Anxiety.

I have had many people ask me how my anxiety has been since I last talked about it on here. Honestly it has been very minimal and I am so happy about it. I figured to help anyone else that may be suffering from anxiety I would write down some of the things that have helped me. Now keep in mind that anxiety is different for everyone and these may not help you but they have helped me so they are always worth a try.

• Talk to someone that has gone through the same thing. I have been blessed to have people in my life that have had anxiety and depression and they have helped me more than anyone. They have helped me to see that I am not alone and that my anxieties don't make me a horrible person.
• Talk to your spouse. This one was really hard for me at first especially because some of my thoughts were terrible and about A.E. I thought he would hate me and judge me but let me tell you.... he did the exact opposite. He would sit and listen and was so incredibly understanding. He would tell me I wasn't a horrible person and that he knew I was going to be a great mom. Us talking has strengthened our relationship so much and it just shows the level of trust we have with each other. Plus the things he would say made me fall even more in love with him. One of our conversations went as follows:

A.E.: Why do you think you have these anxieties?

Me: Because I love our baby...?

A.E.: And you honestly think that I would be mad at you or hate you for loving our baby? If anything these thoughts make me see what a great mom you are going to be no matter how horrible they are and that makes me love you even more.

He is great. A.E. was also willing to give me a blessing at the drop of a hat. Blessings help a lot and really put your mind at ease. So does going to the temple. I am just saying.

• Take your vitamins! I cannot stress this one enough. My doctor suggested I take a DHA supplement along with folic acid and my pre-natal. Let me tell you these have been my saving grace. The biggest one is the DHA. I noticed that it really was making a difference when I ran out a couple weeks ago. It took me a couple days to get to the store and I started to notice that I was worrying more and it was harder for my brain to work through my worries. People, vitamins are no joke and they will make a difference plus they are healthy for you and your baby. I use the Target brand of DHA and pre-natal and the Nature Made brand of folic acid. Most pre-natal's make me sick but non of these do so that is why I chose them.
• The power of positive thinking. This sounds stupid but it works. I noticed that when I was thinking negatively about anything my anxiety got worse and worse. I started to think of happy things and only surrounded myself in good situations and happy people and it has helped a lot.
• Find your trigger and stay away! This one is hard to figure out at first but you will eventually realize what they are. One of my triggers was a television show. Sounds stupid but I watched it a lot. I grounded myself from the show because it was making things worse.
• Yoga and deep breathing. These two things clear your brain so much. When my anxiety would get really bad I would close my eyes and focus on my deep breaths. No it didn't take the thought away but it made it more manageable. Plus Yoga is really good for your health. A lot of times doctors suggest to patients that have anxiety and depression to do Yoga.
• Make the Internet and books your best friend. I have been reading like crazy and that is where I got most of my suggestions from. One of my favorite books is You: having a baby. It is written by Doctor OZ. That man knows his stuff. I found out by reading this book that when you are pregnant your brain shrinks, literally shrinks, and you lose a lot of supplements. This shrinking can cause anxiety. He talked about taking a DHA supplement to help with the loss. I then talked to my doctor and he confirmed that it was true. Did you also know that DHA helps with postpartum depression as well? You better believe I will be taking it after she is born.

These are just a few suggestions. There are other things that have helped me a lot but these are probably the biggest. Like I said they may not work for you but on the other hand they might. I really didn't want to be on medication and I figured if I can find other ways to cope that work just as well I was going to do them. Yes I still worry but it is minimal. I am worrying like normal now(you know about NORMAL things. Like how it will be when I go into labor or if my body will allow me to nurse) and I don't feel my thoughts getting out of hand and running my life like they were before. All I know is that these things have made my life and the people around me (poor A.E.) better.