How to Combat Postpartum Depression
Do you think you have postpartum depression? Don’t worry because there is nothing wrong with you. Postpartum depression affects most mothers, especially new moms. It is also commonly known as “baby blues” and it is caused by the sudden changes in your hormones. Most women experience the symptoms of postpartum depression for about a week; however, it can also last longer in some women.
Before you learn about how to combat postpartum blues, it is very helpful for you to learn how to identify its symptoms. These symptoms are quite similar to that of normal depression; however, they do not last very long. Usually mothers with post partum depression often are irritable which is why they can get easy angry and upset by even the smallest things. Exhaustion is also very common. Also, they also tend to pull away from their baby. They may even try to ignore their responsibilities as a mother and have someone else take care of their baby. One reason for this is that they get anxious about how well they can do their responsibilities and they are afraid that they will just harm their baby. This can even resort to panic attacks.
Other symptoms for postpartum depression include changes in appetite, sleep pattern disturbances, low libido, and fatigue. A confirmatory sign is an unexplainable constant feeling of sadness or guilt.
If you do have postpartum blues, there are several ways to combat it, so don’t worry.
- The first thing to do is to take care of yourself and you should start with getting enough rest and sleep. Lack of quality rest can lead to irritability and fatigue.
- Another way to combat postpartum depression is to express your feelings. It will help give you peace of mind and help lessen the stress and anxiety you feel. Talking to someone about may seem very basic, but it really does help. Sometimes all you really need is someone to be there for you. Try talking to someone you can easily relate with, or someone that has also been through the baby blues.
- If you have a therapist, then you can talk to him as well. While medications are also available for treating postpartum depression, most physicians will tell you that regular counselling is still the most effective treatment for helping women cope with their depression.
- If counselling doesn’t work, antidepressants are prescribed to help new mothers overcome postpartum depression. Other doctors also prescribe psychotherapy such as the Emotional Freedom Technique which uses both psychology and acupuncture.
If you are pregnant and are worried about postpartum depression, don’t be. There are several ways of combating it. Another good thing is that not all pregnancies will result to it. Not all mothers will experience it, and even if you get it when you deliver your first baby, it doesn’t mean that you will also experience it on your next pregnancy. Postpartum depression is easily treatable, so get treated as early as you can. Don’t wait until it gets out of control before you start doing something about it.
The Brain, Use It or Lose It
This old, but true saying applies to our body the same way. Centuries ago, during a more unsanitary time, our gallbladder had a major role in fighting germs and food breakdown. Now, due to proper cooking of foods, the gallbladder has become unused, unneeded, and has deteriorated in size and function.
The human body is very adaptable and has the potential to adapt according to our environment given enough time. Modern times, especially since the industrial revolution, have created something that the human body has found itself incapable of adapting to. The demands of a faster paced society, deadlines, and a state of always being in a hurry have destroyed our body’s harmony. Your body and brain has been programmed to run at a faster speed than was intended. We don’t take time to properly rest and give the brain time to properly reflect on activities before the next has started. To make things worse, we rely on modern conveniences and have become less physically active.
The brain in ways is a super computer controlling and regulating every aspect of our body. Our body is loaded with safety programs, just like a computer. The presence or lack of a hormone tells the brain to turn on or off something else. What happens to your computer if the firewall gets turned off? It becomes vulnerable to attacks. The brain is no different; it has its own firewall called serotonin (natural shield). Serotonin, at normal levels, creates a natural shield that protects us from falling apart and is produced during exercise. While indulging ourselves with all the modern conveniences and becoming less active we have been training our brains to produce less and less serotonin.
As we replace our serotonin, we are in fact building up mental/spiritual roadblocks. These roadblocks affect our ability to think clearly and allow for fear and doubt to control our decisions and actions.
The absence of, or low serotonin levels have disarmed our firewall making our brains very vulnerable to depression, stress, and anxiety. To further complicate the problem, we as a society have begun relying on antidepressants to replace the role of our serotonin.
As we slowly replace our serotonin with pharmaceuticals we send the message to our brain that we need less and less so the brain produces less. This in turn causes us to require larger doses or stronger pharmaceuticals to make us feel better.
As our brains slowly stop producing serotonin, and has been replaced with pharmaceuticals there comes a point where the brain forgets how to make its own serotonin.
Have we reached a point where some may say they don’t need it? We have food processing companies so we don’t need our gallbladder. We have pharmaceutical companies so we don’t need serotonin.
Therapeutic levels of serotonin can be rebuilt through a carefully planned fitness approach such as the W.A.R. (worry, adrenaline, rest) method from Building The Temple Therapeutic Fitness program.
The solution is within our lifestyle changes. Exercise and being active produces serotonin. Medications for mood stabilization should only be used for short periods of time to avoid dependency. Usage during the period of exercising to build up serotonin levels is ideal, but should be stopped when a therapeutic serotonin level has been achieved. This should only be done under the supervision of a physician.
Are Anti-Depression Lights Really Effective Against Depression?
Are you one of those people who become depressed as the winter months approach and we have less daylight hours to look forward to? If so, you may be suffering from SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Essentially, this is a condition in which prolonged exposure to an environment with few hours of light leads to feelings of depression. However, SAD is a specialized form of depression. Many who show no signs of depression during the spring and summer months when the number of sunlight hours is at its peak, suddenly find themselves feeling depressed as winter approaches.
But, the really interesting thing about this type of depression is the discovery of one of the most effective treatments that researchers have discovered to combat it – light therapy. The theory behind light therapy is simple. It is that the moods of a certain percentage of the population is inordinately affected by the amount of daylight that they receive each day. This phenomenon of light having an impact on mood has been firmly established during multiple research studies since the nineteen eighties.
The reason for this is found in a hormone called melatonin. Most people know melatonin as the hormone that helps to regulate the sleep cycle. When it gets dark, the body naturally produces more of this hormone which helps the person sleep better. However, melatonin can also directly affect mood. And, in certain people, when the levels of this hormone in the body rise over a certain threshold – it causes them to become depressed. Many people experience this as “cabin fever”. Others refer to it as winter depression. And the effect on the body is real.
Studies seem to show that sunlight cause melatonin in the body to be produced at a lower rate. So, as spring rolls around, and the person is receiving more sunlight, his melatonin reserves are reduced and the depression seems to magically go away.
Having proven the connection between daylight and depression, the next step, of course, was to see if the effect of natural daylight could be simulated to produce the same effect. And, much to the researchers delight, it could be. It was found that if a patient spent a certain amount of time in the presence of the anti-depression lights, the body was fooled into slowing its production of melatonin and the depression disappeared.
This is a godsend for those suffering from SAD and looking for a natural way to treat their depression. Even though it is natural, however, it is best to receive this treatment from a medical professional who can work with you to determine the precise levels of light that you need to help control your moods.
Depression, Stress, Anxiety, And Our Inability to Cope
Once considered a taboo subject, now is being discussed more openly due to television talk shows. We have devised several methods to combat this disease of modern times. Barriers are being broken down and more people are openly seeking medical health.
Family physicians have taken the first line of defense by prescribing mild antidepressants all the way to Zanax. These prescriptions are usually written after other stress related health problems have been identified. Psychiatrists and counselors only enter the scene after the family physician has had little or no progress.
Either way treatment focuses on medication, lying on the couch, or both. In a way this is much like taking antacids for a stomach ulcer. It knocks down the acid, but the pain and problems go on.
To properly treat this epidemic proportion health problem of our time, we first need to understand where it originates from. There are many credible Psychiatrists and counselors capable of helping you with identifying your stress or worry triggers.
Identifying these triggers as some would have you believe is your goal, so as to control them. Knowing your stress/worry triggers serve no other point than to assist you with avoiding them.
Common sense tells me that if I have chest pain, I need to have my heart checked. Depression, stress, and anxiety being from the mind lets me know to look at the brain. The Problem here is no one wants to admit to a problem in the brain. It is one of those things that society looks at differently.
Keep in mind there are many different types of problems with the brain. There is a huge difference between an organic problem in the brain and a chemical imbalance. Serotonin is the brains natural shield; it literally is the magic chemical that holds our mind together. Some of us have limited amounts of serotonin while others have an abundance. Also among those with limited and abundant amounts of serotonin have different life experiences that help develop their coping skills.
Low serotonin levels in the brain set the environment for depression, stress, or anxiety to occur. With a lowered serotonin level even a person with a variety of life experiences to pull from could become susceptible.
Serotonin is produced within the brain as a result of physical exercise. Although any kind of exercise will produce serotonin, aerobic is slightly preferred because of the increased blood flow to the brain.
When you suffer from depression, stress, or anxiety it can be difficult to see the path to good health, or even how to make it through some life issues. The hardest part could be realizing the path you are on. You have to exercise long enough to train your brain to produce adequate levels of serotonin to stabilize your brains natural shield. The stabilization process could take as long as three months of physical activity at a frequency of three times per week. The alternative is to stay on your present course and rely on pharmaceutical treatment.
The down side to pharmaceutical treatments is with time they require higher doses or adjusting to stronger pharmaceuticals. As the body becomes more reliable on pharmaceuticals the body becomes more reliant upon them due to producing less, and less serotonin.
Choosing the appropriate type of exercise program is just as important as choosing to exercise in itself. The W.A.R. (worry, adrenaline, rest) method of Building Thee Temple Therapeutic Fitness is the only fitness program to offer such an approach.
Physical exercise is not offering the only reasonable solution but can also improve your overall health. It would be wise to discuss the use of mood stabilizing pharmaceuticals during the serotonin stabilization process with your physician.