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.

If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen the "pregnancy glow" everywhere. It’s usually a photo of a perfectly serene woman in a flowy dress, looking completely at peace.

But for many of the women I work with at Towner Therapy, the reality of pregnancy feels a lot less like a "glow" and a lot more like a constant, buzzing hum of "what ifs."