Do you ever say to yourself “shouldn’t I be happy? it’s the summer!”

Yes, there are many ways that summer is portrayed as the season when life feel lighter and more free. But for an anxious mom with a new baby, you may not be experiencing that summertime bliss.

You might feel like something is wrong with you if you’re finding that your postpartum anxiety (PPA) is actually worse in the summer.

Is there something wrong? No.

As a maternal mental health therapist, I often see postpartum anxiety intensify during the summer months. It’s not because you’re doing something wrong, but because the season asks something different of your nervous system.

Every July, Minority Mental Health Awareness Month shines a much-needed light on disparities in mental health care.

That’s important.

Because for too long, conversations about mental health have overlooked the experiences of people from marginalized communities—particularly Black mothers, who continue to experience significant disparities in maternal health outcomes and often face barriers to receiving compassionate, culturally responsive mental health care.

The increased awareness matters.

But awareness alone isn’t enough.

“Everyone keeps asking when they’re finally going to meet the baby… so why am I dreading going?”

If you’ve recently had a baby, you may have noticed something confusing.

You used to enjoy family gatherings.

Now, even the thought of packing up your baby for a birthday party, holiday, family barbecue, or cookout makes your stomach tighten.

You replay every possible scenario in your mind.

Will the baby nap?

What if they cry the entire time?

What if someone wants to hold them and I don’t want them to?

What if they get overstimulated?

What if everyone thinks I’m being overprotective?

Then you catch yourself wondering…

“Why is this so hard for me?”

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

As a maternal mental health therapist, I hear this from new moms all the time.

If you're constantly putting everyone else's needs before your own, struggling to say no, or feeling guilty whenever you take time for yourself, you may find yourself asking:

"Why am I such a people pleaser as a mom?"

Many mothers assume that people-pleasing is simply part of being a good parent. After all, motherhood often involves sacrifice, caregiving, and putting your children's needs first. But when caring for others comes at the expense of your own well-being, it can leave you feeling exhausted, resentful, overwhelmed, and disconnected from yourself.

The good news? People-pleasing is not a character flaw. In many cases, it is a learned survival strategy and a protective nervous system response.

When people hear the term "mom rage," they often picture a mother screaming at her children.

Maybe she's slamming doors.

Maybe she's completely losing control.

Maybe she's angry all the time.

While those experiences can happen, they don't tell the whole story.

In reality, mom rage often shows up in much quieter ways.

Many mothers are experiencing significant anger, irritability, and emotional overwhelm without ever realizing that's what they're dealing with.

They assume they're stressed.

Burned out.

Overstimulated.

A bad mom.

Too sensitive.

Not patient enough.

The truth is that mom rage is often much more subtle—and much more common—than people realize.

When most mothers start working on their anger, they hope for one thing:

To stop feeling so angry.

They want fewer outbursts.

Less irritability.

More patience.

More calm.

And while those things are absolutely possible, there's a lot about healing from mom rage that doesn't get talked about.

Social media often makes healing look quick and straightforward. Follow these tips. Regulate your nervous system. Practice self-care. Set boundaries.

Problem solved.

In reality, healing from mom rage is often much more complex—and much more human.

Here are six things nobody tells you about the healing process.

Every new parent worries.

You check to make sure your baby is breathing.

You wonder if they're eating enough.

You second-guess decisions and Google things at 2 a.m.

Some worry is a normal part of caring deeply about your child.

But many mothers find themselves wondering:

"How do I know if this is normal new mom worry or postpartum anxiety?"

It's an important question because postpartum anxiety is one of the most common maternal mental health challenges—and it's often overlooked.

Many moms assume they're simply being cautious, responsible, or attentive when, in reality, anxiety has quietly taken over much more space than they realize.

Here are seven signs that what you're experiencing may be postpartum anxiety rather than typical new-parent concerns.

If you're a mother who feels exhausted, overwhelmed, irritable, or constantly on edge, chances are you've received some version of this advice:

"Just take some time for yourself."

Maybe it's:

• Take a bubble bath.

• Go get a massage.

• Schedule a girls' night.

• Practice self-care.

• Take a break.

While these suggestions are usually well-intentioned, many mothers walk away feeling even more frustrated.

Not because self-care is bad.

But because the problem is often much bigger than a lack of bubble baths.

If you've ever thought, "I did the self-care thing and I still feel overwhelmed," you're not alone.

Starting therapy often comes with hope.

Maybe you're finally addressing the postpartum anxiety you've been carrying for months. Maybe you're beginning to process a traumatic birth experience. Maybe you're exploring the roots of your mom rage, perfectionism, or chronic overwhelm.

You expect therapy to help you feel better.

So it can be incredibly confusing when, instead, you find yourself feeling more emotional, more exhausted, or even more anxious.

Many clients ask some version of the same question:

"Is this normal?"

In many cases, yes.

While therapy should never leave you feeling consistently overwhelmed or unsafe, it is not uncommon for healing to feel uncomfortable before it starts to feel easier.

Many mothers come to therapy convinced something is wrong with them physically.

They're exhausted all the time.

Their shoulders feel permanently tense.

They get headaches, stomach aches, or struggle to sleep even when they're completely worn out.

Some describe feeling like they're constantly running on empty. Others say they feel on edge all the time but can't explain why.

Naturally, many moms start by looking for medical answers.

And sometimes that's absolutely the right place to begin.

It's important to rule out medical concerns, hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, thyroid issues, and other physical conditions that can contribute to symptoms.

But what many mothers don't realize is that stress, anxiety, trauma, and nervous system overload can also have a profound impact on the body.

In other words, emotional distress doesn't just live in your mind.

It often shows up in your body, too.

From the outside, it looks like you're managing.

You get the kids where they need to go. You remember the appointments. You show up for work. You answer the texts. You keep the household running.

People often describe you as organized, responsible, capable, or someone who "has it all together."

But on the inside?

You're exhausted.

Your mind never stops racing. You're constantly worried about forgetting something important. You struggle to relax, even when you finally have a moment to yourself. You feel overwhelmed by the pressure of holding everything together, yet you can't seem to let anything go.

If this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing what many people call high-functioning anxiety.

And despite the name, there's often nothing particularly functional about how it feels.

You expected motherhood to change your life.

You may not have expected it to change you.

Many mothers are surprised by how intensely pregnancy, birth, and parenthood impact their emotional well-being. Maybe you've noticed your anxiety feels worse than it used to. Maybe you're snapping more easily, feeling overwhelmed by everyday responsibilities, or finding yourself unexpectedly triggered by situations that never bothered you before.

You might even wonder:

"Why is this happening now?"

The truth is that becoming a mother is one of the biggest life transitions a person can experience. And major life transitions often have a way of bringing old wounds, fears, stressors, and unresolved experiences to the surface.

That doesn't mean something is wrong with you.

It means you're human.

If you've spent any time on social media lately, you've probably heard someone talk about nervous system regulation.

According to Instagram and TikTok, it seems like nervous system regulation is the answer to everything—from anxiety and burnout to trauma and mom rage.

Take a cold shower.

Hum.

Breathe.

Regulate your nervous system.

Problem solved.

But does the research actually support these claims?

The answer is both yes and no.

Let's take a closer look at what we know, what we don't know, and why nervous system regulation has become such a popular conversation in maternal mental health.

Finding a therapist can feel overwhelming, especially when you're already carrying so much.

Maybe you're struggling with mom rage, postpartum anxiety, birth trauma, pregnancy loss, or simply feeling unlike yourself since becoming a mother. You know you need support, but now you're faced with another challenge: figuring out who can actually help.

The truth is that not all therapists have specialized training in maternal mental health. Just because someone works with anxiety or trauma doesn't necessarily mean they understand the unique emotional, physical, and relational challenges that can come with pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood.

If you're looking for therapy support, here are seven questions worth asking before getting started.

If you're overwhelmed, exhausted, touched out, and running on empty, you might assume asking for help would be an obvious solution.

Yet for many moms, asking for help feels surprisingly difficult.

Maybe you tell yourself you should be able to handle it. Maybe you worry about burdening other people. Maybe you've spent so long being the one everyone relies on that you don't even know what it would feel like to let someone support you.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone.

Many of the mothers I work with desperately need support but struggle to reach for it. And contrary to popular belief, it's not simply because of "stigma."

Often, there are much deeper reasons that make asking for help feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, or even unsafe.

Perfectionism is often celebrated in our culture.

You're organized. Responsible. Reliable. The one who remembers the pediatrician appointment, signs the permission slip, brings the snacks, and somehow keeps everything moving.

From the outside, perfectionism can look like success.

But on the inside?

It often feels exhausting.

Many of the moms I work with describe feeling like they're constantly chasing an impossible standard. No matter how much they accomplish, there's always another task, another expectation, another reason to feel like they're falling short.

What many people don't realize is that perfectionism isn't always a personality trait. Sometimes, it's a trauma response.

If you’ve found yourself snapping more easily, feeling constantly overstimulated, or wondering why you feel so angry all the time after becoming a mom — you are not alone.

And no, it does not make you a bad mother.

One of the hardest things about maternal mental health is how often moms are expected to keep functioning no matter how overwhelmed they actually feel. You’re still supposed to show up, care for everyone else, manage the mental load, regulate your emotions, and somehow appreciate every moment while doing it.

Meanwhile, many mothers are quietly drowning in overstimulation, resentment, anxiety, guilt, exhaustion, and nervous system overload.

And honestly? We do not talk nearly enough about how common mom rage actually is.

You know that feeling where you are completely exhausted, yet the second your head hits the pillow, your brain starts racing? Or that sudden, intense spike of irritation when your partner asks a perfectly normal question, or the baby cries for the third time in an hour?

If you are constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, feeling completely overstimulated, or operating on pure adrenaline just to get through the day, I want you to take a deep breath.

First: you are not a bad mom. Second: you aren't failing.

What you are experiencing is something incredibly common, yet rarely talked about in the pristine world of social media motherhood. You are living in survival mode. As a New York therapist working with moms every day—and as a mom who has been right there in the thick of it myself—I see how easily we slip into this state without even realizing it.

Let’s pull back the curtain on what survival mode actually does to your body, why it happens, and how you can finally start to breathe again.

If you’re reading this while rocking a baby with one foot, or in the five minutes of silence you managed to grab between laundry loads—welcome. Being a new mom is a wild, beautiful, and sometimes completely draining transition.

It’s very common to feel like you’re struggling but still hesitate to reach out for mental health support. Maybe you’ve seen "TV therapy" or heard things that make you think it’s just not for you. Those therapy myths are loud, and they often come from a place of trying to protect yourself or meet impossible standards. Let's talk about what's actually true for therapy for new moms, and why you deserve a place to land.

When you brought your baby home, you probably had a vision of what these first few months would look like. Maybe you imagined cozy naps, a few late nights, and a lot of "new parent" bliss. But lately, things feel heavy.

If your partner seems distant, constantly overwhelmed, or just not like themselves, you might be wondering if this is more than just "new parent exhaustion." If you’re searching for ways to support a wife with PPD, you’ve already taken the most important first step: you’re paying attention.

Here is a down-to-earth guide on recognizing the signs and actually helping—without adding more to her plate.