Angry mom guilt😓

I keep losing my temper in front of my baby (sometimes directed at her, sometimes directed at others in the household). How do you handle this? I feel guilty thinking I may be traumatizing my child being so easily angered all the time.😞 It’s similar to how irritable I get when I’m close to/on my period, but now it’s not even just while I’m on my period—it’s like I’m just irritable all the time.😓 I’ve read something about “postpartum rage” but I wasn’t this irritable in my earlier postpartum months, so it seems to be new, like the irritability started just recently. And baby’s already a year old, so maybe it’s too late to be considered postpartum rage? Either way, I’ve been an “angry mom” lately and I don’t want to be.😔 Any advice could be much appreciated.❤️‍🩹

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I don’t have any advice but I’m in the same boat😕 I’ve been angry for weeks and honestly have no clue as of why. Many hugs and I hope someone has some helpful advice for you🤍

It might sound overly simple but exercise has helped my mental health tremendously. I really recommend even if it’s just a long walk, it’ll help reset you and calm you down.

Find a safe outlet. Like @Shannon mentioned exercise, dart board, punching bag, quiet corner, whatever that looks like for you. And share this with your partner or whatever support you have so he knows and may be able to step in when it gets to feel like this.

Watch YouTube videos about things you can do to reset your nervous system when you get overstimulated. I’m talking simple grounding exercises you can learn and have ready to go in the moment such as breathing and tapping techniques. You could choose to learn 3 and see which are the most helpful. I left my partner because he was not able to control his rage. It’s hard in the moment because your brain stem goes into fight or flight, but you can prepare for those moments by having calm-down techniques that get you back in your frontal lobe where you can make good decisions.

I wanted to add also that your body doesn’t really go back to normal until 2 years after birth. That includes hormones which could still be affecting you. Diet can also help regulate your system and vitamins like magnesium may help. Maybe continuing prenatal vitamins or seeing which ones you may need individually. I have to say, I started meditating and journaling and it’s been so much better. It also gives me time to think about what I really need to say. With kids it’s harder. I’d suggest that when both you and your partner are there, try the tap out method. This means your partner needs to be able to see it’s time for them to tap in to give you a break. And you can’t get mad when they do. If no one else is around, be honest with your child and let them know you need a moment if they’re old enough to know. If not, take a breath and walk away. Breathe and take a few minutes to think about how you can change the situation. I know this is long but I hope it helps.

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