I'm in an awesome mood today, but that is not always the case when you're postpartum. A lot of women suffer from postpartum depression and/or anxiety, and that's nothing to be ashamed of.
There are obvious things that help: getting a sitter, going out, or talking to your doctor and getting a prescription. But for one reason or another, some women just can't do those things. So I've put a short list of my personal postpartum pick-me-ups together.
1. Breathe & Stretch
Shallow breath in, deep breath out. Exhale twice as long as you inhale. Ground yourself: repeat a mantra, state things around you, whatever will help soothe you.
I repeat: My name , my age, who I am.
It's comforting to me. I spent forever figuring out who I am; so knowing that in a time of weakness makes me feel a little bit stronger. If you don't know who you are list off hobbies and likes, even if they aren't talents. For an example, I consider myself a dancer; dancing makes me feel amazing. But I don't possess the rhythm or coordination necessary to make a skill out of it.
And stretching just feels awesome and relaxes you!
2. Favorite snack (or some other favorite thing)
I'm not talking about binge eating. Hey, someone's favorite snack may be blueberries! My tip here is: chocolate is not always good for you, neither is a soda, but depression and anxiety are much worse for you. Having something to look forward to puts me at ease. But you can definitely replace the snack with some other favorite- like a movie, a bible scripture, 15 minutes to dance; I usually pick chocolate. My overall point is: take the few extra calories over a panic attack if you have to. And again I'm not endorsing binge eating; I'm just saying treat yourself.
3. Watch what you eat
Yes, I'm contradicting myself. Here's what I'm saying: one snack a day isn't going to kill you. However, if you constantly eat junk food: it's doing more harm than good. Eat real meals with vegetables and fruit, vitamins and protein. Constant fast food and chips aren't just bad for your body, they're horrible for your mind too. It's a huge difference in how you feel once you cut the junk down. I've found that I'm more prone to anxiety when we've had more fast, fried, and unhealthy food.
4. Hot bath/shower
You never have time, right? Wrong (for most people anyway). Disconnect from social media and television, and I'm sure that somewhere in your day you will find that you have at least 30 minutes to take a hot, relaxing bath or shower. I wake up early just to get my "me" time in. It makes a huge difference in how my day goes and how I feel.
4. Be positive
This is the hardest and easiest. I have not always been optimistic. But fake positivity is stronger than real negativity. Even if you don't believe "it's going to be okay" say it anyway, out loud. If you're just pissing yourself off, keep saying it. Repeat it. Say it louder. Write it down. Fake it until you make it. This is actual advice I've received from a professional, and it works the best for me on my worse days. I guess it's hard to remain in a negative mindset when you're forcing yourself to think positive.
Postpartum depression doesn't come in a day, so it's definitely not going to leave in one. There are other tricks that aren't listed that you can do to ease the symptoms. But I strongly encourage you to seek help if you need it; don't ever shy away from calling the doctor if you are the slightest bit worried. Postpartum depression is very common and very real & can lead to causing harm to yourself or others. I just wanted to share some of my tricks with y'all (& they may not work for everyone), and let ladies know that you are definitely not alone.
There are obvious things that help: getting a sitter, going out, or talking to your doctor and getting a prescription. But for one reason or another, some women just can't do those things. So I've put a short list of my personal postpartum pick-me-ups together.
1. Breathe & Stretch
Shallow breath in, deep breath out. Exhale twice as long as you inhale. Ground yourself: repeat a mantra, state things around you, whatever will help soothe you.
I repeat: My name , my age, who I am.
It's comforting to me. I spent forever figuring out who I am; so knowing that in a time of weakness makes me feel a little bit stronger. If you don't know who you are list off hobbies and likes, even if they aren't talents. For an example, I consider myself a dancer; dancing makes me feel amazing. But I don't possess the rhythm or coordination necessary to make a skill out of it.
And stretching just feels awesome and relaxes you!
2. Favorite snack (or some other favorite thing)
I'm not talking about binge eating. Hey, someone's favorite snack may be blueberries! My tip here is: chocolate is not always good for you, neither is a soda, but depression and anxiety are much worse for you. Having something to look forward to puts me at ease. But you can definitely replace the snack with some other favorite- like a movie, a bible scripture, 15 minutes to dance; I usually pick chocolate. My overall point is: take the few extra calories over a panic attack if you have to. And again I'm not endorsing binge eating; I'm just saying treat yourself.
3. Watch what you eat
Yes, I'm contradicting myself. Here's what I'm saying: one snack a day isn't going to kill you. However, if you constantly eat junk food: it's doing more harm than good. Eat real meals with vegetables and fruit, vitamins and protein. Constant fast food and chips aren't just bad for your body, they're horrible for your mind too. It's a huge difference in how you feel once you cut the junk down. I've found that I'm more prone to anxiety when we've had more fast, fried, and unhealthy food.
4. Hot bath/shower
You never have time, right? Wrong (for most people anyway). Disconnect from social media and television, and I'm sure that somewhere in your day you will find that you have at least 30 minutes to take a hot, relaxing bath or shower. I wake up early just to get my "me" time in. It makes a huge difference in how my day goes and how I feel.
4. Be positive
This is the hardest and easiest. I have not always been optimistic. But fake positivity is stronger than real negativity. Even if you don't believe "it's going to be okay" say it anyway, out loud. If you're just pissing yourself off, keep saying it. Repeat it. Say it louder. Write it down. Fake it until you make it. This is actual advice I've received from a professional, and it works the best for me on my worse days. I guess it's hard to remain in a negative mindset when you're forcing yourself to think positive.
Postpartum depression doesn't come in a day, so it's definitely not going to leave in one. There are other tricks that aren't listed that you can do to ease the symptoms. But I strongly encourage you to seek help if you need it; don't ever shy away from calling the doctor if you are the slightest bit worried. Postpartum depression is very common and very real & can lead to causing harm to yourself or others. I just wanted to share some of my tricks with y'all (& they may not work for everyone), and let ladies know that you are definitely not alone.
Great Convo starter...no shame just sharing and encouragement.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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