A short YouTube monologue by Danielle Jhiani addressing postpartum intrusive thoughts. The speaker normalizes intrusive, upsetting thoughts (e.g., fearing harming or losing the baby), urges listeners not to give such thoughts excessive meaning, and reassures new mothers that thoughts do not equal intent. Contributing factors named include predisposition to anxiety and lack of sleep; tone is comforting and normalizing.
The most important thing to remember here is that we need to learn to not give our thoughts and even our feelings so much meaning. Thoughts are just thoughts, and we all get crazy, weird thoughts sometimes. And this is so true for these intrusive thoughts that we get as a new mom. A thought like, what if I drown my baby? What if my baby dies in the middle of the night? These thoughts are uncomfortable, and they can be scary, or because we're giving them meaning, and then they start to take on a life of their own. But I promise you, they're just thoughts. And those of us who are more prone to anxiety are more prone to getting intrusive thoughts. But other things, like a lack of sleep, can play a big part. Recognize that you are not your thoughts. We all get strange, crazy, weird thoughts sometimes. It's very normal for every human being for this to happen.
