From the moment you conceive, it seems you are inundated with information about Postpartum Depression. At least that’s how it felt for me.

Maybe I paid more attention to this section in my pregnancy books and baby classes because of personal experience?

Having just heard of a college friend who took her own life just one month after her daughter was born, I was fixated on the topic, and tried to educate myself as much as possible, as if this might help me avoid such a troubling ailment.

Why was I worried? Depression was not my problem.

But anxiety was, before pregnancy, and much worse during those 9 months. The problem for me was that nobody spoke about anxiety and pregnancy. There wasn’t a section in my pregnancy book for Postpartum Anxiety, just depression – but didn’t everyone know that untreated anxiety can lead to depression?

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My usual fix on an anxious day was a sweaty workout, a glass of wine, a night out with friends – none of which were possible in pregnancy (at least not my pregnancy). With all of my band-aids gone, I was left to navigate the serious hormonal overload and bouts of anxiety all on my own – and this was no easy task.

“Take a walk,” I’d often hear. Really? A walk?

A walk and some fresh air has never done anyone any harm, but when you are crippled by your own fears, worries, and feelings, a walk just provides a prettier landscape to continue sweating the small stuff.

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