Calming Techniques

Meditation apps helped me, but I ended up on anxiety meds because mine was bad. The meds took the edge off so I could meditate, focus on breathing, etc.

Therapy and not going to lie Zoloft saved me

I tried it on my own but you may need something to balance you chemically can honestly say I was a better mom and person afterwards

First of all. Congratulations on your new baby 🤍 Second of all, I’m so proud of you for noticing something is off and looking for ways to make it easier for you AND your littles. 8 weeks is still so so fresh so you’re so valid for looking for calming techniques but for me that light at the end of the tunnel was right around the corner at 10-12 weeks. Everyone is so different though so please be gentle and give yourself time. You sound like an amazing mom to even be able to notice what’s going on amidst all the chaos of navigating 2u2. My daughter was just about to be 19 months old when my second was born. This might SOUND corny but it seriously helped me to remember that they’re not giving you a hard time, they’re HAVING a hard time. My second was colicky and my first baby was very chill and laid back so it was a massive adjustment in totally uncharted territory. They will both get used to eachother and you and your new baby are still getting used to eachother as well. 1/2

Sometimes I would just have to kiss my toddler and say I’d be right back and go feel it all for a second before I could come back. I wouldn’t come back perfect but I hate raising my voice to them at all and it gave me a chance to reel it in before responding. Also I just HAD to stop the negative self talk I was doing. It was like an outburst-shame-belittle myself cycle. When I was able to start being way kinder to myself (bc let’s face it, this IS hard. So worth it, but hard) I realized that I was a lot better than I thought. We also discovered Daniel together at this time and their countdown to calm down song helped my toddler and I both so much. We don’t really do screentime so it’s mostly us counting and singing together but maybe something like that could help. I also love Mama Nous

Breathing. In for 4 and out for 6. The longer exhale calms you nervous system to parasympathetic state. Another thing that works on somatic principles is for instance getting into your body to get into the moment, if you are sitting on a chair feel the chair and really focus on how it feels and the support it offers etc. scan your body to feel where the tension is and intentionally release it, you can even say ‘I release you’

I tried a lot of different things and finally went to get professional help. I was put on Zoloft and it has definitely been helping me feel more normal. My babies are 14.5 months apart, so I know how you feel. There’s nothing wrong with needing medication to help you get through this time of life and then reevaluating in a year or so when hormones calm down 💕 My Obgyn assured me “this doesn’t mean you’ll be on it forever. Your body has gone through a lot and just needs some help right now. If you want to try to get off it in a year or whenever you feel you’re ready, just tell me.”

@Sarah Hi, thank you for sharing. I have been always scared of this kind of medication and have been denying that I might need it but now I can say that I tried everything and I am just not strong enough to cope with anxiety and depressive feelings EVERY DAY, especially when things go wrong. So I might want to try it. Are there any side effects? Do they make dependent/addicted? And also, how do they make you feel?

@Sarah Also, is it OK for breastfeeding? Who do I reach out to for it?