It’s not in Your Head: The truth behind why you feel off.
Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get said enough:
Sometimes your overwhelm isn’t just mental.
Sometimes, it’s physical. Biological. Hormonal. Environmental.
Sometimes your “meltdown” moment has more to do with your minerals, your meals, and your missing support than it does with your mindset.
Mama, if you’ve been walking through your days feeling off—irritable, sad, anxious, short-fused, foggy, flat—it’s time to take a compassionate look beneath the surface. Because you’re not broken. And you’re not failing.
Your body might just be calling for care.
Here are 5 overlooked reasons you might be feeling off—and what you can gently do to support yourself back into balance.
1. Blood Sugar Crashes
The emotional rollercoaster might be rooted in your plate.
When your blood sugar dips, your stress hormones spike. This can mimic anxiety, trigger irritability, and leave you feeling like you’re unraveling. Add postpartum depletion or breastfeeding demands to the mix? It’s a recipe for burnout.
What to do:
Start your day with protein, fat, and fiber (instead of just coffee). Keep nourishing snacks nearby—hard-boiled eggs, nut butter packets, or clean protein bars. This is about steadying your body so your mind can breathe.
2. Isolation
Loneliness wears on the soul.
We weren’t meant to mother alone—but many of us do. Even if you’re never physically alone (hi, clingy baby), emotional isolation runs deep. The absence of adult connection, understanding, and being witnessed? That creates a kind of ache that shows up as sadness, anxiety, or even numbness.
What to do:
Reach out. Join a postpartum circle, schedule a walk with another mom, or voice note a friend. You don’t have to “have it all together” to connect. In fact, the most healing conversations start with: “I’m struggling.”
3. Hormone Shifts
Your body is still recalibrating.
Whether you’re weeks, months, or even a year postpartum, your hormones are still shifting. Estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and thyroid function can all impact mood, energy, and emotional stability. Add in weaning, a return to your cycle, or adrenal fatigue—and it’s no wonder you feel off
What to do:
Track your symptoms. Nourish your hormones with real food, minerals (like magnesium and trace minerals), gentle movement, and sleep when you can. If something feels deeply off, trust your gut and work with a holistic provider who honors the postpartum body.
4. Sleep Debt
It’s not just about how many hours you got—it’s about how safe your body feels to rest.
Sleep deprivation is not just a badge of motherhood—it’s a stressor. And chronic sleep disruption creates hormonal chaos, nervous system overload, and increased risk for postpartum mood disorders.
What to do:
Prioritize sleep support like it’s essential (because it is). Trade off with your partner, nap instead of folding laundry, or bring in help if it’s available. No chore matters more than your brain health. Truly
5. Emotional Bottlenecks
The emotions you don’t have time to feel don’t just disappear—they store in your body.
If you’re carrying unspoken grief, unmet needs, or a thousand micro-frustrations… they add up. And if you don’t feel safe to feel them, they start leaking out as irritability, shutdown, anxiety, or unexplained heaviness.
What to do:
Create small spaces for emotional release. Journal, cry in the shower, speak your truth to a safe friend or therapist, move your body with intention. Let your nervous system complete the cycles it keeps getting interrupted from.
A Gentle Reminder
Mental health is not separate from your physical body.
Your thoughts are shaped by your hormones. Your emotions are impacted by your nourishment. Your ability to cope is connected to your sleep.
It’s all part of the same sacred system.
So if you feel off, start here:
What does my body need right now?
Protein? Silence? A nap? A hug? A moment to cry?
You’re not weak for needing these things. You’re wise for listening.
And in case no one’s said it lately—you are doing beautifully.
Even if today doesn’t feel like it.
Especially then.
