Why You are Experiencing Postpartum Anxiety, Depression, OCD, or Psychosis

Chances are that if you are paying a visit to this little internet space instead of perusing today’s deals on Amazon, you’ve probably asked the question, “Why me?! Why did I end up with the feelings and thoughts that people identify as symptoms of a postpartum mood disorder (postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, or postpartum psychosis)? Very likely, immediately after asking that question, your mind probably drifted to some friend or acquaintance with a particularly messed up childhood or a history of very poor life choices and thought, “Why me and not that person?!”

I know, I know. I’ve asked the same things.

Well, I have an answer for you. Actually I have two answers for you, and they are equally true. The first answer, the shorter one, is that you are stuck in your current experience because you do not understand how your thoughts and emotions actually work. You, like most people, have been taught the faulty understanding that your thoughts and feelings define you, which couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ll talk a lot about that on this blog.

Here’s answer number 2. When you brought your newly born baby home, God or the Universe or Life or whatever resonates with you decided that it was time for you, new parent, to be reborn too. Prior to your baby’s birth, you lived your life in a certain way with certain coping mechanisms, systems, fears, and survival strategies. It’s what we humans do. But for some reason, Life looked on you and decided that you were ready to go beyond that old system and be rebirthed into a higher level of living. You, my friend, are ready to change. In fact, you already are changing. I promise you that it’s true whether or not you see it that way. The thing is, we humans often only open up to something better when we hit a wall. Actually, maybe a better way to say it is that walls are often the only things that will shake us enough to loosen our iron grip on our repetitive thinking (our psychology) so that we can see something new. The reality is that your old way of seeing your experience isn’t working for you anymore, and you are being ushered toward something new. So as miserable as that wall might feel each time you run up against it, practice thanking it instead of cursing it. It might be the greatest gift you ever receive.

Instead of seeing yourself as a victim of postpartum whatever (anxiety, depression, psychosis, etc.), I’m asking you to open your eyes to the fact that you are being carried toward something better. You, my friend, have received the call to go beyond your current state. Now, the real question is:

How will you answer the call?

What I have decided to do is to say yes to a journey of healing and transformation. This goes way beyond "treatment" of postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, or postpartum psychosis. Those labels simply signify the experience that brought you to this point. I'm talking about letting go of the illusions that have suppressed health and vitality in all areas of your life and embracing the beauty of who you really are. I hope that you will join me on that path.