Stay-At-Home-Mom Depression: Written By A Mom, For A Mom!

I am a mom of an 8-months old baby girl and I am so happy and grateful that I got to be her mom, her inspiration, her mentor, and her little world! I think every mom reading out this can relate to this. But, there are some days that we don’t feel the same!

And you know it is completely okay to feel like this!

When we give birth to a baby, we are recognized as their full-time caregivers till they are totally dependent on us. Being a stay-at-home mom is consistent and sometimes, we feel isolated and alone. Not only this, but we also feel that we have lost the purpose of our life.

When such feelings are constant and severe, it could be referred to as a stay-at-home-mom depression. And don’t worry, you and I are not alone in this, because according to statistics, stay-at-home-mom depression affects more than a quarter of non-working moms.

In this blog, I will discuss what exactly stay-at-home-mom depression is and how to cope with it based on my motherhood and following my passion journey.

Stay-at-home-mom Depression in a nutshell…

Stay-at-home depression is that feeling when you no longer want to change diapers, want to cut snacks, or want to clean/sanitize everything your child takes in the mouth… that time you start feeling lonely because it’s only you as a full-time caregiver of your child. It’s tough to describe this type of depression because we all moms are different and unique in our own ways and each one is struggling with their own demons!

Causes of Stay-At-Home-Mom Depression

It’s quite understandable that before becoming a parent, we used to focus on studies, jobs, goals, and relationships! But, now our passion for work, job, and studies is on pause mode. To be honest, the moment I entered my maternity, I quickly adapted or we can say transitioned myself to be always available for the tiny human.

I completely ignored self-care, sanity, career, job, sleep, and passion, just to be always available for my little one. And honestly, I felt good but at the same time, I felt alone, sad, angry, and confused! I used to wonder, why I am alone in this! I struggled every day just to figure out where I fit into this world right now! My goals and dreams were on pause for a while and took a lot of toll on my mental health.

Not only my post-partum period but the after phase was full of depressive thoughts and mood swings. The answer was that I lacked passion, self-love, and motivation to achieve something new!

This is not only my story because every mom reading out here can relate to this!

Related Read: Are you a single pregnant mom?

Stigmas around Stay-At-Home-Mom

Clearly, we don’t get to convey our feelings out loud because we live in a society wherein people consider this life to be easy and stress-free. People believe that we have a spouse to pay our bills and buy us things. But sadly, we don’t have anyone to bear our tantrums because it is supposed to be like this only!

It really does not matter how many videos we watch or quotes we read to inspire ourselves, we cannot get away from such feelings because depression-in moms are still stigmatized! And before taking care of ourselves, we have a family to look upon! Unfortunately, we cannot tell how much we miss our identity and self-worth.

Signs of Stay-At-Home-Mom Depression

Talking about signs, they can be different for stay-at-home moms. Based on my personal experience and research, I was able to find some common signs of stay-at-home mom depression:

• Constant feelings of sadness, anger, and exhaustion
• Severe mood swings
• Depressive or negative thoughts
• Confusion
• Feeling misunderstood or resentful
• Mom-guilt
• Incapability to learn things easily or speedily
• Decreased joy
• Numb expressions

Coping with Stay-At-Home-Mom Depression

If you feel that you are struggling with the same feelings, don’t worry I have got you some effective ways and strategies to deal with stay-at-home-mom depression. Below are some ways or strategies, you can adapt to fight such feelings:

• Return to your office by taking up a part-time job
• Start focusing on your career or goals by giving yourself some time, seek the support of your partner
• Join a “work from home” job
• Talk to a friend
• Journal your feelings
• Join mother’s support groups
• Complete a DIY project
• Plan everything according to time and tasks
• Let your partner or another caregiver take care of the baby, and have your “me-time.”
• Focus on self-care
• Lose those extra inches and stay active (physically and mentally) by exercising, meditating, or practicing yoga

PS: I joined a “work from home” job to redeem my identity and follow my passion right after 2 months. Joining a work-from-home job provided me with a sense of fulfillment.

Takeaway

If the above-mentioned tips are not working for you, don’t wait for the right time. Seek professional support before the depression starts impacting your mental health severely.

Connect with an experienced and registered mental health professional.

Book Your Therapy Appointment Here

I hope this blog helps you to understand stay-at-home-mom depression and how to cope with it. Comment down and share your views on “how you try to deal with stay-at-home-mom depression.” for more such relatable content, connect with us on all social media platforms.

And, you can also share this link with your mom friends!

Thanks for reading!

Till then, take care of yourself.