How to cope whilst having a newborn

The last year has been a tricky one in this household, for reasons I won't bore you with but we're pretty sure we musta dropped a mirror at some point! A lot of the stresses we are dealing with are things that we have had no control over, yes those irritating ones that make you really frustrated and stressed.  HELLO car tyres that have had punctures every week since June!! So here are a few of my tips about how to try to prevent yourselves having a nervous breakdown:

Let the bad days be bad.

Like I mentioned up top, sometimes there are going to be shitty days and sometimes there is going to be nothing you can say or do to make those bad days good so just embrace is and try to ride that wave until the next day comes. 

Avoid "if only".  

Of course you will find yourself saying "if only..." on a regular basis, but try to let that thought go because it really does only lead to more stress, or the cycle of negativity as I like to call it! It starts with a mere "if only I hadn't eaten that chocolate bar" and before you know it you're lamenting every chocolate bar you've eaten in your years of being on earth. Don't do it!

Try to get away from the baby.

Okay this is probably quite a subjective one but personally I think "time out" works just as well for adults as it does for children! Understandably when you have other stresses going on, having a new child on top of that can only add to the difficult situation, all it takes is a big nappy change and you can end up feeling like the world is ending. Even if it is only five minutes, take a breather, go for a brisk walk around the block, take yourself to the toilet and take deep breaths.  Do whatever you need to in order to gain some perspective and recover from the relentlessness of whatever you are dealing with!

Have "you" time.

I cannot stress how important it is to maintain that sense of self through the monotony of nappy change s and feeds! In an ideal world meals out just the two of you would be perfect but in this climate not everyone can do that, so any activities pre baby that you used to like to do, PLEASE DO! Films are a really important part of our relationship and we have struggled to get to the cinema or watch films at home all the way through but now Ophelia is sleeping on a more regular routine we are starting to be able to gain that part of "us" back and it makes such a difference!


So there are my main tips for coping with difficult times, let me know of anything you use to help cope!