Postpartum depression is a condition that many new mothers face after giving birth. You would think that having a new baby would be the most joyous occasion in the world, but for some new moms it's not. A rapid change in hormones can cause women to become severely depressed postpartum. This article will give you tips for noticing the signs of postpartum depression.
Keep up with your usual social activities. Whenever you feel depressed, you may not want to do things that you normally enjoy. Even so, it is important to keep them up. Make it a point to keep doing your normal activities. Stopping activities will most likely intensify your feelings of depression.
If you are going the medication route to treat your depression, try a lot of different drugs before giving up. It is a little-known fact that people who have been helped by antidepressant medication had to try an average of four different drugs to find the one that worked for them.
If you suffer from depression, having a pet can help alleviate this condition. Studies have shown that individuals who own pets are less likely to have depression. Having a pet will help you feel less isolated. Since pets need care, you will feel a sense of being needed. A feeling of being needed can be a powerful antidote to suffering from depression.
If you suffer from depression you may want to consider getting a pet. The main part of depression is the feeling of loneliness and caring for a pet can help eliminate those feelings or isolation. Also, studies have shown that pet owners are less likely to feel depressed than people who do not have pets.
If you suffer from depression, it is crucial that you keep negative thoughts out of your mind. By thinking of negative things, you will find that your depression symptoms will just get worse. Instead, focus on the things and people in your life that make you feel good and happy.
A simple walk around your block can be a wonderful mood elevator and a way to get those happy endorphins working to your advantage. If you have forgotten the joy of walking, then take your dog (or borrow one from a neighbor) and focus on his joy and antics for a few minutes. Getting out in your neighborhood keeps you in touch with what is going on around you and helps you take the focus off yourself for awhile.
One great tip when battleling depression is to force yourself to smile. This may be hard especially because you are depressed but if you can do it you will not regret it. Scientists have shown that smiling releases endorphins and as such helps bring your mood to an elevated and happy state.
Work on creating a positive and uplifting social life. Try hard to be more positive and show warmth to your friends and in social situations. Take an interest in them and work on developing and sharing the same interests and activities. Inform your friends and family that you want to be more positive and be more involved in their lives, as opposed to dwelling in your own depression.
Eat a healthy diet. Many times someone who is depressed my try to cover those feelings with overeating, binge drinking, or even starving themselves. Suppressed feelings are one of the largest contributing factors in depression. When you find yourself reaching for the bag of cookies or bottle of wine, remind yourself that you are making the feelings worse. In addition to forcing you to deal with your feelings instead of covering them, maintaining healthy eating habits will improve your health as well as your mood.
Turn off the TV, especially the news. The media is notorious for focusing on all the bad in the world, only relying on happy stories when they have extra time they need fluffed out. Take a break from the ills in the world that you can do nothing about; they will only bring your mood further down.
Keep your mind active through puzzles, games, and other challenges. The more time you leave yourself idle, the more time you'll have to dwell on negativity. If you keep busy, you'll feel more accomplished, and you won't be spending your days thinking about everything that's gone wrong. Focus on positive, uplifting activities at which you can be successful.
See your doctor. Not only is depression a real disease on its own, it can also be a symptom of other underlying illnesses. Only your doctor will be able to tell you what type of depression you are suffering from or if your symptoms are caused by another ailment. In addition, while many forms of depression can be treated without medication, it can also be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain necessitating the use of medication for effective treatment.
Smile at yourself in the mirror even if you are feeling depressed. The simple act of smiling can actually make you feel happier. You can also try laughing hysterically in a ridiculously fake laugh. After a while, that fake smile or fake laugh might turn into a real one once you start to feel silly enough about what you are doing.
If you have begun taking medication for depression, do not be alarmed if you do not feel better right away. In fact, you may even feel worse when your medication does not work because you are nervous. Most anti-depressants take at least three weeks to settle into your system and help your symptoms.
One way to attempt to beat depression is to consider using aromatherapy. This is important because standard ways might not always work and aromatherapy has been known to trigger positive results because of the direct correlation between smells and memories. Experiment with smells that you love and go from there.
As stated in the beginning of the article, postpartum depression is a condition that effects new mothers. Although it is hard for new moms to admit they are feeling more than just the "baby blues," it is very serious and should be treated right away. Hopefully this article has given you some great tips to notice the signs of postpartum depression.
