(BBB offers 6-week therapeutic support groups for women experiencing emotional distress during pregnancy or following the birth of their babies: www.beyondthebabyblues.org.)
When you are a new parent, everyday brings its small – and sometimes large – challenges. For many parents, struggling with depression and/or anxiety is an additional difficulty, but one for which there are readily available remedies.
When the beauty of early autumn gives way to later autumn’s earlier evening darkness and hints at the colder days to come, keeping your spirits up and your mood stable can be a struggle. You don’t have to be a mom, dad, or someone who battles generally with his or her mood for this to be the case. Daylight and sunshine can be powerful contributors to positive feelings and outlooks on life for everyone.
Many people have reported significant mood improvement from light boxes – there is even a name for this phenomenon: seasonal affective disorder.
When women come to BBB for one of our groups, one of our first and very strong recommendations is exercise. The benefits of exercise for anyone who is experiencing perinatal mood issues, actually for anyone who is dealing with mood issues, has been documented repeatedly as highly effective and even equaling the effect of anti-depressant medication. This holds true for both depression and anxiety.
So many of the women we see are distressed by the loss of control they feel when they transition to parenthood. Deciding to include a daily walk, whether with or without your baby, regardless of dishes in the sink or clothes in the dryer, puts you back in the “driver’s” seat.