Your Something Blue Might Be You: Post wedding depression

I am very excite to report that Smitten (an enchanting bridal magazine) has published an article of mine.  This article, “Your Something Blue Might Be You”, sheds light on post wedding depression, not only what it is and why it occurs but how to get over the blues if and when they do strike.  Below I have include the beginning of the article, if it interests you check out the rest at Smitten-mag.com. 

 

 

Weddings don’t come with warning labels. They come with promises of bliss, beautiful white applique’ and breathtaking stationary.  They exude brilliance, offer fulfillment of childhood dreams and bring with them excitement of things to come.  But alas not a whisper that would tip one off to the potential downturn that could lie ahead.  This is not surprising.

After all a wedding is a beautiful moment in a couples life that can be cherished, enjoyed and hopefully remembered fondly. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in one’s life. But before starting anew we must first shed off the old way of life and say goodbye to the time period which we have grown familiar and quite often love very much.  A marriage marks the end of being single.

 

For many, the end to one’s single life denotes the completion of their youth and beginning of an adult world.  Grieving the loss of anything is normal, but in the middle of planning a wedding many brides feel like something is wrong if they experience mixed feelings of sadness and excitement.  NOTE TO BRIDE: It’s ok and healthy to mourn the end of your single life.  Brides (and grooms) get into trouble when they try to avoid these feelings of sadness.

 

During the planning stage of a wedding it’s easier to overlook sad feelings because there is so much going on to distract you. When planning and attending your showers everything is about you and your special day.   Brides put in a great amount of attention, dedication and effort to make one day perfect.  Then after that day and the honeymoon are over there is nothing to distract them from their feelings.  They have time to themselves when life slows down and then some brides crash.

 

It’s estimated that postnuptial depression effects roughly ten percent of newly wed spouses. Avoiding the the feelings one has about the end of your single life, the intense focus on one day that has past, or the combination of the two can lead to depressive symptoms after the wedding.

 

So what’s a bride to do? To find out how to deal with post wedding depression continue reading on page 143 of Smitten’s January/Febuary 2012 addition.