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5 Tips to Help You Overcome Postpartum Anxiety

Postpartum anxiety affects 10% of new Moms and I was one of them. In the weeks and month after my second daughter was born, I found myself completely overwhelmed with fear. It’s hard to describe post partum anxiety and it’s one of those disorders that not a lot of women talk about. What started out as normal worries escalated to the point of crippling fear. Things that had never bothered me before such as driving or rain begin to trigger crazy, irrational thoughts in my head. What if it rained so much we drowned? Should we get a boat just in case? I became afraid to drive and even picking my oldest daughter up from preschool would give me horrible panic attacks. One of the hardest things about this was the lack of support I felt. My family wasn’t being negative or critical towards me, but also couldn’t understand why all of a sudden I was scared to go anywhere. I became a shell of my former self. Outings no longer appealed to me and I had a hard time even having a girls day at the mall. The final straw came one day at lunch when I made us leave the restaurant early because I saw someone who I thought looked suspicious. I knew I needed help and I eagerly sought it at this point.

While overcoming post partum anxiety was definitely not an overnight process, there were a few things I did that really helped me in my journey to healing. There are countless tips to help you on your recovery, but I found these five to be the most helpful.

Find a good support system.  

It is so important to have someone you can talk to about this. It can be a friend who has gone through it before, a support group, counselor, or therapist. Whoever you are comfortable with and won’t receive judgment from. I met with a great counselor who provided me with tremendous emotional support. I’ve found that being able to talk openly about your fears gives them less power over you.

Stay active.

It’s a well known fact that exercise produces endorphins which create a positive feeling in the body. Even if it’s only a thirty minute walk a day pushing the stroller, you will feel better staying active. Yoga is a great workout for anxiety because it helps quiet the mind and eases stress and anxiety.

Get good nutrition.

Avoid too much caffeine and processed food. This will only exacerbate the problem. Clean protein, leafy vegetables and fruit are much better choices. When I was at my worst I cut out gluten and dairy. Not only does this help your mood, but it will also get those extra baby weight pounds off.

Rest.

Do not overwork yourself. I believe the reason my postpartum anxiety got so bad was because I was trying to be supermom. I tried to keep up with everything by myself and never asked for help. Take care of yourself. Ask for help with meals and cleaning. Put on a movie for your older kids and sit down on the couch and rest. There is nothing wrong with slowing down and allowing your body to heal from childbirth.

Take medicine if you need it.

I was extremely against medicine. My doctor recommended it from the start, but I was determined to try holistic approaches. Even after all the nutrition changes and exercise my anxiety was still out of control. Thankfully I had a doctor who was willing to be honest with me while still taking my wishes into consideration. After six months of taking the natural route I got on a low dose of medicine. Looking back, I wish I had done this much sooner. Within a week I was feeling better. The intense anxiety, panic attacks, and irrational fears diminished completely after a month or two. I started to become myself again.

I hope this encourages someone who has experienced or is currently going through postpartum anxiety. There is light at the end of tunnel! I’m now expecting my third baby and am no longer scared of experiencing this again. The tools I learned last time have left me confident that along with the right support I can handle this if it comes my way.

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Ashley B

Ashley is a stay at home Mom to two wild girls with a boy on the way. She has been married to the same great guy for 11 years. They live in a simple farmhouse in the country surrounded by deer and bugs. Besides laughing at herself, she enjoys wrangling her kids and attempting to teach them life lessons. On most days you can find her lying on a picnic blanket in the backyard reading a good book. She also drinks way too much Diet Coke, is obsessed with Wikipedia facts, and loves her family with a passion.

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