You can't avoid stress, but you can learn how to deal with it in a healthy way. Having your coping skills ready can help you reduce stress.
Try to eat healthy foods and get enough sleep. That's hard to do when you're a new mom, but when you feel good and you're well-rested, it can make a difference in how you handle the things that are thrown at you each day. And, for those moments when you feel the stress rising, you can:
- Walk away from the situation if it's safe. Go out for a walk or go into another room or better still, go in the bathroom, that’s the best place, and take a few moments for yourself.
- Take some slow deep breaths. Concentrating on inhaling and exhaling can help to calm you down. It’s difficult, but sometimes closing your eyes and breathing does the trick.
- Talk to someone. If you can share your feelings with a friend, your partner, or another family member you might feel better. You can also discuss your feelings with your doctor or a therapist.
- Get some exercise. Exercise can relieve stress, and it also releases endorphins into your body. Endorphins are natural feel-good chemicals that can reduce stress and make you feel happy. Exercise doesn’t need to be something strenuous, just a 10 minute walk will do magic.
- Stay away from drugs or alcohol. Drugs and alcohol can make things worse, plus they can enter your breast milk and pass to your baby. So, as far as possible take something better like a fresh lime or a chocolate.
- Share the workload - We know you’re sleep deprived, so try to pass on some of the work to your family. Don’t feel guilty, you need that time off.
These are some of the few practical magical ways to cope with stress after birth from the family of Baby Moo… we wish you and your Baby Moo Star a great life ahead.
