As a mom struggling with a postpartum mood disorder, we often take a step back into our own world because we have to in order to heal. We protect ourselves from harms way by placing ourselves in a bubble, whatever size bubble that may be. As a result, we feel ostracized, isolated, shunned. The isolation is part of postpartum depression, we tell ourselves. Motherhood is isolating enough, without postpartum depression.
After we’ve healed enough to come out of our caves, we look around the landscape for anything familiar. Sometimes, it’s just as we left it. Other times, it’s completely changed because those around us don’t know how to relate to us now. They aren’t sure how to be themselves with us or if they’re *gasp* safe with us. We’ve all felt this at some time or another. This part, it’s not us. It’s them. It’s not what we’ve done, it’s how those around us deal with mental health issues. Maybe they’ve never had to deal with them before, maybe they’re not educated enough to deal with them. But there we all are, in a room, with an elephant.
That’s what today’s chat is about -that elephant- and whether it’s created by us or them. Join us and let’s get to talking about how to deal with that huge elephant in the room – brainstorm how we can get it to pull up to the table and drink tea with ALL of us.
