6 proven ways to tackle pregnancy anxiety and post-partum depression
Are you expecting? Just delivered a baby? In the moments of joy and excitement, do you sometimes feel lonely? Do you sometimes feel anxious? Do you sometimes feel this is not how you expected it to be? Well, 70% of women feel just like how you are feeling now. None of us are alone in this! I, too, have gone through it, but I was able to control and manage it in its initial stage. Sharing with you 6 tips I followed that turned out to be helpful
Are you expecting? Just delivered a baby? In the moments of joy and excitement, do you sometimes feel lonely? Do you sometimes feel anxious? Do you sometimes feel this is not how you expected it to be? Well, 70% of women feel just like how you are feeling now. None of us are alone in this! I, too, have gone through it, but I was able to control and manage it in its initial stage. Sharing with you 6 tips I followed that turned out to be helpful:
- Talk about it
Man is a social animal; we need to spend time with people. Interacting with others, laughing with them, or even crying with them helps us heal faster. Whenever I used to get negative thoughts, I used to talk to people around me. My husband was on a voyage throughout my pregnancy and that’s what made it more difficult for me. We were able to talk to each other only for a few minutes and some days were so hard that we could talk to each other once in 4-5 days! But I am lucky enough to have a close-knit family; they never let me feel the absence of my husband. My pregnancy has made our family bond even stronger. I used to talk to my sister, mom, friends, or everybody for that matter. I never felt a need of talking about how lonely and anxious I was feeling, but we talked about all the random things, about TV series (specifically GoT with one of my cousins as the last season was aired that time), movies, mythology, recent news, and even random gossiping.
So the main idea of telling you all this is – you can talk to anybody. It could be your partner, friends, or anybody who is close to you. You don’t necessarily have to talk about your exact emotions; you can talk about anything and everything! But if your anxiety is increasing day by day, if you feel the need to share it with someone, go ahead and do it. Sharing your exact feelings with your partner has helped many women cope with depression.
2. Indulge yourself in a hobby
Do what makes you happy. Indulge yourself in a hobby you could not focus on before. If you never had a hobby, this is the time to develop a new hobby.
I spent all my free time reading. I used to carry a book even while visiting relatives; thinking, just in case everybody decides to watch TV or take a siesta for a few hours! I was able to complete 38 books throughout 9 months!
Ideas – learn a new language, start practicing guitar, paint, draw, sing, dance, read, start a new blog, do an online course related to your field, there’s no limit to it!
3. Meditate
Just how our bodies need exercise, our minds need exercise too. And the great way to mind-exercise is meditation. Meditation keeps you calm; it helps you challenge the negative thoughts so that you can focus more on positive things. It is helping me keep calm from the last six years. Not just me but people around me are able to feel the difference.
If you do not know how to meditate properly, join nearby meditation/yoga classes or follow YouTubers who are professionals and are authorized trainers.
Give yourself some alone time, let your brain take some rest. It will definitely help.
4. Morning Walk
Morning walks are the best as they not only complete your daily steps target but also give you your daily dose of sunlight. Studies have found that a daily morning walk can reduce the risk of depression. It boosts energy, improves mood & self-esteem.
If, for any reason, you can’t go out, at least keep the windows open, and let the natural sunlight in.
The morning walk has helped me like anything. I walk just for 45 minutes; and that makes the rest of the day fresh and full of energy.
5. Eat Fresh and drink water
Before reading it further, get yourself a glass of water. Drink as much water as you can, eat fresh fruits and veggies. Try to avoid junk and leftovers as much as possible.
Have 5-6 small meals in a day, so that you don’t feel tired. This tip is essential for your mind refreshment and it is important for your LO’s health as well.
Try to avoid alcohol, caffeine, sugar, etc. And most importantly do not smoke.
I am not adding my diet here as I had already mentioned it in my weight-loss post. Here’s the link –
6. Do not force yourself
If you are unable to do any exercise or a particular task or say you’re not able to breastfeed; just give it some time. Take a break. Do not stress yourself to do anything. Always remember your actions have a direct impact on your baby. Even if people are telling you breastfeeding is inevitable or exercising is important; trust me, nothing is more important than a mother’s mental health. Your baby will be happy only if you are happy!
These are the self-help tips that helped me. Try these tips and if you still feel it’s not helping you or your anxiety is worsening each passing day, seek professional help. Do not hesitate to take medical help.
Many online groups are helping people to improve their mental health.
Some of the online groups that help people cope with depression:
Vandrevala Foundation
https://www.vandrevalafoundation.com/
The Tribe – wellness community
The Live Love Laugh Foundation
https://thelivelovelaughfoundation.org/
And always remember this is just a phase; this too shall pass! There will be a better tomorrow!
To know more about the author and her blogs, please visit- https://theconfusedmommy.com/
