Strategies for managing perinatal depression or low mood

Awareness

Awareness that certain factors may increase your likelihood of mental health challenges, e.g. infertility, difficult birth, traumatic past experiences, living in a rural or remote area.

Prepare

Prepare a mental health ‘toolkit’ by writing a list that you can turn to if you feel you need it (like a first aid kit for the mind). You could even print off photos as a visual reminder to keep in your toolkit.

For example:

• nourishing foods you can prepare easily
• restorative exercise you enjoy such as yoga or a walk
• places you can visit to easily to get out of the house for fresh air or human contact
• a journal for writing down your thoughts
• meditation or mindfulness apps you like
• grounding strategies you can turn to
• a list of things you are grateful for
• some calming words of affirmation you can read out loud to yourself
• the numbers for helplines you can reach out to
• the names of people you could speak to about how you’re feeling
• scripts for difficult conversations about how you’re feeling
• a calming weighted blanket
• essential oil or a scented candle
• a mindful colouring book and pencils
• a playlist of music that uplifts you

Monitor symptoms and acknowledge

Monitor symptoms and acknowledge that they may be due to a mental health challenge you’re experiencing.

Name how you’re feeling, for example, ‘I feel really sad right now’.

Acceptance

Try to sit with your challenging feelings and create space to process them instead of fighting them, ignoring them or judging them.

Validate your feelings

For example, it’s completely understandable that you might feel this way. Try to let go of any expectations of how you think you should feel or act. Also understand that your changing hormones can have an impact on your mental health symptoms.

Reframe

For example, what’s happening is likely to be out of your control. Try and look for any positives without feeling you need to minimise the negatives. Feeling low tends to give a negative bias to everything that’s going on around us. See if you can notice and challenge any unhelpful thoughts and instead look for more helpful thoughts and perspectives. Also try to focus on the here and now (not the past or future) without judgement.

Be kind to yourself, speak to yourself like you would to a loved one who was feeling like this. Try to let go of any feelings or behaviours that aren’t serving you, e.g. guilt or maintaining relationships with people who bring you down.

Support

Talking about how you feel with a trusted person can bring emotional relief and sometimes a fresh perspective. Telling your story can feel empowering. If you don’t have anyone in real life you can speak to, PANDA is always here to listen on 1300 726 306 Monday to Saturday.

For example, a warm bath, cuddling your pet, listening to music. Let go of anything that isn’t a priority at this time (e.g. folding washing) and replace it with something that will lift your spirits. Filling your wellbeing cup regularly with things like this can help you replenish your reserves so that you have some mental energy to draw upon when you’re facing a challenge.

Try to also to avoid or limit things that can negatively impact your mental health and ability to cope such as alcohol or drugs.

Hope for the future

Recognise that our circumstances and perspectives change over time. Recovery takes time but it is possible. Ultimately you can feel stronger and renewed with new skills you’ve developed on the road to recovery.

Don’t feel any pressure to do everything. Wellbeing isn’t a checklist; it’s more like tending a garden. What kind of support are you hoping to grow more of in your life right now?