3 Keys To Dropping Anxiety & Overwhelm in Pregnancy and Postpartum
Why do we feel so anxious, unsupported and generally overwhelmed during pregnancy and even during postpartum?
Especially nowadays when we have so many resources practically at our fingertips. So why is it not helping?
I ran a workshop yesterday with a group of expectant mothers on how to modify a yoga practice for pregnancy. In our discussion before diving into our work, the topic of anxiety, overwhelm and isolation kept popping up.
So today, I want to share with you the three big gaps I see that mothers have to deal with, and give you some tips to address these challenges so you feel totally supported, confident and able to enjoy your pregnancy and early weeks postpartum.
Gap #1: Not having an appropriate filter for the sea of information
Are you letting Facebook, YouTube and Google search algorithms be your filter for what you need to see? Or do you have an internal filter turned on that’s guiding you?
KEY TIP: Check the quality of your mental state as your consuming information. Drop information (or people) who do not help you keep your mental state high vibe. Going forward, carefully curate what you allow into your zone. Keep it positive!
Gap #2: Culture of D-I-Y does not work for pregnancy, birth and early postpartum.
Are you totally into self-help/do-it-yourself and taking the same approach for your pregnancy, birth prep and postpartum recovery? This approach is actually working against your ability to trust yourself. As women going through the very feminine process of growing, birthing and caring for a baby, we THRIVE on connection and being supported.
KEY TIP: Find a group of expectant or new mothers, or better yet connect with teachers who make it part of their work to bring mothers together.
Gap #3: Preparation focuses 100% on birth and we “wing it” postpartum.
If you are pregnant, reflect back over the last three months and assess how much of your planning was focused on pregnancy and birth vs. postpartum. AND if you look at your postpartum planning, was it 100% about baby? If so, it’s totally normal.
HOWEVER, also know that if you’re trying to overcome this deep feeling of anxiety and overwhelm, skipping over thinking about how you are going to take care of yourself is potentially adding to your unsettled feelings.
KEY TIP: Spend some time researching and learning about how other cultures around the world handle the postpartum period. There are so many cultures in which women do not experience anxiety, depression and other physical, emotional and mental challenges the way we do in western culture. You can learn from other traditions and incorporate these into your postpartum plan.
Resources & Links
Looking for support to stay active during your pregnancy or start your postpartum recovery? Here are some options to get you started on a great path forward:
1) Take the Pelvic Floor & Core Strength Quiz. After taking the quiz, you'll get a score and based on your results, guidance on what steps to take to move you forward in your recovery.
2) Check out our podcast listening guides: Download the Pregnancy Listening Guide or Postpartum Listening Guide.
3) If you're pregnant, want to be way more active than you have been, AND want connection with other mothers, but don't know where to start…join the Expecting to Flourish™ Membership - a mom-driven and expert-guided virtual space empowering moms with a new approach to prenatal fitness and birth prep that actually prepares you for the physical and emotional hurdles of motherhood.
If you’re postpartum and ready to get moving, need to heal your body but you don’t know where to start…join us for Postpartum Repair & Restore LIVE, a science-backed and fun-stacked, Diastasis and Pelvic Floor Strength program. Start healing your diastasis and eliminating leaking in 8 weeks or less with our guidance.
4) Do you prefer working one-on-one, or have a high risk pregnancy, a severe diastasis or leaking that won’t quit? You might be a candidate to work with us privately. To find out, take this quick self assessment! If you qualify, you'll be invited to schedule a complementary Postpartum Strategy Session with us where we'll take a good look at what's not working in your repair process, and come up with a great plan just for you.
