Tips For Turning Your Day Around As A Mom Battling Mental Illness.

I know I’m not the only Mom/Person who deals with Depression and/or Anxiety.

The way my mental illness presents itself is in lack of motivation and extreme fatigue. As a parent you can’t really submit to those feelings, you have someone who depends on you. And sometimes it can motivate you to get yourself in gear, and other times it can make you feel worse and get into what i call: Survival Mode.

Last night was rough. First I had extreme insomnia.

Then right as I was falling asleep I rolled over to a giant wet spot on my bed. (Co-sleep they said, it will be fun they said 🙃)

So there I was at 3 am cleaning up my sweet sleeping toddler all while frantically looking for towels in the dark.

I ended up on the couch, which is to small for even my short 5’2 self to stretch out on until 5 am when my spouse woke up. 😬

I went and laid in bed in his spot and managed to get 2 whole hours of sleep. Unfortunately I’m not like Buddy the Elf and need a whole night sleep to function.

Here’s the thing…I HATE having bad days. So I adapt and make it work, because my toddler needs a happy mom. And because mental illness is unpredictable I’ve implemented a system that works for us.

Here are some things that help turn our day around:

Tip 1.

Set your coffee pot/ Tea area the night before. I’m definitely a “don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee” type of person so having this programed to be on when I wake up is ESSENTIAL.

TIP 2.

Get out of your PJs!!!! I set out clothes the night before for the both of us, even if we’re not going anywhere! Yep, you read that right. When we look good, we feel good.

TIP 3

If you’re still not feeling it set your toddler up with an activity and maybe even their device. We use an old iPhone for days like this. Turn on some relaxing essential oils and have a “mommy time out”. Focus on relaxing breathing, stretching, or simply sit in peace to clear your mind.

TIP 4.

Work on some bible journaling and listen to your favorite worship music. I don’t know about you but this is my favorite one. Spending some quality time with Jesus definitely help brighten my spirits.

I hope you’ve found some encouragement with this post today! Do you have any tips that you feel might be helpful, too? Share them in the comments!

Physical and Mental Health Struggles after Pregnancy

Let’s talk about Body and Mental-health struggles after pregnancy real quick.

I’m going to be raw here, I HATED taking pictures for a very long time.

That pregnancy glow was gone.

The beautiful thick pregnancy hair turned into postpartum hair loss.( I’m talking clumps of hair just falling out!)

My body was healing from trauma that I experienced during labor and delivery, and it took longer than I imagined.

I overall felt like I looked like a completely different person. I felt like I looked like I had put on 500+lbs. I remember looking at photos like this one and CRYING because I felt so UGLY.

As I scrolled through my camera roll deleting memes that were taking up space, I stumbled across pictures that I remember in the moment feeling like I hated myself and how I looked. No matter how much my partner told me I looked good, my mind wouldn’t allow myself to believe it.

Looking at them now I absolutely love them, and I regret not taking more. And I honestly can’t believe how badly I thought about myself. It really makes me sad that I felt that way. Proof that those hormones really mess with you.

The journey of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood takes quite the toll on your mental and physical health. Something that not a lot of people talk about and truly, I feel like it’s because there aren’t enough right words to describe it.

But if I could tell any new moms some key pieces of advice it would be:

1. Take the pictures, all of them. Even when you don’t feel like you look glamours. (And to the partners, take pictures of her! This is so crucial!)

2. Be gentle with yourself, communicate and coordinate with your partner designated self care days so that you allow yourself to reset. Trust me, you need it. And don’t feel guilty about it either! (You can’t pour from an empty cup)

3. LOVE yourself, let go of social expectations that put so much pressure on women to “bounce back” after pregnancy. Remember to eat good foods, drink lots of water, and do things each day that make you feel GOOD!

4. And lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I hate to break it to you, but you’re not superwomen (ok maybe your are, you gave birth for crying out loud lol ) but asking for help does not make you a bad mom!