Post-Partum Blues

I recently finished a book-length manuscript and felt really fantastic for about 24 hours. Then I felt kind of depressed. I wondered what was wrong with me. I was searching and searching for answers. Maybe I'm not getting enough exercise? Maybe I should take supplements? Maybe I should spend more time outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine. I knew all of those things would be helpful, so I did them all, but I also remembered that the last time I finished a book-length manuscript, I had the same experience of melancholy.

I didn't know what was wrong with me. Why would I feel depressed after I had just accomplished such a wonderful feat? I discussed it with a couple of people and my mom suggested that I was probably experiencing something similar to post-partum blues. I thought about it and it rang true. After all, it's a major creative investment -- an investment of one's time, energy, emotions, etc.

When you finish a major project like that, of course, you're going to feel like a million bucks for the first 24 hours, but then suddenly it's like you don't know what to do with yourself. That child you've put everything into creating is now born into the world and you are left feeling depleted and maybe even a bit lost and confused.

Having gone through this experience now several times, I wanted to share my hard-earned wisdom with others so that if you have this same reaction, you'll understand that there is absolutely nothing wrong. It is a perfectly natural response when you finish a major creative project. Just let it be part of the process.

Most women, after giving birth, need a few days of serious recovery, sometimes staying in bed for a few days afterward while they recoup their strength, then a few weeks before their bodies are able to do the things they used to do (I made the mistake of trying to walk three miles just a few weeks after giving birth, which had been no problem before, and nearly collapsed before I got back home). Then it takes a few months, sometimes years, to get the body back to pre-baby condition.

So give yourself the recovery time you need and remember that it is completely normal and natural. Stay in bed for three days and sleep, read, or watch t.v. if that's what you feel like doing. Or if you want, just take yourself out and have fun. Go to the movies, go for a hike, putter in the garden, hang out with friends, whatever gives you pleasure. Eventually you'll be ready to work again, but give yourself that down-time before you jump back into it full-swing. It's all part of the creative process.