It is never easy to be a parent, but those that struggle with depression may find the challenge of parenthood even more daunting. There are ways to address these concerns and to ensure that children have the supervision they need while the parent can enjoy this important part of their life. Here is how to manage depression as well as how to recognize when more help is required.
Accept Normal Feelings
Every parent experiences a major adjustment to their lifestyle when children arrive. Some of those changes and moments are magical. Many of them are expensive, messy and frustrating. It is normal for parents to feel emotions like anger, sadness or even regret. No one will love their life when they are awake all night with a screaming baby.
Accepting the fact that some days will be difficult, that all parents make mistakes and that children are also not perfect eases some of the stress. The burden of trying to live up to the social media version of what a happy family looks like takes its toll. Parents that establish realistic standards for themselves and their spouse and kids may feel less pressure.
Make Healthy Choices
Many parents have a diet that consists of coffee and whatever their toddler refused to finish. Sleep becomes an exotic fantasy and exercise is crawling under the sofa to find the sippy cup. There is no more important time to begin focusing on change than when depression begins to take over. Good mental and physical health requires a healthy diet, adequate sleep, and exercise.
Exhausted parents have to work to find the energy and the time to exercise Avoid the temptation to buy a gym membership and incorporate exercise into the daily routine. Park further away from a store or take the stairs. Encourage family walks after dinner, shut off the TV and have a push-up contest with the kids or find a pool and teach the kids to swim.
High-sugar snacks and meals reduce the ability of children to concentrate and sleep soundly.Their lack of sleep stops parents from having their necessary eight hours of rest. Establish bedtime routines and avoid the temptation to stay up late to do housework or watch TV.
Address Specific Situations
Depression is often triggered by feeling alone or having no one available to help. This is a problem for stay-at-home parents, military spouses, and single parents. Adults must maintain contact with their friends, family, and others when they become parents. Look for ways to have more adult connections to prevent feeling left out of life.
Financial issues also lead to worries that can eventually manifest into depression. Take control of money problems immediately. Talk to a credit counselor or financial planner to devise a budget, and stay on track. Single parents face a higher risk of poverty than two-parent homes. Seek out all resources available to help reduce some of the pressure.
Identify Problems Early
Depression is more than just being sad or tired and it does not happen overnight. It can become severe by the time the individual realizes there is a problem. Notice the small changes to help address the issue early.
Signs may include housework that remains undone, a decline in the quality of meals, and house rules no longer enforced. Interest in hobbies, friends or work decreases or disappears entirely. Someone in this situation may feel tired, have headaches, and miss work or avoid social events.
Seek Professional Help
Depression may begin to subside as children grow or bank accounts increase. The parent may be able to ward off the problem with diet and exercise. When this is not the case, professional help is needed. Anyone that contemplates hurting themselves or their children should immediately seek emergency assistance.
Many will not reach that point but become so disinterested and sad their relationships with their loved ones become fractured. Get help if happiness is difficult to imagine or when you feel as if you are playing a role to meet the standards of what others expect. Feelings of worthlessness or self-blame, insomnia and lack of energy and the loss of appetite are signs to take seriously.
At Comprehensive Behavioral Health Associates Inc, we understand the pain of depression and how it can destroy the best intentions of even the strongest people. There is no reason to feel guilty or ashamed of the need for assistance. In fact, every parent should have pride in their desire to be healthier for themselves and children. Contact us so we can help you.
