All about your state of mind

The pandemic and the resultant isolation have completely changed the game, as far as new parents are concerned, explains Dr Nahid Dave, psychiatrist at Thought Matters. “Most couples are now worried about the health of the mother and child, while also struggling to come to terms with the social isolation and uncertainty. A new baby brings with it a lot of added responsibility and expenses. There’s also the fact that new fathers must now spend much more time with their wife and child than they had initially planned,” she says. How fathers react to these stressors is largely dependent on their innate personality and perception of the situation at hand. “I’ve found that for most fathers, the act of bringing new life into the world is a hopeful experience. Even for those who are struggling with pay cuts and economic uncertainty, spending time with their baby fills them with hope,” she explains. If you do find yourself bogged down by fears, she recommends changing your perspective of the situation. “If worrying is leading you to work towards a solution, the act of worrying can be productive. Else, it can be much like running endlessly on a treadmill in the hopes of getting somewhere. Spending time with your child can be therapeutic and healing. If you do catch yourself caught in a cycle and worrying and despair, simply saying ‘Stop’ out loud to yourself can pull you back to the present and help you check the downward spiral.”