Stressed About Being a New Mom?
Here’s How You Can Cope
Becoming a mother is something many women wish for early in their lives. Upon finding out that you were expecting, you likely counted down the days until your new bundle of joy arrived.
Now that they’re here, however, your fluffy dreams of how motherhood would be are a bit tainted. As excited as you are to raise this tiny human being, you can’t help but become overwhelmed by all that is required of you. This is new mom stress. Though very common, if not controlled on some level, it can wreak havoc on your life.
Do you often find yourself asking questions like:
- Am I a good mom?
- Am I making the right decisions for my child?
- Do I have what it takes to raise this kid?
- Am I doing enough to nurture my personal relationships?
- Can I work a full-time job and still be there for my child?
- How will I balance my social life with being a new parent?
These are all common questions that new mothers have. You want to do right by your child, but you’re struggling with trying to figure out how to fit the responsibilities of your new role as a parent into your already busy life. Though some of these thoughts may go away with time, there are a lot of new moms who suffer daily.
As a result, they suffer the following consequences:
- Stress
- Self-doubt
- Substance abuse
- Social isolation
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
- Exhaustion
- Body aches and pains
- Resentment
- Anger and frustration
If you’ve suffered any of the following, you need to get help. Whether this means looking for rehab in Seattle or wherever you live to get sober, asking friends and family to help you raise your children, talking with your doctor, or going to a therapist to talk about the underlying causes for your stress as a new mother.
Overcoming New Mom Stress
Stressing over the responsibilities of caring for a newborn, balancing work and parenting, having a social life, and tending to your own needs is all apart of becoming a new mother. To prevent your feelings of stress and anxiety for resulting in the above-mentioned consequences, you should take steps to reduce those fears and stress.
Below are some tips:
- Take care of yourself by getting plenty of rest, eating right, and exercising.
- Raise your child the best way you know how based on your own upbringing and resources you may find.
- Create a schedule to help you manage your life and reduce stress.
- Find a job that allows you to properly balance work and parenting
- Pencil in time to spend with your significant other and friends
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
- Remember, it takes a village to raise kids. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from others you know.
Having a new baby will take your life on a journey you never expected or dreamed of. While it is completely normal to stress over the changes as they come, too much stress can lead to an array of consequences for you and your baby. Take each thing as it comes and remember not to be so hard on yourself. Before long you’ll have this motherhood thing down packed and be wondering when you’re going to have another child.
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Good advice
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