by Kim Ades
It hadn’t occurred to me that an online journal could help a mother struggling with post-partum depression…that is, until I read Anita’s latest entry.
I found Anita, a mother of two, while browsing through our online journaling community. I thoroughly enjoyed her anecdotes about her children—they reminded me of my own kids’ funny stories.
But then I read a particular entry, and realized that Anita had turned a corner. Instead of sharing only happy moments, she was instead writing with brutal honesty about how she felt about having a short fuse with her first child, a spirited 3½-year-old boy. Anita described screaming at her son and then vowing never to do it again; but the next entry chronicled yet another battle that left Anita shaking and in tears. She was worried that she was going to spank her child, something that she knew she would never forgive or forget.
Her guilt leapt off the screen at me, and I couldn’t ignore her pain.
I contacted Anita and offered to talk, to help, either as a coach, fellow parent or friend. Anita spoke to me about her anger, and about having to remind herself to eat and to leave the house. I felt her sadness as she described a good day being one where she didn’t sob uncontrollably. These signs all pointed to a specific cause: post-partum depression.
While it is beyond the scope of coaching to diagnose a medical condition, I did raise the question as to whether this might be what was going on. Anita had heard of post-partum depression, but didn’t know that it could occur so long after a child is born, or that anger is a common symptom. I sensed Anita’s relief that there could be a cause—and a fix—for her feelings. She received medical help, and she decided to hire me as her coach.
Now, 10 short weeks after going through our coaching and guided journaling process, Anita has a completely different outlook on parenting. She even plans on working from home in order to spend more time with her kids. It’s not all rainbows and ponies—raising children never is—but for Anita, the dark cloud has shifted.
Kim Ades, MBA, President of Frame of Mind Coaching and JournalEngine™ Software, is one of North America’s foremost experts on performance through thought management. She works with clients to unveil and switch their thought patterns to ignite significant change and transformation. Visit www.journalengine.com for your own free, secure, online journal.
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