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0 By Vanessa Rapisarda
Most women with postpartum depression know two things – that they should talk about it, and that they don’t want to.
New mothers are bombarded with information telling them that they need to speak up if they just aren’t feeling right. But they don’t – and for several good reasons. So how do we bridge the gap between the terrified mothers living silently in darkness and the concerned support system who can only help if they know what’s wrong?
Ending the stigma surrounding mental illness would break down so many barriers. And more women talking about postpartum depression would help to do that.
The women who DO speak up are courageous for doing so. They have decided to ask for help and tell their stories, despite the barriers presented by the medical system and society in general.
Here are some tips for women who want to know how to talk about postpartum depression.
Read About It
Reading the stories of other mothers can help you figure out how to talk about postpartum depression. Try to read as many stories as you can, because each mother’s experience is different. You never know which ones will relate to you specifically. If you find a story that feels like the author took the words right out of your mouth – then save it and read it over and over again. Share it on social media or with someone you love. Let the courage of other women inspire you to share your own story. Find some stories to read in The Ultimate Collection of Postpartum Depression Stories.
More of a visual person? You can find hundreds of videos of women telling their postpartum depression stories on YouTube.
Write About It
If you want to know how to talk about postpartum depression, then you need to practise what you’re going to say. Writing it out is a great first step. You don’t need to be a professional writer, nor should you feel any obligation to share your story with anyone. You can write it just for you.
Write it out on paper, in pen, so that you can’t erase or delete anything. You can scribble words out, but they will still be there like an everlasting reminder that running away from your thoughts doesn’t help.
Write about the bad stuff that you’re too afraid to say out loud. Write about the sad stuff and keep writing even when your tears soak through the paper. Write about all the hopes and dreams that haven’t come true for you yet.
When you’re done writing it out – you will want to burn it or tear it up into a million pieces and flush it. But instead of doing that, find the courage to keep it. It will help you greatly when you are ready to talk about postpartum depression.
Download and print this free PDF workbook to write about your thoughts in: http://runningintriangles.com/PPDstoryworkbooksignup
Help Someone Else
Helping someone else who is in the same situation as you is a great way to learn how to talk about postpartum depression. One way to do this is by joining a private online support group where you can talk more freely with strangers. Mothers are usually quite honest and open in these groups and ask questions about everything from medications to marriage problems. If you don’t feel quite ready to ask your own questions, then start by answering one for another mother.
Supporting someone else is incredibly empowering and can give you the courage to talk about your own struggle with postpartum depression.
Here are some online support groups you can join (I am a member of all of these groups as well):
Momma’s Postpartum Depression Support
Postpartum Support International
1in4 UK Book Store:
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Postpartum Anxiety Support Group
Postpartum Depression & Anxiety Support Group
Talk to a Survivor
No one knows how to talk about postpartum depression better than a survivor. I should mention that, when it comes to maternal mental illness, there are no REAL survivors because there is no REAL cure.
What I mean by a survivor is:
- A woman who has lived through the worst of it in the first year postpartum
- A woman who decided she needed help and asked for it
- A woman who spoke up about what she was going through
- A woman who made changes in her life to avoid the chances of a relapse
- A woman who has established a treatment plan
- A woman whose mind told her to end it all, but she didn’t
Survivors are still battling the pain of postpartum depression and/or are at risk of a relapse. But survivors have one thing that you don’t. They have spoken up about postpartum depression and lived to tell the tale. So, find a survivor and ask them how to talk about postpartum depression.
I am a postpartum depression survivor, and I am always available to talk! You can also join the Postpartum Depression Survival Guide E-Newsletter and get e-mails from me about things that are important to women fighting the battle. Plus – you can reply to any one of them to chat with me directly!
Don’t Do It Alone
Fighting a battle alone is never a good plan, no matter how much courage you have. It is much easier to talk about postpartum depression when you have someone holding your hand. Asking for help with postpartum depression doesn’t always mean asking for medication or therapy. Asking for help can mean something as simple as talking to someone about what you’re going through.
Who do you want to talk to about postpartum depression? Your spouse? A doctor? Your family or friends? Find a person or group to stand with you as you do it (physically or virtually)? Having someone else there for emotional support can give you the courage you need to speak up and also hold you accountable, so you can’t back out at the last minute.
One option to consider if you’d like help to speak openly about your postpartum depression to your family and friends is to access an online psychiatrist. Thanks to the privacy and anonymity that it offers, you can speak to a licensed professional, in your own time, without anyone needing to know until you are ready. To find out if this is the right option for you, read Reasons To Choose An Online Psychiatrist from Betterhelp.com.
Consider the Worst Case Scenario
Make a list of all of the things keeping you silent. Which one do you fear the most? Are you afraid you will be treated like a criminal or child abuser? That your children will be taken away from you, or that your spouse will leave you? Maybe you’re worried that someone will judge you, say insensitive things to you or avoid you altogether?
Now make a list of all of the reasons why you want to speak up. Are you struggling and don’t know how to cope? Do you want to be a better mother and wife? Do you want others to know why you’ve been acting strange? Are you feeling alone? Are you scared of what you might do? Have you contemplated suicide?
Which list is your worst case scenario?
Don’t wait for something bad to happen before you decide to talk about postpartum depression. Think carefully about the consequences of staying silent when you should be speaking up. Talking about it won’t be easy, but neither is battling in silence. Wouldn’t you rather have an army by your side to fight the war raging inside of you?
Make Plans For the Future
Thinking about the future can help you decide how to talk about postpartum depression. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all of the darkness happening right now, but the future is that light at the end of the tunnel. Without help or a plan to get better, the future seems bleak. It seems like a never-ending life of sadness and despair.
Imagine what you want your future to look like. Do you want to have more children? Think about watching your children grow up, helping them with homework and taking family vacations. Aim to achieve it instead of mourn what would be. So make 1, 5, and 10-year plans for your life. Having a future will give you something to fight for.
The simple act of talking about postpartum depression can feel like an insurmountable task for many mothers. The hundreds of reasons for staying silent are completely valid and understandable. Postpartum depression is a private matter and there is no need for the entire world to know about a mother’s innermost thoughts and feelings.
But the hundreds of reasons for speaking up are also valid. It will take a lot of courage, and make you feel exposed and vulnerable. But it means that you won’t have to fight this battle alone. And if you don’t have to fight it alone, you have a much better chance of winning.
Don’t wait for someone to ask you how you’re feeling; take matters into your own hands and find the courage to speak up.
Reproduced with permission, originally posted on runningintriangles.com
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