Postpartum Anxiety Treatment based in Katy, TX
There are plenty of reasons new parents feel overwhelmed and anxious. For many perfectionists, becoming a parent may be the first experience feeling like something is completely out of our control. Traumatic birth experiences, unplanned c-sections and breastfeeding problems can make recovery harder. Additional medical complications for mom or baby and conflict with a partner can lead to overwhelm, panic and anxiety.
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Counseling for postpartum anxiety can help. Regain a sense of control and figure out how to feel like yourself again.
Therapy can provide a judgment free space to talk through your worst fears. Counseling for postpartum anxiety is a place you can grieve the unexpected losses you’ve experienced. A counselor can teach you practical coping skills to help you feel more in control of your thoughts, feelings and reactions. Meeting with a therapist may also help you come to terms with the parts of your new post baby life that might be forever changed.
Signs you might be experiencing postpartum anxiety include:
- Sleep disruption or inability to sleep, even when the baby sleeps. Maybe even excessive sleep because the thought of being awake and caring for baby is too overwhelming or scary.
- Irregular appetite. Over eating, or under eating in some cases. Or maybe just plain forgetting or not prioritizing eating at all.
- Racing thoughts. Your brain may feel like it’s constantly running through a never ending to do list. The mental loop of all the things that aren’t getting done around the house may feel endless. You might be extra critical and hard on yourself or your partner to the point it feels excessive.
- Intrusive thoughts, or scary thoughts. You may be imagining in vivid detail all of the terrifying things that you worry could happen if you [sleep, shower, return to work, you name it]. Sometimes these can lead to compulsive behaviors that interfere with your functioning. Things like rewashing already cleaned bottles, clothing or hands with boiling water can be signs of compulsive behaviors. Obsessively checking baby’s breathing or that the doors are locked and not sleeping or resting as a result may be signs.
Additional signs and symptoms of postpartum anxiety
- Increased irritability with your partner, yourself, your baby or others close to you (or maybe even strangers at the grocery store). If you’re getting feedback about how angry or irritable you seem, or it feels like your partner can’t do anything right, it may be that you’re experiencing feelings of increased anger and irritability.
- Restlessness or inability to sit still. Being in constant motion can give us a false sense of being productive or preventing the worst from happening. Stopping or sitting still feels like inviting something bad to happen. To the outside you might look like “supermom” but on the inside you might be suffering from postpartum anxiety.
- Physical symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, hot flashes, racing heart, shortness of breath that aren’t associated with any diagnosable medical conditions. You may be experiencing panic attacks (commonly described as “anxiety attacks”), or physical symptoms that seem to mimic a heart attack. If you’ve reported these symptoms to your physician and ruled out medical complications, it may be that you’re experiencing postpartum anxiety.
Please note, if you’re having suicidal or homicidal thoughts and have a plan to act on those thoughts, you need to seek emergency care by calling 9-1-1 or going to your nearest emergency room. You can also call the suicide helpline at 1-800-273-8255.
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Treatment for postpartum anxiety is available and recovery is possible.
Recognizing you need help can feel overwhelming. Asking for help can feel impossible. There are many things that can get in your way. You may feel embarrassed that you can’t manage the stress and anxiety caused by all of these changes on your own. Or you may believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness. It’s possible that you may worry that if you tell a counselor about the intrusive or scary thoughts you’re experiencing that they will think you’re a bad parent.
Postpartum anxiety is responsible for many of the fears and worries that keep us from asking for help to begin with. Society, culture, upbringing and past negative experiences with therapy can also make it hard to ask for help. If you’re feeling stuck, alone and are unsure where to turn, counseling can be a good place to start.
Will counseling for postpartum anxiety help me?
One of the most important components of making therapy work, is the relationship you develop with your counselor. As a mom of two young children, I can relate to a lot of the stress my clients bring up in session. When it’s appropriate, I will share some stories from my own life with my clients. While I don’t claim to have it all figured out, I can relate to the messiness that comes with motherhood. Admitting that helps my clients feel more normal and a little less ashamed to speak their harder truths out loud. I can help you problem solve when needed and help you challenge thoughts, feelings or behaviors that might be causing you to feel stuck, anxious or overwhelmed.
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Begin Online Postpartum Anxiety Treatment in Texas
Being a new parent is hard, but postpartum anxiety makes it so much more difficult than it needs to be. If you are ready to learn to cope with your anxiety and start enjoying motherhood, I am here to help. I try to make the process for starting counseling as simple as possible. To begin counseling for postpartum anxiety, follow these steps:
- Text, call (281-607-4443) or e-mail to schedule a phone consultation.
- Attend your first counseling appointment online from the comfort of your own home.
- Begin feeling less overwhelmed, more in control and more like yourself again!
Options for Postpartum Anxiety Counseling from anywhere in Texas
Online Counseling for postpartum anxiety in Texas (Telehealth Therapy for Postpartum Anxiety)
If the thought of leaving the house with the baby is causing you to feel stuck, consider online therapy. Online counseling brings the benefits of counseling to you anywhere you have a little privacy and a reliable internet connection. While based outside of Houston, Anne Russey is licensed to provide online postpartum anxiety treatment throughout the state of Texas. This includes Austin, Dallas, Midland, San Antonio, Lubbock, El Paso and everywhere in between.
Anne Russey Counseling provides virtual counseling in Texas from Katy, TX 77494.
Anne Russey, Licensed Professional Counselor is physically based near Katy-Fulshear, Cinco Ranch, West Houston but offers online counseling to anyone located within the state of Texas at the time of service.
Other Online Counseling Services Offered from Katy, TX
Sometimes, you’re struggling in more than one way. I’m able to help you with a wide range of mental health concerns. In addition to counseling for postpartum anxiety, I offer postpartum depression treatment, general perinatal counseling, anxiety treatment, counseling for moms at all stages of parenting and LGBTQ affirming counseling.
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