How To Avoid The Baby Blues (Or The Toddler Blues, Or the General Mommy Blues...):
Find a good friend (preferably a fellow Mama) and talk it out. You'd be surprised how often other Mamas are feeling the same way.
Staying cooped up in your house is a sure-fire way to bring on the sad. As difficult or exhausting or annoying as it may seem, getting out and about will raise your spirits. Call a buddy for a playdate. Go window shopping. Even going to the grocery store can help. Skedaddle and see what happens.
- Realize that you are NOT alone.
You probably have other Mama friends who can empathize and, even if you don't, there ARE other Mamas out there who can. Find a blog or a community forum or a meet-up group where other Mamas are talking about the same things. I promise you, there is someone out there talking about it. Whatever it is.
While that may seem impossible at times, there are levels of breakage here. There's the tiny break: baby is crying or toddler is screaming or both kids are tantruming and you JUST CAN'T. Put the kids safely in their cribs and go to the bathroom. Even 5 minutes alone can help. There's the breather break: when your partner gets home or your babysitter arrives, find a way to get 20 minutes to yourself. Take a long shower with your favorite shower gel. Go for a walk. Go get a mocha. Cuddle up with a blanket and read. Finally, there's the much needed, but fairly rare, daylong break: take a day for yourself. It may only happen once a year, so make it good. Do something that truly makes you happy. Hang out with good friends. Go for a spa day. Get a sitter and take a day with your husband. Whatever you do, make sure it helps you relax. It might not happen again for a while. But even if it doesn't, even the tiny breaks can help. TAKE THEM.
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