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Being Mindful Can Help With Postpartum Anxiety

Feb 10, 2019
Jenna Phipps

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Photo: Washington Post

While there are certainly ways for new moms to prepare for childbirth, sleep training, and new motherhood, being a mom means letting go of certainty and control. One Type A, organized mother discovered this when her son was born.

While waiting for her baby boy to fall asleep at bedtime, her anxiety grew worse. He wouldn't fall asleep, and her racing pulse and frazzled spirit didn't help.

In the past, Cindy Lamothe said, she'd always been active and organized, not allowing herself time for self-care. "Being a mother changed all that," she wrote, about her younger years and her short attention span, worsened by social media. "I was forced to slow down, to pay attention."

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So she decided to be present: resting her head on her son and mentally listing things she was grateful for. Being patient and thankful for her experiences with her son and husband allowed her to calm down while she waited for her son to sleep. "Learning to mindfully wait helped me release the illusion of control I had built over the years," Lamothe explained.

Click here to read her full article.

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Jenna Phipps

Jenna Phipps is a writer, editor, and dancer based in Nashville, Tennessee. She enjoys working with other people to improve their writing, taking long road trips, experimenting with choreography, and reading many novels.