I’m so happy to be able to welcome back Nadene Hawker from The Lost Trimester, calm coaching for mummies experiencing postnatal anxiety and depersonalization. Nadene has been featured on Elle online, so pretty stoked to be able to share her wisdom with you lovely ladies too.
This post is part 2 of 3 writing about managing wellbeing in times of isolation. Pretty damn important right now! Feel free to share with any and all important people in your life!
Nadene shares three more of her tips and techniques to help anyone struggling with anxiety whilst in isolation.
Switch the lights on in the room of your fears
Avoiding painful emotions is like going straight to bed after a hefty meal - you’re going to get mental indigestion!
As hard as it might be, it’s really important to digest your pain, to sit with it, and not let those feelings build up into negative energy. I promise you, if you don’t process those feelings, they will bite you on the bum at some point in time and usually when you are at your most vulnerable.
I personally found talking therapy, hypnotherapy and journaling to be great ways of unpicking my thoughts. I didn’t necessarily need solutions to some of what I spoke about, just sharing thoughts and memories with a well-chosen person, with no shame made me feel at home with imperfection as well as feel connected.
As humans we are all allowed to be fearful and share those emotions - men, women, old and young - the only thing that makes this miracle we call life make any sort of sense is other people. Thankfully we live in a time where we are spoilt for choice when it comes to communication - there are even some great telephone-based counseling and therapy services you can sign up for, especially in these times of social distancing - most councilors/therapists are moving to video session. For new mums, there are even apps dedicated to meeting local mums at a similar stage of life.
Don’t compare yourself to others
This can be tough when social media is such a huge part of modern life. I always thought ‘I don’t compare myself to others’, but after deleting all but one of my social media accounts, I realised just how much I was doing this subconsciously. I spring cleaned the account I kept to only follow people I felt inspired by, and I limited my screen-time to around one to two hours per day. Social media feels very different now - when I look at my feed it feels like a treat, I feel productive, motivated and inspired, instead of feeling less-than or guilty.
I highly recommend taking regular social media detoxes, where you do not go on social media for 48 hours. It really helps to reset, and see just how much you use social media to numb or suppress your emotions.
Move your body with a form of exercise that works for you
Your body was made to move. When you regularly stay active, your body will be flooded with endorphins, regulating mood and relaxing your mind. When you don’t stay active though, tension is created in the body, and there is no outlet for that stress & anxiety.
Finding the right movement for you is a real game changer. Yes, of course you will enjoy it more, but you will also feel more balanced. I found I was pushing myself to run, something I enjoyed before, but my energy levels were so low that in fact jogging / walking and yoga worked far better for me postnatal.
Find what works for you in this season of your life, and don’t think that you *should* be doing a certain exercise, for any reason. This is YOUR time!
* DISCLAIMER: This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your health care provider with any questions you have regarding a medical condition.
