Postpartum depression is an ugly monster that can creep in with no warning.
Although you feel alone in the moment, there are millions of people that struggle with depression and mental illness.
I was one of the millions that struggled HARD with postpartum depression and still deal with anxiety daily.
You are NOT alone.
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This post does not serve as medical advice, only what has helped me in my personal experience. If you need help, please seek a professional right away.
First and foremost, you are NOT crazy, so push those thoughts away!
Throw away the guilt that you have. There is no one to blame for postpartum depression, not even yourself.
Feeling lost, hopeless, struggling to pull yourself out of bed, and find happiness just comes with the territory.
I’m sure all too often you have found yourself thinking “what is wrong with me? Why can’t I just be happy!?”
Breathe. There is nothing wrong with you.
I know all too well the struggle depression can have on your soul and your family.
I know you are worried about how this is affecting your family and your future.
Breathe, they love you and are going to help you out of this darkness.
I myself have dealt with crippling depression and anxiety and I want to share with you how I was able to overcome the darkness.
I know you can find your way out too.
Hold tight, it won’t be like this forever.
6 Ways to Beat Postpartum Depression
1. Stay Busy
When you are dealing with depression, it is so, so super important to not let your mind get bored. In my experience, if I let myself get bored, the black cloud had an opportunity to swoop in and take over.
I know a little to well the black cloud that consumes you and leaves you hidden away in bed unable to even get dressed. In order to avoid this, you must keep your mind busy.
At one point for me, committing to a cleaning schedule and routine helped tremendously! I made a deal with myself that I couldn’t do anything I wanted to until, at minimum, I had the kitchen and floors cleaned and a load of laundry going. Usually, once I started with one area, I went on to more rooms of the house and it kept me pretty busy and happy.
2. Let Go Of What No Longer Serves You
If what you are doing is causing you more stress and adding to your chaos, let it go.
A few months ago, I was trying to run a coaching business because I truly believed in the company.
Even though I was trying to be a positive light and help others, it was draining me instead of providing happiness.
Ultimately, I couldn’t figure out why I was so depressed, anxious, and downright miserable. I slowly started to release the business and to my surprise – the business was the source of my depression.
It was hard to let go of something I truly believed in, but when I did I felt a huge wave of peace come over me.
3. Stay Off Social Media
A big part of keeping your mind busy is to staying off social media! It is proven that social media and constantly mindlessly scrolling increases depression. These are facts.
When you start to feel the slightest bit of insecurity, drop the phone and walk away.
Unfortunately, it’s extremely common that social media leads you to compare your real life and someone’s highlight reel. You are already in a fragile state, why make it worse?
4. Take Up a Hobby
Now, I know this is a bit cliché, but it helps.
Again, we are trying to keep that black cloud away, so taking up a hobby you can look forward to is perfect.
What you need is serotonin, which, in short, is a chemical in the brain that provides happiness.
Having something that you can look forward to will create production of this chemical and will help tremendously with your depression.
As simple as it may be, these paint by numbers helped me and gave me something to do while keeping my mind busy by only focusing on the task at hand.
Focus equals busy.
5. Move Your Body
Lifting weights, HIIT, dancing, running, or going for a short walk in your neighborhood, is proven to fight depression.
My first “realized” bought of postpartum depression, it was crippling.
Those months were awful and I was NOT myself.
My husband didn’t even recognize me through my behavior.
I was crying about everything, I wasn’t doing my motherly/wifely duties, dishes and laundry were piled high, I couldn’t bring myself to do anything, it was a true living nightmare.
80 Day Obsession was a Godsend in those dark days.
Finally, I had something to look forward to everyday, I was focused, and I was moving my body.
Something about focusing on bettering myself instead of letting the darkness rule over me.
Slowly but surely, I was able to dig my way out of depression with those workouts.
I am forever grateful for God sending me that program.
I highly recommend getting out of the house and joining a class where you can surround yourself with others, or at home workouts, like 80 Day Obsession, are great too!
6. Take the Medication
Why there is a negative stigma on medication to help with mental illness is beyond me.
We take medication for every illness, ache and pain but when it comes to our mental health it is taboo?
Wrong.
If you feel you have lost all hope, your life is filled with constant darkness, and you feel like you’re drowning, take the medication.
I felt the darkness creeping back in when I was pregnant with my twins, so I spoke with my doctor and she recommended medication.
In the moment, I struggled coming to terms with the fact I couldn’t make myself happy.
I felt like a failure.
I quickly discovered that taking the medication was a brave decision.
For me, the medication destroyed the darkness and I felt like myself again.
There is absolutely NO shame in medication and if you have tried everything else and it just hasn’t worked, take the medication, you will be happy you did.
I hope that these 6 tips will help you as they helped me. Again, this is just what helped me out of my personal darkness. Please seek professional help if you are feeling the urge to harm yourself or others.
With faith, I know that you too can find your way out of the darkness and feel as free as ever.
With love,
Amy
