Postpartum Anxiety: How Colorado Therapy Can Help You Find Calm Again
Becoming a mother is a life-altering transition—one filled with both beauty and uncertainty. But when the worry doesn’t go away, and instead spirals into overwhelming anxiety, you might be facing postpartum anxiety. You're not alone—and therapy can help.
What Is Postpartum Anxiety?
While postpartum depression (PPD) often gets the spotlight, postpartum anxiety is just as common—affecting about 1 in 5 new mothers. It can appear alongside PPD or stand alone, and often goes unrecognized because many assume anxious thoughts are simply part of new motherhood.
But postpartum anxiety is more than typical worry. It’s persistent, intrusive, and can interfere with daily functioning.
Signs of Postpartum Anxiety
If you're wondering whether what you’re feeling is more than "normal new mom nerves," here are some common symptoms:
Constant worry, often irrational or exaggerated
Racing thoughts, especially about your baby’s health or safety
Physical symptoms like heart palpitations, nausea, or dizziness
Difficulty sleeping even when the baby sleeps
Muscle tension or restlessness
Trouble concentrating or feeling “on edge” all the time
Avoiding situations due to fear (e.g., going out with the baby)
These symptoms can develop within days of giving birth or emerge gradually over the following weeks or months.
What Causes Postpartum Anxiety?
There’s no single cause, but a mix of physical, emotional, and environmental factors play a role:
Hormonal shifts: A sharp drop in estrogen and progesterone can disrupt brain chemistry.
Sleep deprivation: Chronic lack of rest affects emotional regulation.
Past history of anxiety or trauma: If you’ve experienced anxiety, depression, or trauma in the past, you may be more vulnerable.
High expectations or perfectionism: Unrealistic standards around motherhood often fuel anxious thoughts.
Lack of support: Feeling isolated or overwhelmed can make anxiety worse.
How Therapy Helps
Postpartum anxiety is treatable, and you don’t have to navigate it alone. Therapy can provide essential tools and support as you adjust to this new chapter.
1. Understanding Your Anxiety
Therapy offers a safe space to explore the “why” behind your anxiety. You’ll learn to recognize triggers, identify patterns, and make sense of your thoughts without judgment.
2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is one of the most effective approaches for postpartum anxiety. It helps reframe anxious thoughts and shift harmful mental loops into more balanced thinking. For example, replacing “What if I’m a bad mom?” with “I’m doing my best, and that is enough.”
3. Somatic and Holistic Approaches
As a holistic therapist, I integrate body-based techniques like grounding, breathwork, and mindfulness—helping you reconnect with your body and calm your nervous system. These are especially helpful when anxiety shows up as physical tension or restlessness.
4. EMDR for Birth Trauma or Past Anxiety
If your anxiety stems from a traumatic birth, past trauma, or unresolved fears, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can help your brain reprocess those experiences in a way that feels safer and more manageable.
5. Support for Identity Shifts
Motherhood can bring up deeper questions of identity, purpose, and worth. Therapy provides a nurturing container to process grief, guilt, or the pressure to “do it all”—while also celebrating the transformation you’re undergoing.
You Don’t Have to “Tough It Out”
If you’re feeling anxious, on edge, or like you’re losing yourself in motherhood, therapy can help you reclaim your sense of peace. Postpartum anxiety doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re human, and you deserve support.
You are not broken—you are becoming.
With the right tools, support, and space to heal, you can move through this season with greater confidence, self-compassion, and clarity.
If you’re navigating postpartum anxiety, I offer holistic, trauma-informed therapy for women at every stage of the motherhood journey. Together, we can create space for your healing.