Struggling After Baby? Try the T.A.L.K. Method!

Exhausted.

Emotional.

Struggling to feel like yourself after having a baby.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Millions of new mums experience postnatal depression or face challenges with their mental health after having a baby.

I know exactly how it feels, because I’ve been there.

And over the years, I’ve developed a simple, powerful method called T.A.L.K. that combines my personal experience with professional knowledge to help mums stop struggling in silence and start feeling happy and in control again.

Each letter in T.A.L.K. represents a key step to rebuild your emotional wellbeing after baby.

In this post, I break it down for you.

My name is Ivana, and I run MumsJourney, a blog dedicated to supporting mums through every stage of their motherhood journey. I’m also the author of Motherhood: The Unspoken and an award-winning maternal mental health advoce and mentor.

After giving birth to my twins in 2016, I experienced severe PPD. It was the hardest time of my life, but it also showed me how much there is to motherhood people don’t talk about and how many mums don’t get the support they need.

Since then, I’ve made it my mission to help other mums feel heard, supported, and less alone.

In this post, I cover:

Rebuilding your mental wellbeing after baby with my T.A.L.K. method
Practical ways to cope when motherhood feels overwhelming
Honest, real advice from a PPD survivor
How the T.A.L.K. method helps you feel supported and more like yourself again

Now, let’s dive into the T.A.L.K. method and explore each step.

T – Talk: Share Your Feelings to Heal

Talking is the hardest but most crucial part of healing.

It saved me, and it has helped countless other mums (and dads) who struggled in silence.

Ideally, you talk to a professional (one with good reviews!), but I know that is easier said than done.

So start by confiding in someone you trust.

I talk more aboout the power of talking here:

Choosing the right person is essential; the wrong listener can make things worse.

Talking about your feelings doesn’t just help you, it can help others too.

Think of it like the principle in the movie Pay it Forward: when you share your struggles and victories, it inspires others to do the same.

Together, we can create a ripple effect of support.

I share more about the power of talking in these posts:

A – Ascend: Small Steps to Emotional Recovery

“Ascend” is about gradually moving up the emotional scale, not forcing yourself to feel happy immediately.

When you’re feeling low, positive emotions may feel out of reach.

Trying to feel happy too soon often leaves you frustrated.

Instead, focus on reaching for a slightly improved feeling – even if it’s anger or frustration.

Focus on the improved emotion, rather than necessarily a “positive” emotion.

Take your time, experiment with what works for you, and celebrate even the tiniest relief.

These small wins are signs you’re on the right path.

L – Love: Reconnect with Yourself

Love and self-compassion have the power to heal anything.

Many people confuse self-love with self-care.

While taking time for yourself is important, self-love is deeper – it’s about full acceptance of who you are, flaws and all.

The real test of self-love comes when things go wrong.

Most of us unconsciously criticise ourselves when we make mistakes, but this can be reversed.

Remember how you loved yourself as a child?

That unconditional love is still within you.

With the right tools and support, you can reconnect with it.

You can truly fall in love with yourself again, even the parts you currently dislike.

And when you do, real magic happens.

K – Kick: Zoom Out from Your Problems

We often over-identify with our problems, which makes them feel bigger and darker than they really are.

“Kick” is about zooming out and separating yourself from the problem.

This simple shift can have a massive impact on your mindset and wellbeing.

What hugely helped me achieve this was starting this MumsJourney blog with the aim of helping other mums feel less alone.

By shifting my focus to something beyond my immediate struggles, and by turning my experience with PPD into my superpower, I was able to see my challenges from a new perspective.

Having a vision and purpose outside of motherhood became a driving force, helping me push through even the hardest and most overwhelming moments.

T.A.L.K. Yourself Free

That’s it!

The T.A.L.K. method is a practical, proven way to support your mental health after baby.

I’m incredibly proud to have developed this method and can’t wait for it to help more mums and parents feel happier, heard, and supported.

You don’t have to fix everything at once.

By taking small, consistent steps every day, you can gradually feel like yourself again – and actually, you can feel happier than ever!

If you have any questions or just want to say hello, drop a comment below and I’ll respond as soon as I can.

With love,
Ivana xx