It’s November now and I am seven months postpartum. For the first time, I feel like I can come up for air and reflect on my early postpartum experience. I am so proud of my journey. Proud to have made it this far through some of the toughest experiences of sleepless nights, getting to know my new baby, to the challenges of breastfeeding. This new vantage point has given me great perspective and I am still in the thick of it.

I know this because lately, things can feel  overwhelming at times. Where I powered through the first 7 months of my babes life, I am now feeling tired, run down (especially around my cycle), more attached to my screen, and have had a bit of anxiety creeping back in – yuck. Not fun. I took a step back to explore this piece of my journey and I attribute these feelings to a few things: hormonal changes and mainly, a change in my habits.

The season has changed and my baby’s schedule has changed too. She’s older now, staying up for longer stretches, and all of a sudden she has preferences now. She’s a little person and I am so proud! And I am also very tired. The spring and summer schedule that I so beautifully and effortlessly flowed into and embraced is changing now, as all things do.

This change has knocked me off of my schedule (aka daily habits)! It became too cold to walk in the early mornings and my babe no longer wants to nap on the go or in her stroller. And what used to be five naps a day are now down to two. All of these little ways I was able to add self-care into my daily schedule before are now shifting and I was unprepared.

It’s funny – when you become a mom, all those saying eventually come true. “ Just when you get used to something, everything changes.” And so it is.

So to recap – I noticed my mental health was suffering. I wasn’t feeling good, which encouraged me to pause and take a step back to take inventory of my daily habits and behaviors. 

I asked myself, what did I do that made me feel good when I was in the flow of my old schedule?

???? I walked each day

???? I practiced Wim Hof breathwork

???? I journaled each morning

???? I limited myself to 1 cup of coffee per day (with cordyceps, of course)

???? I drank ~64oz of water

???? I exercised 3x per week.

When I started feeling my mental health decline, which of these above things fell off? Almost all of them.

AND…. that is okay! I think it’s important to realize that life just happens. We go on trips, seasons change, our little ones are growing up, and we can’t always do the same routine on a regular basis. What we can do is recognize the non-negotiable habits that make you feel good  and practice those with consistency. What you do every day, you become.

My non-negotiabel list:

I picked three items off of my “feel good” list to stay comitted to, knowing that I wanted to make attainable goals to build my confidence.

???? Daily walks (even if just around the block!)

???? Daily breathwork (even if just one deep breath)

???? 1 cup of coffee per day (too much coffee = anxiety for me)

We repeat behaviors that bring us joy, so think about what really makes you feel cared for. By being consistent and repetitive, your habits will change your life and how you feel. I was inspired by this video from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits who does a great job at breaking down the benefits of habits.

Tips for your success:

???? Keep a visible list of your habits

???? Track your progress

???? Stay the course – it’s okay if you fall off, just begin again!

What habits create positivity in your life? #readshugie

Xx Kaitlin