Blended families bring lots of new stressors into a relationship. Anxiety is high and sometimes your attempts to help your family to blend just increases the anxiety for everyone. In this episode, Darren & Paige talk about causes of anxiety and how to deal with anxiety in your family.

Finding the cause - It is right in your face.

• Establishing a new family structure
  • new parent styles
  • different methods of discipline
  • different expectations of how children should behave
• Steep learning curve
• Co-Parenting with your Ex. 
• Children become pawns in the broken relationship. Watch out for this.
• Someone else is in the picture when you are raising your new family.

How to lessen the anxiety

• It’s about testing what works and what doesn’t work while making sure that children feel safe and secure in the process.
• Sit down and establish ground rules before your blend the families. Hard to do because you have on rose-colored glasses.
•  Adults need to work hard to make everyone feel equal in the house.
• 6 ideas to lessen the anxiety
  • Figure out a co-parenting plan with your spouse early on.
  • When you start to feel overwhelmed, take it one hurdle at a time.
  • See your family -- including the exes -- as a team.
  • Invest in a chore chart
  • Remind yourself to celebrate even the smallest of victories.
  • Whatever you do, don't aim for perfection.

Time and acceptance of your new reality.

•  If you keep hoping for something outside of your control will change it will continue to increase the anxiety.
•  Known when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, and know when to run.
•  Change your expectations. 
•  Get over the one-sided parenting. It is okay to be the one that does not put the kids in the middle.
•  Pick what is worth the anxiety. Let other things go.
•  Get rid of the feeling that you need to "Win".

Articles.

- http://www.essentialkids.com.au/development-advice/development/the-anxiety-of-the-blended-family-20130227-2f542

- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/6-ways-to-handle-stress-_n_5002607

- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-ugly-truth-about-blended-families_b_589363b6e4b0b4d609210569