How to Overcome Postpartum Disappointment

If I’m honest, I’ve had many moments where was tempted to give up, but I remember my first postpartum season had the most emotion and disappointment…

Before I got pregnant with my first born, I used to approach push ups and pull ups with ease, but during the postpartum season, they suddenly were some of the hardest parts of my workout. I had to take breaks in between my sets or use a regression of the movement to finish. I thought I had overcome these things already - why do I have to do it again?!

Does this sound familiar?⁣

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It was easy to be embarrassed by it because of the strong physical state that I had achieved pre-pregnancy. Before that season of my life, I talked with plenty of my clients about the importance of emotional processing & acknowledging the potential disappointment that’s present in their fitness journey.⁣ This presented an opportunity to practice what I preached.

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Acknowledgement of your disappointment, embarrassment, or feeling like a failure is HEALTHY. But sitting in it and allowing it to define you? Unhealthy. It’s what you do with it that determines how you move forward.⁣

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I learned this lesson the hard way - I grew up thinking that emotions were “weak” and that stuffing my feelings away would actually get rid of the negative thoughts I had about myself. Oh boy, was I wrong. It all eventually comes out, one way or another. It’ll sometimes showcase itself as an emotional meltdown moment or via physical repercussions. ⁣

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It’s so important to ask yourself: how am I, really? Why do I feel this way?⁣

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But you can’t stop there. Continue to handle your personal disappointment or negative thoughts with grace. Walk yourself through the processing. Be kind to yourself. ⁣Be the friend that you wished you had.

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Once you can accept where you are, then commit to finding a resolution - combat the lie with Truth, find a rhythm that helps you to conquer what’s pulling you down, hire a coach, etc.⁣

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It’s okay to not be okay. But it’s not okay to ignore your feelings. That mentality will appear more as a bandaid on a bullet wound, rather than the promotion of true healing and progress.

During my postpartum season, I became my own coach and cheerleader because I didn’t have anyone to hold that spot in my life, at the time. COVID-19 had just shocked the world and forced us all to avoid the people we loved… and my sense of accountability seemed to cease with the regular activity that I was used to. But I showed up for myself & gave myself grace when I knew it was necessary.

I continued to speak Truth over my situation: 

• I have my whole life ahead of me and this one small season will not define my long-term commitment to health and being a present mama. 
• I am still making positive investments into my health by resting my body and fueling it with good food
• I am starting over again (which is frustrating), but I have overcome push ups before, which means I can overcome them again!
• My physical goals will likely change through every season of my life and perhaps now is a time to reconsider my version of a “successful” accomplishment in my fitness journey.

These almost provided action steps in and of themselves:

• Continue to speak kindness and Truth over myself
• Determine goals that were appropriate for the postpartum season
• Design my training to accommodate for my new goals

Emotional processing and planning takes WORK, but if it can take me from a place of despair and disappointment to optimism and a new plan? I’d say it’s worthwhile in a heartbeat.

What’s keeping you from giving it a try?

If you don't know where to start, I have just the thing for you: take advantage of my free Postpartum Journaling Prompts & walk yourself through some emotional processing that you know you need.