Mental Health has long been a subject that people don’t talk about often enough. Opening up can be the most difficult thing to do in the world, but the more we talk about it, the more we can help ourselves and others.

Mental Health covers a wide range of things from depression to anxiety to schizophrenia. Something that affects many new mothers and fathers is Postnatal Depression, which can be difficult to understand for those not going through it.

Postnatal Depression is defined as a mood disorder, which is related to childbirth and becoming a parent, which can affect both a mum and a dad. In general (and not exclusive to), Postnatal Depression causes a low mood, extreme melancholy, anxiety, mood swings, crying and irritability. There are many other symptoms and you don’t have to have all of them to be going through PND.

Although there is no magical cure for feeling better, there are some things you can do, which over time and with patience can help you to feel better.

1) Reach out to someone

Taking the first step and talking about how you feel is the first big step to making a change. Who you reach out is completely up to you, and it doesn’t have to be friends or family. Sometimes talking to a stranger or someone over the Internet is easier if you are anxious, and that’s completely okay. Who you decide to reach out to and talk to is a personal decision, and you should never feel pressured to explain this decision to anyone.

2) Connect with parents

Something that is often overlooked is that as a new parent you can feel overwhelmed with the change in your life, which can mean you lose the sense of who you are. Not having time to yourself, doing the things you love and spending more time at home on your own can be damaging. You still have to look after little one, but connecting with parents who you can text when you feel like crying or meet for a coffee to talk can really help.

3) Take a break

If you’re finding everything too difficult, then try and take a break. If you have friends or family that are offering to look after baby, take them up on that offer. You are in no way letting your little one down from needing some time away from them. Maybe the grandparents are desperate to spend some more time with baby, so why not ask them to take over for a weekend and spend some time doing things that make you feel good.

4) Be kind to yourself

We always turn to ourselves to put the blame somewhere, which ends in negativity. When it comes to PND, or any Mental Health condition for that matter, there should be no blame. Mental Health is like catching a cold; you never wanted it and you will get better with time. Be kind to yourself and remember that no matter what you are going through, you are still an amazing person and no-one will judge you for how you are feeling.

5) Seek further help

Self-help is great, and the perfect way to understanding why you are feeling how you are, and how you can start to overcome that. But sometimes, you will need something more than just you-time and taking a break, which is okay too. If you are really struggling, the best thing to do is seek further help - it could be a support group or medication, but there is always something out there that will help you. Don’t suffer in silence, because the world is kind and people do want to help.

If you are struggling, and need further help on this matter, please get in touch with your local GP who will be able to help further.