9 Tips for Moms with Depression

Mental health is more often about the journey than the destination, and that’s true for everyone, including parents. If you’re a mom who struggles with depression, you may have a tough time balancing your life and engaging how you might want to. But depression doesn’t have to define you. In fact, there are so many ways for you to take control of your mental health and look after your own needs. Whether you’re struggling a bit more than usual right now or you’re looking to get ahead of your mental health needs, here are a few of the ways that you can manage depression as a mom.

1. Make Time For Yourself

Even though this can be true for everyone, regardless of mental health status or parental status, it’s extremely important to make time for yourself and set that time aside to focus on your personal priorities, your hobbies and even simply taking downtime. Of course, mom life can leave you busy, but that’s part of what makes personal time so crucial.

2. Seek Help When Necessary

If you already know that you struggle with depression, you may be familiar with therapy and mental health services. If you are near the area, you can consult the best experts from One Life Counselling in Calgary and get the appropriate help you need. Just the same, you might be fairly new to the world of professional mental health care. Regardless of your previous experiences with counseling or therapy, it’s never too early or too late to seek help and support. By seeing a therapist or even turning to an in-patient program, you can add to your support network and learn positive coping skills that work for your life.

3. Be Honest With Your Kids

Of course, every child and every family has different expectations and boundaries that you need to consider when being honest and open with your children, however, it is often a good idea to consider sharing a little bit more with your children so they know what’s going on in your life. More often than not, children have a way of knowing when something is wrong, and hiding things from them simply serves to make your relationship more strained. Try communicating about mental health in sensitive, age-appropriate ways.

4. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Sometimes, mom life can feel completely overwhelming and filled with all kinds of little details that impact the flow of daily life. It can sometimes be easy to get worked up over little details that feel extremely important in the moment, but likely won’t make much of an impact in the long run. Although it might be easier said than done, try not to sweat the small stuff can be a big energy saver and help you prioritize your needs.

5. Delegate Tasks

This can sometimes be a complicated issue when it comes to motherhood, mental health and domestic life. One of the more difficult parts of being a mom nowadays is the expectation of emotional labor when managing a household. Even between parents who both work, mothers are more often than not expected to take on the lion’s share of planning and delegating. Even though this can be the reality in many situations, utilizing the ability to delegate tasks can sometimes see you a lot of the practical labor associated with daily mom life. If you need a bit of a break, reaching out for a bit of help within your own household can be the lifeline you need.

6. Take Care of Your Body

You might already know by now that the mind and body are inherently connected. That’s why it’s important to take care of your body as much as you can in order to uplift your mental health. Of course, busy mom life can make it a bit harder to sit down for regular meals or even carve out a bit of time for a workout, but that’s a part of making time for yourself — making time to treat yourself how you deserve.

7. Rely On Your Support System

Whether you have a therapist you love, a group of friends that you can always turn to or a fantastic family, your support system will always be a large part of the healing and management process when it comes to mental health. Remember that you don’t need to go at it alone — if you’re struggling, call up a friend or family member that you can trust.

8. Take Time to Rest

The very first tip on this list was about taking time for yourself, and of course, that’s important, but beyond that, it’s just as important to take time specifically to rest. Everybody needs a little bit of downtime, and if you aren’t getting the rest you need — especially if you aren’t getting at least seven hours of sleep each night — Your body and mind won’t be as well supported as you deserve to help you through your struggles.

Dealing With Depression as a Mom

Depression can throw everybody for a loop, but especially those dealing with the expectations and duties of motherhood. Whether you start making time for yourself, going to therapy or simply relying a bit more on your support system, you can make it through and do anything you put your mind to.