New York Times.  To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster: https://www.redlobster.com/ To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

25 Aug 202212min

The Birth Rate Decline, Elon Musk, And A Depleted Social Security

The Birth Rate Decline, Elon Musk, And A Depleted Social Security

Whether you’ve seen it mentioned by Elon Musk on Twitter or in a panic article by the New York Times, you’ve probably heard buzz lately about concerns about the declining birth rate. In this episode, we discuss the global trend, how different countries are tackling the issue, how it will affect millennials in particular, and chat through how worried we really should be. Try out our TikTok filter & find out what sit down dinner you are: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRfS22r1/ To learn more about the declining birth rates worldwide, visit: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/total-fertility-rate To learn about the impacts COVID had on birth rates, read this article by NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/us/us-birthrate-falls-covid.html To learn more on why folks are freaking out over it, read this article by WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/06/30/the-u-s-fertility-rate-just-hit-a-historic-low-why-some-demographers-are-freaking-out/ Check out this article on how Social Security will be impacted: https://feeds.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/questions-answers/how-much-longer-will-social-security-be-around.html?_amp=true To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster: https://www.redlobster.com/ To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

23 Aug 202252min

Maintaining Friendships After Kids

Maintaining Friendships After Kids

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, there’s a good chance you’ve lost friends as people you knew started to have kids. In today’s episode, Kristen and Erika chat about how to cope when you’re the last childfree person in your friend group, and the best and worst advice the internet has to offer on maintaining friendships with friends after they become parents. Have a question? Email us at dinkypod@gmail.com. Read “Hi, From Your Childless Friend” by A Cup Of Jo. More stats on being childfree: https://time.com/241/having-it-all-without-having-children/ On parents staying friends with childfree folks: https://archive.nytimes.com/parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/can-parents-stay-friends-with-the-child-free/ To buy yourself fresh flowers, visit bouqs.com To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster: https://www.redlobster.com/ To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

16 Aug 202256min

Adoption, Fostering, And Chosen Families

Adoption, Fostering, And Chosen Families

What defines a family? To some, family is about blood relations. For others, family is something you develop with people you love and trust. If you’ve ruled out having biological children, what other options are there to form alternative family arrangements? In this episode, we discuss adoption, foster care, and other “unconventional” family structures. Have a question? Email us at dinkypod@gmail.com. To learn more about adoption and the trauma adopted children experience, buy a copy of ‘Primal Wound’: https://bookshop.org/a/56255/9780963648006 If you’d like to learn more about celebs who were adopted, visit Popsugar.com: https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Celebrities-Who-Were-Adopted-37979874/amp To read on about celebs who were estranged from their parents, visit Ranker.com: https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-are-estranged-from-their-parents/celebrity-lists Our research on family structures came from ifstudies.org: https://ifstudies.org/blog/more-than-60-of-u-s-kids-live-with-two-biological-parents/ On adoption: https://adoptionnetwork.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-adopt-a-child/ https://adoptionart.org/adoption/private-adoption-vs-agency-adoption/ https://time.com/6051811/private-adoption-america/ https://adoptionswithlove.org/adoptive-parents/how-long-does-it-take-to-adopt https://www.holtinternational.org/top-10-myths-about-adopting-from-china/ https://childrenofallnations.com/adoption-programs/asia/china-adoption/#requirements On fostering: https://www.childrensrights.org/newsroom/fact-sheets/foster-care/ On childfree alternatives: https://thesocietypages.org/ccf/2014/08/11/childfree-is-family-friendly/ To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster: https://www.redlobster.com/ To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

9 Aug 202255min

BONUS: The Red Button Theory

BONUS: The Red Button Theory

Imagine a red button that, when pressed, would instantly end human life and suffering. Would you press it? Kristen and Erika debate this concept in a special bonus episode from the cutting room floor of our Antinatalism episode. Enjoy!  Wanna connect with us on social media? You can find us on Instagram and TikTok at @dinkypod. If you have a question or comment, email us at dinkypod@gmail.com. If you’re a fan of the show, please remember to subscribe — bonus points for the extra special fans who leave us a glowing review. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

5 Aug 20224min

Antinatalism: Debating The Ethics Of Procreation

Antinatalism: Debating The Ethics Of Procreation

Grab some oat milk, because this episode is spicy! This week, Kristen and Erika ask a tough question: is procreation morally wrong? In other words, they discuss the philosophical topic of antinatalism: a controversial perspective that argues that “humans should abstain from procreation because it is morally wrong.” We chat through the theory’s major concepts, as well as everyone’s favorite topics: veganism, depression, and human suffering! (Look, it might sound like you’ll need to double up on a dose of Zoloft before tuning into the episode — but trust us, we keep it fun.) The data about unintended pregnancies can be found at: https://www.unfpa.org/press/nearly-half-all-pregnancies-are-unintended-global-crisis-says-new-unfpa-report To learn more about Antinatalism, visit Stop Having Kids: https://www.stophavingkids.org/ To read more from David Benetar (truly no relation to Pat Benetar), check out his argument in The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/the-case-for-not-being-born Watch Mr. Smith’s monologue from The Matrix (since we know you ran here for this, specifically) visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrBdYmStZJ4 To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster: https://www.redlobster.com/ To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

2 Aug 202246min

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