Following on from our Post on What is Postnatal Depression, I know ask you to ponder why so many of us fear asking for help.
Just recently I took myself to the doctors for the umpteenth time. Each visit I feel the same, I feel like I'm failing, that I must be doing something wrong. I start questioning whether I'm just making it all up.
So why are we afraid to ask for help?
I raised this question on our Facebook page a few weeks ago and the common response was FEAR.
I don't like failing. I wish I could do everything perfectly. But to who's perfect? To yours? To your partner/Husband?...Who places these expectations on us.
No one, not even that happy, perfect looking Mother in the supermarket gets it right every single day. We should allow ourselves little failures so that we can continue to learn and grow.
Fear of medication was also another reason stopping some from help. Fear of what the antidepressants would do, if they would change them, make them worse, or just not wanting any medication at all.
In my case, I have a strong aversion to meds, I don't like them, but right now as I type this, I'm taking them. I like to think of them as a crutch for my broken mind. It helps me get to where I need to be to recover. My anxiety was so bad that I used to get the shakes and it was interfering with my everyday life. The anti depressants I'm on are only very mild and have made no difference to my personality or daily life, they just keep those feelings of panic away until I can fight them alone.
I'm not saying this to sway you to take them, They are there to help those who wish to take them.
Most of the Mothers admitted that they waited to seek help until they reached breaking point or their relationships were falling apart. Please if you are reading this now and think you might need help, don't wait until you cannot cope anymore. There is help out there..
There is no shame in asking for help
There is no failure in asking for help
There is no judgement in asking for help
You are stronger then you believe and you can do this.
Reach out to your GP, Child health nurse for help. Talk to someone close to you you for support.
Please don't wait any longer, it will get better and easier, but you need to be strong and take that first step....and we're here for you every step of the journey.
Help is here...
PANDA
BeyondBlue
Lifeline Australia - 13 11 14
The Salvos
Are you afraid to seek help? Or have you asked for help? What advice could you provide to those reading this to get the help they need?
Thank you for reading,
Christina
I was afraid to ask for help, I didn't want my family to know that I wasn't a strong independent woman any more. I had a healthy 6mth boy and a hubby working from home, no-one would have thought I was crumbling inside.
ReplyDeleteIt took me another 4 months to admit to hubby that I had a problem and needed to get medical help. I was physically shaking with fear when I went to see my GP but as soon as I said that I was suffering depression his whole persona changed, he became very concerned for me and made some suggestions on how we could work to get me better - there were lots of tears from me as I admitted to him I wasn't coping but I left his office feeling like I was walking on clouds.
The first step in asking for help can be huge but for me it felt like I was freed from a heavy weight.
The fear of other people knowing the true me - a mental nutcase - prevented me from seeking help as soon as I recognised things were not right.
Two and a half years later, I may not be totally cured but I have a support group I can turn to when I need to ask for help. I also try to talk more to people about PND in the hope that they will understand it is an illness and not something we should be ashamed about.
Great to see more and more people opening up about their experiences with PND. It's such a hard illness to overcome & seek help for because of the stigma attached to it.
DeleteSo great to hear that you have received help and your getting better, thank you so much for your support and sharing with us ~ Christina
It was mostly that I was "supposed" to be happy. I had everything I had ever wanted, how could anything have been wrong?
ReplyDeleteGreenmothertoone
alongtheway.com.au
Very true.....
DeleteI just had a quick look at your blog and looking forward to following along with the Body Balance challenge. I always had great success with body balance with toning up and feeling better emotionally as well. ~ Christina