Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought since Levi is almost a year old that my hormones would be back in check now. It’s bad enough that I had to battle crazy mood swings my whole pregnancy, but to still feel waves of madness hit every now and then…come on Lord! This is an issue I have prayed about frequently. I find myself asking Jesus often, “Why, oh, why do women have to be emotional basket cases?!”
When I was pregnant, I would fly off the handle over anything. One time I yelled at Jonathan in a busy restaurant and made a fool of myself. When my friend tried to console me, I screamed at her too! I regretted the words coming out of my mouth the second I said them. But during the heat of the moment, there was no stopping me! I’m not the only one either- it seems like lots of preggos have first class tickets on the hormone express. There is a significant amount of research available about this. Seven out of ten pregnant women have an “all you can ride”, unlimited pass on the runaway mood train.
No wonder we feel up and down and all over the place. When a person is pregnant one minute they are thrilled about becoming a mother to a precious baby. The very next minute they are freaking out about giving birth. A calm moment passes and then your mind starts going a hundred miles an hour thinking about the nursery, your job, how you’ll handle a baby financially, how he/she will affect the rest of your family/relationships, and how fat you in these maternity jeans. The last month of pregnancy is a nightmare. It’s all you can do to sleep at night. You find yourself peeing nonstop. Your feet swell up to the size of footballs. Life is borderline miserable! I’m surprised more preggies aren’t arrested for committing serious crimes. I think a law should be written, anything said or done after week 30, the pregnant woman is not held responsible.
After giving birth the hormones take a nonstop ride on the hormone train again. Fortunately, it levels off and new mothers get the hang of everything. Now that Levi is ten months old, I am handling my emotions much better. The mood swings have leveled off. I still flip my lid over trivial things. And if the preacher mentions anything about the love Jesus has for us, I burst into tears. But overall, I think I’m only catching a ride on the train twice a month or so. Can anyone else relate to this?
After a stint of crying over a sweet commercial on television, I asked God again "Why do I have to be so emotional?" I felt the answer come just as plain as day. Women were created to be emotional; however we are not to be ruled by our emotions. Our emotions are a blessing, not a curse. We are nurturers and caregivers. Not that men aren’t. But the Lord created us with a full range of emotions for a reason. I’m learning to embrace it and be thankful that the Lord placed these feelings inside of us. The key to understanding these emotions is to not let the anger or sadness overwhelm or control you. I have to tell myself this during the heat of the moment...OFTEN! :) Christ doesn't want us to be slaves to our emotions.
Our feelings bond us with other women and create tight knit friendships that men may never understand. These ranging emotions help us love our children on the deepest level. Our flooding feelings enable us to connect to our babies and provide for their every need. However the huge key to all of these emotions is self-control. Women who are out of control live unhealthy lives and this is not how Christ designed us to live. I know this first hand! When we allow our flesh and feelings to rule, we will be out of control and unhappy. God created women to sit down on the emotional train and calmly take bites out of the fruits of the Spirit. He totally understands our emotional roller coasters. But being on this ride down in and out is not freedom, rather bondage. If you are finding yourself on the mood train more days than not, it’s time to pore yourself into His Word and sample as much of the fruits of the Spirit as possible.
Some women are definitely more emotional than others. This doesn't mean that hormonal women are weaker. This doesn't mean that women who don’t struggle with their emotions are stronger. I have learned that emotional women are more vulnerable, honest, and willing to share their inner self with others. The women who don’t have to battle with their hormones certainly have other areas in their lives that they battle with. God created us all differently and praise the Lord He did! Allow Him to use you as He created you to be. Embrace our feelings, but ask Him for wisdom with dealing with them.
The next time the mood train comes choo-chooing by, simply wave and say "No ride today thanks!" And be thankful, BUT don't judge the passengers....thank the Lord for making you in such a unique way and praise Christ for being our High Priest who can totally relate (Hebrews 4:15).
Tips for managing your moods:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_mood-swings-during-pregnancy_253.bc?page=2
http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/moodswings.html
http://www.openbible.info/topics/managing_emotions
http://www.openbible.info/topics/controlling_our_emotions
When I was pregnant, I would fly off the handle over anything. One time I yelled at Jonathan in a busy restaurant and made a fool of myself. When my friend tried to console me, I screamed at her too! I regretted the words coming out of my mouth the second I said them. But during the heat of the moment, there was no stopping me! I’m not the only one either- it seems like lots of preggos have first class tickets on the hormone express. There is a significant amount of research available about this. Seven out of ten pregnant women have an “all you can ride”, unlimited pass on the runaway mood train.
No wonder we feel up and down and all over the place. When a person is pregnant one minute they are thrilled about becoming a mother to a precious baby. The very next minute they are freaking out about giving birth. A calm moment passes and then your mind starts going a hundred miles an hour thinking about the nursery, your job, how you’ll handle a baby financially, how he/she will affect the rest of your family/relationships, and how fat you in these maternity jeans. The last month of pregnancy is a nightmare. It’s all you can do to sleep at night. You find yourself peeing nonstop. Your feet swell up to the size of footballs. Life is borderline miserable! I’m surprised more preggies aren’t arrested for committing serious crimes. I think a law should be written, anything said or done after week 30, the pregnant woman is not held responsible.
After giving birth the hormones take a nonstop ride on the hormone train again. Fortunately, it levels off and new mothers get the hang of everything. Now that Levi is ten months old, I am handling my emotions much better. The mood swings have leveled off. I still flip my lid over trivial things. And if the preacher mentions anything about the love Jesus has for us, I burst into tears. But overall, I think I’m only catching a ride on the train twice a month or so. Can anyone else relate to this?
After a stint of crying over a sweet commercial on television, I asked God again "Why do I have to be so emotional?" I felt the answer come just as plain as day. Women were created to be emotional; however we are not to be ruled by our emotions. Our emotions are a blessing, not a curse. We are nurturers and caregivers. Not that men aren’t. But the Lord created us with a full range of emotions for a reason. I’m learning to embrace it and be thankful that the Lord placed these feelings inside of us. The key to understanding these emotions is to not let the anger or sadness overwhelm or control you. I have to tell myself this during the heat of the moment...OFTEN! :) Christ doesn't want us to be slaves to our emotions.
Our feelings bond us with other women and create tight knit friendships that men may never understand. These ranging emotions help us love our children on the deepest level. Our flooding feelings enable us to connect to our babies and provide for their every need. However the huge key to all of these emotions is self-control. Women who are out of control live unhealthy lives and this is not how Christ designed us to live. I know this first hand! When we allow our flesh and feelings to rule, we will be out of control and unhappy. God created women to sit down on the emotional train and calmly take bites out of the fruits of the Spirit. He totally understands our emotional roller coasters. But being on this ride down in and out is not freedom, rather bondage. If you are finding yourself on the mood train more days than not, it’s time to pore yourself into His Word and sample as much of the fruits of the Spirit as possible.
Some women are definitely more emotional than others. This doesn't mean that hormonal women are weaker. This doesn't mean that women who don’t struggle with their emotions are stronger. I have learned that emotional women are more vulnerable, honest, and willing to share their inner self with others. The women who don’t have to battle with their hormones certainly have other areas in their lives that they battle with. God created us all differently and praise the Lord He did! Allow Him to use you as He created you to be. Embrace our feelings, but ask Him for wisdom with dealing with them.
The next time the mood train comes choo-chooing by, simply wave and say "No ride today thanks!" And be thankful, BUT don't judge the passengers....thank the Lord for making you in such a unique way and praise Christ for being our High Priest who can totally relate (Hebrews 4:15).
Tips for managing your moods:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_mood-swings-during-pregnancy_253.bc?page=2
http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/moodswings.html
http://www.openbible.info/topics/managing_emotions
http://www.openbible.info/topics/controlling_our_emotions