18 Tips For Managing Postpartum Anxiety And Depression

If you’ve already recognized that you are suffering from postpartum anxiety (PPA) or depression (PPD), or you are pregnant and want to be as prepared as possible for something that is a lot more common than you may imagine (about 11% of mothers experience depression, and anywhere up to 25% or more feel anxious, for up to six months or so), then this report is for you.

Detailed below are 18 tips to help you managed your baby blues.

Be Aware Of And Avoid Triggers

If you start to feel anxious, your first step is to try to establish what it is that’s triggering those anxiety attacks, and to do this, you may need to enlist the help of your partner, since he or she will see things through a different set of eyes.

Once you have this list, you then need to think about realistic ways you can avoid those triggers:

• Can you change your routine in any way?
• Can you find somebody to do jobs for you that will separate you from your triggers?
• Can you squeeze in a cat nap so you’re less tired?

Again, you should try discussing this with your partner, other family members, or a close friend.

Stay Hydrated

It’s easy to become dehydrated without realizing it – they say that by the time you feel thirsty, your body is already too dry.

Dehydration can in turn cause other physical symptoms, including heart palpitations, so it’s definitely something to be wary of.

Water has many benefits, one of which is that it can help you calm you down.

For most of my life, I know I haven’t drunk enough (and I’m talking about liquids in general, not alcohol, of course), and it was only relatively recently that I managed to force myself to increase my fluid intake.

Remember too that it’s better to have small drinks throughout the day, on a regular basis, than drinking large amounts at once sporadically.

Exercise

Seeing this on the list probably won’t surprise you, since some level of exercise is recommended for almost everybody.

The benefits of exercise are well-known, and include:

• Better quality of sleep
• Improving mental health
• Relieving stress

In addition, one of the reasons for your anxiety may be high adrenaline levels, as you stress out about everything – and exercise can help burn off that excess adrenaline.

Now, this doesn’t mean you need to go and sign up for an expensive gym membership.

A short walk each day may be all you need, or walking up and down stairs for a few minutes, yoga, jumping jacks, or anything that gets your heart rate up for a while.

And if you have some home exercise equipment already, such as an stationary bike or a rebounder, then great.

Don’t Be Ashamed

Like with so many conditions that are non-physical, there is, unfortunately, a certain stigma to PPA and PPD – people can’t see anything wrong with you, and since they don’t understand what triggers your attacks (of course, you may not know this either yet), then they are likely to think you are simply “in one of those moods”.

People may have heard about these conditions, or joke about the “baby blues”, but their reaction may cause you to feel ashamed or embarrassed.

However, as we said in the introduction, it is by no means uncommon to experience anxiety or depression after giving birth.

It may be that one out of every four mothers you meet are suffering from it, whether they want to admit it or not.

For context, and PPA and PPD aside, the WHO estimates that around 25% of people will experience some form of mental or neurological disorder during their life.

Remember, these are normal effects of motherhood, and are nothing to be ashamed about – you have just brought a brand new life into the world, and almost everybody appreciates just how much this can take out of a woman.

Say No

In an attempt to get your life back to normal, you may be tempted to over-commit, e.g. to social engagements or work.

This can be a big mistake however – you need to give yourself time to recover, and saying “no”, while hard at first, can be a life-saver.

And if people choose not to understand why you’re declining an invitation, for example, then maybe they’re not the best people to be spending time with in the first place.

Avoid Caffeine

This one may be hard for many people – especially as it’s possible you’ve already gone without your coffee for the past nine months.

Caffeine can, of course, cause your heart to race and give you a case of the jitters, so if you’re already suffering from anxiety, drinking coffee (or any caffeine-laden drink for that matter) will only make things worse.

You don’t necessarily need to eliminate it completely, but it may be wise to drink it only in the morning, and preferably before doing any exercise.

Rest

However difficult it may be, with so much to do and a baby who may or may not sleep, you need to do everything you can to get enough rest.

This may mean asking your own mother or a close friend to babysit for a while, or getting your partner to take your newborn out in the pram for a walk in the park, as well as mastering the art of the “power nap”, and it doesn’t matter as long as you find something that works for you.

Stay Away From Social Media

You may find you have little time to spend on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram, but should you feel tempted, remember that the image people portray of themselves on social media is not always representative of their real selves.

On Facebook, for example, people like to pretend their lives are perfect, while on Instagram or Pinterest, they may like you to think they are cooking up five-course banquets every night for their families, in addition to tending to a newborn baby.

The danger, then, of engaging on social media is that it may make you feel inadequate, which is the exact opposite of how you should be feeling when you’re already under stress.

I know it’s tempting to “just take a quick look to see what’s going on”, but trust me, you’ve got more productive things to do – even if it’s squeezing in a quick nap.

Make Some Time For You

While you may feel that your baby is your whole world right now, and there’s nothing wrong with that, of course, you also need to remember to spend some time on you – and only you.

This might involve a quick trip to your favourite store, a walk in the park, maybe with your dog if you have one, a swim in the local pool, a trip to the cinema, or even a sit in the garden with a good book.

Accept It Will Take Time

Recovering from any illness takes time, and PPA / PPD is no different.

So, take things slowly and steadily, and accept that getting back to normal will take time.

If you can find strategies to help you deal with these problems, so much the better, but remember that small steps in the right direction are better than no movement at all.

Eat Healthily

After nine months of pregnancy and the strain of delivery, your body will probably be depleted of all sorts of nutrients.

This means you absolutely have to take care of your body by feeding it the right foods so you can recover as quickly as possible.

So, cut down on the junk food, reduce your alcohol intake, and try to prepare fresh foods instead of ready-prepared meals where you can.

Herbal Teas

Not only are many herbal teas caffeine-free, but they can offer benefits to help you deal with your PPA / PPD.

For example:

• Chamomile tea can help relieve stress
• Echinacea tea is great as an overall immune system booster
• Ginger tea is helpful for migraines and headaches, as well as digestive issues
• Green tea can also boost immunity, and there are those who say it helps them to lose weight
• Lemon Balm tea can improve your mood
• Passionflower tea can relieve anxiety
• Peppermint tea can help you regain your focus, as well as being good for helping with stomach aches and digestive issues
• Rosehip tea can help reduce water retention
• Valerian tea can also help with stress, as well as insomnia and depression

Talk About It

This is easier said than done (pun intended), but you really shouldn’t keep your feelings to yourself.

Bottling things up often only makes them worse – I know this was true for me when I suffered from severe clinical depression for many years (not that I’m trying to equate that to PPA or PPD, of course).

So, find somebody you can open up to, about your fears, your feelings, what’s bothering you, whether it’s your partner, another family member, a friend, a colleague, somebody at your church, or whatever.

The only important factors are that whoever you discuss this with, they must be a good listener, they shouldn’t judge you, and they need to be understanding.

It may not be that important that they are able to offer solutions to any of the problems you raise, as long as they allow you to unload whatever’s on your mind.

Ask For Help

A natural extension of talking about how you feel is actually asking for help.

The thought of doing this may make you even more anxious, but there’s no shame in admitting that you can’t do everything by yourself – you’re a mother, to a newborn baby, not superwoman.

The wider your circle of support, the easier things will be for you.

Aromatherapy

You may think this is all a bit “hippy”, but the practice of aromatherapy goes back for millennia.

If you doubt how effective it can be, then cast your mind back to an occasion when a particular smell triggered all sorts of memories – almost like you were back when it first happened – as well as emotions.

You can either apply these oils topically (although you must dilute them with a carrier oil first because if the oil is undiluted, it will be too strong and it can cause problems), or through inhalation, either directly or by using an aromatherapy diffuser.

There are many, many different aromatherapy oils, but the ones most often used to relieve anxiety and stress include:

• Bergamot
• Chamomile
• Frankincense
• Lavender
• Rose
• Vetiver
• Ylang Ylang

Lavender oil is particularly popular – it’s extremely relaxing, whether you use the oils or bath salts, or even as a tea.

For home use, a diffuser is the best option, while for out and about, you can either make a DIY version (e.g. a small bottle of your preferred oil and a cotton ball, kept in a small Ziploc bag for safety), or use a purpose-made locket, which hangs around your chest, allowing you to enjoy the aroma for hours.

And even if you don’t find the oil has any tangible benefits, at least you can enjoy the pleasant scent!

Desensitization

This one may take a bit more courage than some of the other tips, but in essence, this involves you forcing yourself to do things that you know will stress you out.

In a way, it’s a bit like the aversion therapy they use to help people overcome their phobias (e.g. of spiders), but not quite so extreme.

The point is, the more you do something that used to make you anxious, the easier it will become for you.

Create A Gratitude Journal

Amongst all the many negative feelings you may have while suffering from PPA or PPD, it’s easy to forget the good things.

And that’s what a gratitude journal is for!

Gratitude is more than just saying “thank you” to people who do nice things for you – it’s an emotion, a virtue, a skill, and, more relevantly to what we’re discussing here, a coping mechanism.

The benefits of feeling grateful are well-documented, and one study showed that just one week of gratitude journalling can have benefits even after that initial week.

Writing in your gratitude journal just before bedtime can also improve your sleep – something I’m sure new mothers will appreciate.

The idea is simple – you just jot down things that you are grateful for, such as a loving partner, good health, no debt, close friends, a job you enjoy, having a roof over your head, your faith, and, of course, your baby (and other children).

Writing these down makes you think happy thoughts, and that can alter not only your mood but also your physical health too.

Meditation

And. lastly, we come to meditation, another ancient practice that has multiple benefits, including clearing your mind, calming down (both emotionally and physically), and a stronger immune system.

The Additional Resources section, below, recommends “Meditation For Beginners”, as a great way to find out more about meditation, but you may also want to check out our variety of reports and guides on Meditation, which you can find here on this site.

Conclusion

If you have first read our report on the symptoms of postpartum anxiety and depression, you may have been left thinking that it is all doom and gloom.

Hopefully, this report will have shown you that there are strategies you can adopt to lighten the load, so please give as many as you need a try.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Aromatherapy Diffusers & Oils
2. Aromatherapy Diffuser Lockets
3. Aromatherapy For Beginners
4. Drink Water Hypnosis Program
5. Gratitude Journalling
6. Gratitude Journals
7. Healing Herbal Teas
8. Hypnotic Power Nap
9. Meditation For Beginners
10. Power Naps
11. The Fourth Trimester