WahmTalkRadio this week was really wonderful. I have never really thought about the implications of depression and postpartum depression for the work at home Mom, but Wendy Piersall did an awesome job of not only sharing her personal story, but giving other moms some advice if they find themselves in that situation.

When I listened to the show I thought about my I’ve always speculated about postpartum depression - I believe that PPD is multi faceted and there are several factors that come into play, but that most of it is due to the modern family situation that Moms find themselves in. Making new moms spend most of their time alone (in the case of a sahm) with a new baby, isolated from family and support, is a recipe for disaster and a modern invention.

Wendy reiterated something that I said on Mom’s Morning Show last week too… that “faking” happiness works! She said that she had to remind herself to put a smile on her face when she sat at the computer. Some of her practical suggestions for managing a case of the blues or full fledged depression are:

Get out in the sun. If your depression is caused by or made worse by Seasonal Affective Disorder, this will definitely help. Put your home office in a sunny area of the house, not the basement or a closet.

Eat your vegetables. Good nutrition supports a healthy mind AND body. Getting some fatty fish would be a good idea too, since the Omega 3’s have been shown to help depression. There are other foods that help S.A.D. listed here.

Schedule spirituality. It’s easy to forget about the things that fill our buckets, but we can’t afford to leave it to chance. Taking time to meditate, pray, do activities that remind you of your spiritual need.

Nurture your social life. When you’re feeling blue, often the last thing you want is to socialize, but isolating yourself makes things worse. Force yourself if possible, to get out and be around people. Even if all you can do at first is take your laptop to the coffee shop.

Moms Talk Radio