Recognizing Postpartum Anxiety in New Mothers

New mothers go through an emotional upheaval and lose their mothering experience in a slew of worries and concerns about the newborn. It is normal for a woman to feel on edge after having a baby, but those suffering from anxiety typically face prolonged anxiety-related symptoms, such as irritability, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, etc., which can impair their ability to take a good care of the new baby.

Andrea is a new mother, with a two-month-old baby. She's been spending sleepless nights attending to him ever since she was discharged from the hospital. Despite the sudden life changes post the delivery, she believes that all these changes are worth the happiness of motherhood. However, she continues to experience dizziness, jittery feelings, constant tightness in the throat and chest, and a pounding heart, which gradually took a heavy toll on her physical and mental well-being.

"What if I go out and he starts crying uncontrollably and I'm unable to calm him" and "what if someone snatched him away from my arms" are some of the many anxious thoughts which continue to haunt her mind. As an outcome, she often ends up asking for repeated reassurances and unnecessary advice from her mother, friends and care providers, surfing the internet for answers to the innumerable questions arising in her mind, avoiding stepping out of the house and obsessively reading books and magazines on parenting.

Thus, when new mothers start to worry about trivial matters and are unable to stop, it could be a sign of postpartum anxiety disorder. Anxiety in new mothers can be highly debilitating as it can reduce the mother-infant bond and can also result in impaired cognitive development later in the child's life.

Tips to deal with postpartum anxiety

Studies have shown that when women are not treated for postpartum anxiety or depression, they are less likely to provide proper care for a dependent infant, which can have a long-term impact on the child's physical and mental development. Such women are highly vulnerable to self-medication with alcohol or drugs which may result in alcohol or drug addiction, along with lifelong chronic anxiety. However, it is important to identify symptoms of postpartum anxiety in new mothers and seek assistance at the earliest. Here are some tips to mitigate anxiety-related symptoms:

Antidepressant medications: Selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which include fluoxetine and sertraline, are the class of medications prescribed to combat postpartum anxiety and depression. Venlafaxine, which is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), is also used to counter such conditions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): This therapy centers around dealing with negative thoughts in a constructive and positive way through problem-solving skills, relaxation, social skills and other related activities. CBT is known to be highly effective in treating postpartum depression and anxiety.

Interpersonal therapy (IPT): This 12-session therapy helps patients to improve relationships with their spouse and is effective in preventing or lowering anxiety-related symptoms.

Some self-help tips to manage postpartum anxiety at home are:

• giving priority to oneself
• having a healthy diet
• doing regular exercise
• spending time with family and friends
• keeping oneself busy with hobbies and other fun activities
• focusing on the present instead of worrying about the future
• getting sufficient sleep

Leading an anxiety-free life

Being anxious once in a while is normal. However, anxiety disorder is a serious mental disorder. The symptoms of the disorder range from general fear of the unknown to excessive paranoia which can hamper day-to-day activities.

If you or your loved one is suffering from postpartum anxiety or any other anxiety disorder, seek medical help from a certified medical practitioner at the earliest. You can connect with the Anxiety Treatment Centers in California for all the required details on anxiety disorders treatment. You may call us at our 24/7 helpline number 855-972-9459 to speak to our certified representatives to know about various anxiety treatment centers.

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SELF CARE ROUTINE! MY POSTPARTUM ROUTINE | Alexandra Beuter

Self Help for Anxiety - Simple Steps to Relieve Anxiety Now

Anxiety, when allowed to get out of control, can take over your life. It can prevent you from doing even the simplest tasks. Despite this, there is self help for anxiety. Just following the steps below can relieve anxiety and put you on the right track to a stress free life.

1. Get some exercise. Even 10 minutes of light exercise will release endorphins in your body. Endorphins act as both a mood enhancer and a sedative, similar to morphine but without the dangerous side effects. Exercise has the added benefit of improving your immune system. Not only will you be less anxious, but you'll be less likely to get ill and create more worries.

2. Maintain a healthy diet. Your brain and body need proper nutrients to function well. Improper nutrition will make you tired, irritable and anxious. Use a multivitamin if you can't get the required nutrients in your food. Complex carbohydrates like oatmeal and multigrain breads cause your body to release serotonin, another natural anxiety and stress reliever.

3. Drink plenty of water. When you are dehydrated, you feel tired, sluggish, and just plain "out of it." These feelings open doors that allow anxiety to creep in. Close those doors to an unhealthy brain.

4. When you experience a panic attack, breathe in and out in a paper bag. This will increase the amount of CO2 in your lungs and kick your body back into normal breathing mode.

5. Think about something else. When you start to worry about something, distract yourself. Read a book, do a puzzle, etc.

6. Create a plan of attack. If you are worried about a particular event such as a job interview, make a list of steps you can follow that will prepare you for the event. The more prepared you are, the more confident and less anxious you will be.

7. When engaged in stressful activities, take a relaxation break. Just 20 minutes of relaxation a day can help clear your mind. Ways to relax include meditation, taking a walk, engaging with a pet, watching fish swim, etc.

8. Combine exercise and relaxation. Yoga and Tai Chi are both great ways to simultaneously relax your mind with meditation and release endorphins with exercise.

Don't let anxiety control your life. Even following one of the anxiety self help steps will make a difference. Follow them all and you could see a marked improvement in no time. Self help for anxiety is not easy, but it's worth every second you take to take care of your self. Relieve your anxiety today.

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Meditation and Mental Health

If you want to live a more fulfilling and satisfying life, it pays to strengthen your mental health. The stronger the pillars of your mind are, the better able you are to live the life you truly want.

A healthy mind takes action, unhindered by fear, confusion or distractions. And it keeps working when things get tough.

Your mind is the product of your entire lifestyle (and, I suppose, the reverse is also true). Looking after it is like looking after your body. You'll want to live right, eat right and sleep right. Your mind needs social contact, interesting puzzles and physical movement to stay at its best.

Looking after yourself draws on every aspect of your life. So meditation is not the whole answer, though it's certainly part of it.

Q: How does meditation improve your mental health?

Firstly, nothing I say here should be construed as medical advice. Only a licenced professional who has, you know, spoken to you would be qualified for that.

But, for most people, meditation is great training for your mind's health. Just like physical exercise keeps your body strong, meditation develops key mental skills. Focusing on the present moment keeps you from dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Accepting what you experience reduces the sting from any negative emotion.

You don't lift weights to get good at lifting weights. You do it to become strong in your everyday life. Meditation is the same.

Some quiet time also allows your unconscious mind to work through any issues behind the scenes. When you meditate long enough, you'll have days where you come out of it feeling great. You won't know what resolved, but you'll know something did.

That makes you stronger for whatever happens next.

Q: How much should I meditate each week?

If you've never started before, take it slow. Maybe you want 10 minutes a day, three days a week.

You want to build that up. Most people find it better (and easier) when they do 20 minutes every day. That's what I do, at least.

Then sometimes I will meditate twice in a day or have a longer session (about an hour).

Whether that's right for you is up to you. I encourage you to try longer sessions, though.

Q: Does meditation help with more serious mental health issues?

It can. There's a lot of evidence that meditation is great for things like anxiety, stress and trauma - even PTSD. For serious conditions, I recommend seeking guidance - at the minimum, talk to your doctor. You probably want a good meditation coach too.

Meditation generally isn't recommended for people who hallucinate or have split personalities.

Q: I have something I want to work through but meditation isn't helping. Any thoughts?

Give it time.

If that doesn't help, learn self-hypnosis. It teaches you to get to the symbolic essence of your issues and resolve them.

Read on:

https://guided-thought.com/downloads/unlock-vault-self-hypnosis/

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Meditation: Marie’s Personal Practice

The Basics of Understanding Stress

Stress comes to us all in different ways at different times in different degrees and any number of causes can trigger it. When stressed we feel that we care not in control. We feel overwhelmed.

When that happens, something needs to be done about it. You must do what you can to manage your stress and regain control. But just what is stress? That's what we look at here so you may understand what stress is and how we react to it.

When we feel stressed our nervous system pushes signals to the brain that things are not quite right. It senses danger or a threat. The brain then reacts - often known as "fight or flight" - and hormones go crazy often causing the classic stress symptoms of increased heart rate, faster breathing (gasping for breath), increased blood pressure and more.

Basically this is how the body automatically reacts to anything causing you to feel stressed. It's a signal to do something about it. Unless you do, the stress can spiral and quickly get more serious in turn affecting your health - you may well end up depressed or feeling down for example. And that's never good.

Now we have a basic understanding of what stress is, let's take a look at some of the ways we respond when stressed.

We mostly feel on edge, uncomfortable, perhaps even desperate if the stress is particularly bad. You may feel emotional, frustrated and irritable too because you do not know how to get things back in order again.

This can spill over in to your relationships - partner, family, friends, and colleagues - as they will pick up on how you are feeling and that could affect them in different ways too. Some may offer help, some might simply keep out of your way.

Some people respond to stress by withdrawing in to themselves and distancing themselves from others in an attempt to cope. This can often make things worse and the stress and whatever is causing it remains bottled up inside you. Whereas talking things out with a close friend often is a huge help. A problem shared is a problem halves as the saying goes.

Some people may appear to be cool, calm and collected when stressed in an attempt to hide it. A bit like a duck in water. The duck looks serene going about its business, but underneath it's paddling away. So it may be with a person who reacts to stress by trying to hide it.

The story here is that by having and understanding of what stress is, what causes it and how we react to it differently may help you to deal with it next time you feel stressed and take action to reduce your stress.

You may be interested to explore stress reduction techniques further in more depth. To do that, here is a video course containing nine stress reduction action plan s. It is available on Skillshare and you can access it today by clicking here.

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MOTIVATION - CHANGE YOUR LIFE

How to Find the Right Yoga Style for You

What has now become a popular fitness regime originated 5,000 years ago in India. The ancient people of that region followed this practice to prepare their mind and body for meditation. As yoga helps a person with their body and their thoughts, it was a wholeness of this traditional method that led to its recognition by the whole world. So, if you're sick and tired of your home gym machine and want to move on to something lighter, yet equally effective, yoga is the best. Like exercise, yoga too, has different kinds. Each kind has a specific purpose so here is a list of the different types of yoga and their purposes.

Hatha Yoga

If you are a beginner, it is recommended that you start with hatha yoga, rather than going for a form of yoga that demands greater strength and posture. The word Hatha means effort, or force, and it is slow and, therefore relaxing. It focuses on every pose in minute detail and helps beginners with accuracy and focus.

Iyengar Yoga

The pioneer of this form of yoga is B.K.S Iyengar. This is another form of yoga that is good for beginners and for those people seeking healing for their physical and mental injuries. It uses different postures and props, such as blocks and belts, to assist with the right positions.

Bikram Yoga

If you are lacking physical and mental strength, and want to learn how to control your weaknesses and gain strength, this is the best yoga style for you. However, it's best not to jump into it before preparing your body and working up to it. This type of yoga is carried out in a room with a high temperature and the heat teaches your body to control itself as well as helping in toxin release through the skin. Doing yoga in a 104° F room is not at all for beginners and, if heat is not your cup of tea, don't worry, there are still loads of other yoga techniques you can choose from.

Vinyasa Yoga

Another kind of yoga, to increase body strength and stamina, is Vinyasa yoga. Unlike Bikram yoga, it has nothing to do with temperature. There are different poses that you go into with continuous heavy breathing. The link between pose and breath is what drives the cycle. The quick movements make this form of yoga energy boosting.

Svaroopa Yoga

Svaroopa yoga is a kind of yoga that is mostly for those who are healing from surgery. In recent years it is considered to be an alternative to physical therapy, as it consists of a series of poses on a chair, and it can even prove to be beneficial for people with joint problems.

Kundalini Yoga

If you want to reach a level of spiritual awareness after seeing the media glorify this aspect of yoga, you must surely know a little about this system, if not, you may know about the name and some of the details. For this form of yoga, you take up different poses, along with continuous breathing and chanting. This will help energy rise from the base of your spine and spread to the whole body. It may take time to attain the desired result as it is a long process to go through but, once you go through it, it is purifying and healing.

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A Healthier Attitude In Stressful Times

As human beings, we are continually faced with challenges, difficulties and temporary setbacks. They are an unavoidable aspect of being human. By learning how to manage stress and respond with a positive attitude to each challenge, we'll grow as a person and start moving forward in life. In fact, without those setbacks, we could not learn what you need to know and develop the qualities to where we are today.

It is natural to us to react emotionally when our expectations are frustrated in any way. When something we wanted and hoped for fails to materialize, we feel a temporary sense of disappointment and unhappiness.

The optimistic person, however, knows how to manage stress in difficult situations and soon moves beyond this disappointment. Responding quickly to the adverse event and interprets it as being temporary, the optimist responds with a positive attitude, knows how to manage stress and counter the negative feelings by immediately reframing the event to turn into a positive one. Whenever you have a difficulty, immediately reframe it, choose to view it as a challenge, and start moving forward. Challenge is inherently positive. It is something that makes you stronger and better.

The best way to maintain a positive attitude and manage stress is to turn it into an opportunity. When you are faced with a difficulty of any kind, faced with an unexpected opportunity. Neutralize any negative thoughts or emotions by speaking to yourself positively all the time.

You must learn to manage stress and survive above the difficulties in order to be a better person. Welcome each difficulty and then look into the situation to find the good in it. Start moving forward in life by keeping your thoughts on your goals, dreams, and on the person, you are working toward becoming. When things go wrong temporarily, resolve to maintain a positive attitude, be cheerful, and resist every temptation toward negativity and disappointment. View disappointment as an opportunity to grow stronger and wiser.

It's very easy to be dragged down by the stress and pressure of everyday life. Once you feel really down, it's even easier to stay there, beaten and tired, muddling from day-to-day. The choice to live your life with a more positive attitude is always the right choice. But it is a choice that will take work and time.

Focus on what you do have rather than what you could have, you can decrease the amount of time you spend wishing and increase the time you spend appreciating the things that are happening in your life. But sometimes, this can lead to the things in life becoming mundane and harder to appreciate. Shaking up this pattern should help you to break up the routine and see your life in a new light.

As human beings, stress is a part of life. It is inevitable. What's important is how we respond to those challenges in a different perspective.

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How to Get Your Life Together | Self Care Routine ✨

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