If you recognized yourself in my story about winter blues, seasonal affective disorder, and postpartum depression, then my goal is to be able to offer you some hope with these tips.
2. Consider a way to get movement and exercise while at home. Yoga or exercise DVDs can be a great way to bring your movement home to you. Or dance! A mom who I have been seeing in my office uses the long winter months to turn up the music that she loves and boogie with her baby. If they are little enough they might just love the movement, too. And watching you may just be the entertainment that your little one needs! Plus exercise can help with your postpartum depression, too.
3. Make sure that you are taking a high potency multi-vitamin and Omega 3 supplement. If fresh fruits and vegetables are at a minimum, do what you can to replenish this necessary brain food.
4. Replace cold water with warm water with lemon and honey or tea. While excess fruit juices or other sweetened beverages are not ideal, spicing up your water so that you can get enough is certainly encouraged. Your brain and body need enough hydration to function efficiently.
5. Reach out as much as you can for support and company. Can you enlist the help of friends for meal deliveries or help with your baby? If it feels too hard to get out, consider asking your community to come to you. You are not alone and you certainly don’t need to be. If asking for this help yourself feels too difficult, is there someone who can ask for you?
6. For more moderate to severe symptoms, reaching out for the support of a trained psychotherapist can be imperative. For support near to you, check out our list of treatment programs and specialists and support groups.
7. For many women who struggle with seasonal affective disorder, medication support can be a valuable part of treatment. If you have questions or concerns about this, I encourage you to speak with your therapist or care provider.
8. Bright light therapy has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression in some women. For women who suffer from both postpartum depression and seasonal affective disorder, this may be a helpful addition to treatment.
9. Finally, be kind to yourself and notice if you are beating yourself up for feeling down. You are not alone and there are many, many others out there who feel similar to the way that you do, whether they have seasonal affective disorder, postpartum depression, or both. I promise.
— Kate Kripke
Thanks so much for this!! I know I am definitely more sensitive in my moods after having PPA. I'm glad I am finally realizing a few of my triggers. These are some great suggestions!
Thank you so much, I have always had a tough time getting through winter. With ppd it's so much harder. I'm glad to find out that there is something I can do.
These are wonderful tips! Thank you!!
I also do something that's really unhealthy but it gives me that extra boost I need…I fake and bake at a tanning salon. It really soothes me.
It can feel like hell to motivate yourself to get out, but it's so worth it. Once I got out and about this winter with the baby in her bjorn, it started establishing more positive associations and connections with her. And of course the exercise and fresh air helped.
I'd also recommend trying something like infant massage during winter. You can't get outside much anyway and it's nice to have a place to go once a week. I'm taking a class with a small group of other Moms and most have been very forthcoming that they're still having a hard time adjusting. Many are there specifically to help the bonding process. My baby loves it and being able to connect with her in an intimate way has really helped.
Of course, I know there are many Moms with ppd with older kids, but any kind of soothing activity that is designed for you to relax might be helpful.