Post Partum and Obsessive Thoughts

Have you been diagnosed with post partum depression? If so you might have yourself dealing with obsessive thoughts.
Sometimes these thoughts are fears that your baby will become sick and die. Other times you get a fear that you might hurt the baby. Many new mothers feel like they are going crazy.
Here are some tips for dealing with those types of thoughts –
First of deal with the thought, don't dwell. If it is a realistic fear then just don't sit there. Do something about it.
If the thought comes as the result of a day dream then pay attention to what the dream represents. For instance if you are dreaming about crashing in a car then maybe the theme is control. It is time to examine that thing in your life that you feel you are losing control over.
Stopping your thought does not work of obsessive thinkers. In fact the more you fight the thought, the more likely it is to take over.
Cognitive behaviorists have a solution to this. First of all you need to notice and accept the thought. Then call upon your relaxations response and attempt to relax your body from head to toe.
Thirdly you will need to breathe. Inhale for two seconds and then exhale for four.
Fourthly soothe your mind with three or four calm sentences. The less attention you give a bad thought the sooner it leaves.
You might also want to try thought blocking. Write the obsessive thought down again and again until you become desensitized to it. Write until your hand hurts and you cannot write anymore.
Remember that we are not our thoughts.
We are our actions.
The bottom line is that your thoughts do not represent who you are. What you think about is not a critical s what you tell yourself about what you think.
Fear is ne of the most powerful of emotions. It I normally protect us from harm. It is a gift. Without fear and the brain chemicals that go with it we would not be able to keep ourselves safe from anger.
One way to keep obsessive thinkers in balance is to use humor. Humor is the counterpoint of fear and also creates powerful 'feel good' chemicals in the brain.
Unfortunately many people who suffer from depression lose their sense of humor.
To try and combat this assigns one whole section of your journal to obsessive thoughts. Write out the thought.
An example would be 'What if I drop the baby?'
Counter this thought with a positive one such as 'I am in control.' And 'Caring for my Childs automatic.'
You would then question why you are feeling a certain way and identify it. 'What is really bothering me?
What happened to trigger this?
Your next step is to make a plan to solve this problem. Write outdo plan of action. Try using a relaxation tape every day for two weeks.
You may have noticed that you need to be very patient in order to reformat your thinking in these ways. However it works to cure anxiety once and for all so stick with this program.

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Dealing With Recession Worries

The recession is here and everyone is worried. Then as if the money worries are not enough some people also worry about everything from what others think to about their health. This is a big waste of time.
My opinion is that if 'the sky is going to fall it is going to fall and there is nothing that you can do about it.'
If you are chronically worrying then you are like a cigarette smoker. Your bad habit of worrying could be hurting your child too because insecurity can be contagious.
Worry is simply a negative habit that needs to be broken. Ninety seven percent of the things that we worry about simply never happen. Still with all the bad news on television about the economy it is hard not to be concerned.
Then there is the problem of knowing that something bad might happen because logic could dictate it so. In that case you need to get some coping skills.
If you can't change a particular problem then try forming a plan of action for how you will handle the situation. Tell yourself that you can handle anything. This also requires positive planning on your part.
Depression and anxiety are a waste of time. Especially if you are fussing over something over which you have no control.
To help eliminate worry from your life try the following
• Put your worries into two categories… those things you can control and those things that you have no control over. Let go of the things you can't control.
• Use the law of averages to try and decide how valid your worries are. What are the odds of the worst case scenario happening?
• Don't waste time making mountains out of molehills or giving power to trivial things.
• If money is the source of worry do something as interesting and productive as you can to improve it. The same thing goes for your health. Do not just sit there and worry. Go see a doctor.
• Analyze what it is your are worried about and define the cause of concern. What are all the possible alternatives to the problem. How can you put your plan into action.
• Live day to day and pull your mind out of the future.
If you are worryng about somehting very real that is sure to have a negative outcome then prepare yourself for the worst and accept it. Devote your time and energy to improving the end result for you.
• Keep active and busy. Worry is often the result of having too much time on your hands.
Hopefully this advice will help you get through until 20120 when they say this recession will finally be over for us all.

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