5 Ways to Beat the Bridal Blues

After all the excitement of your engagement and jumping into preparing for your big day, there may come a point where your energy and enthusiasm about wedding planning begins to wane. Feelings of stress and overwhelm may start creeping in and dampen your mood. Don't let it. Here are five things you can do to stay happy and maintain your wedding planning mojo:

1) Surround Yourself with Positive People: People who are happy, optimistic, and easygoing can rub off on you. The same is true of the opposite. Planning your wedding brings you into contact with lots of people who want to help or hear about your plans. Spend most of your time with those who are positive and support your vision and dreams. That will help keep your happy momentum going; whereas if you spend your time with negative individuals who don't necessarily see eye to eye with you, it might bring you down. This is such an exciting time; so it's important to keep happiness around you!

2) Take a Break: Don't let planning your wedding consume your life. While there is a ton to do, it's necessary for your physical and mental health, as well as your relationship with your fiancé to have down time. That means still going on dates, sans wedding stuff, and taking care of yourself by exercising, meditating or other ways that help you relax. Also don't neglect your family and friends. While this is a busy time for you, they still want to be part of your life and want you to celebrate with them as well.

3) Visualize Your Wedding Day: Surely you've heard about the power of visualization. Now it's time to put it into practice. Begin and end each day with a mental picture of the wedding you envision for you and your future spouse. Don't limit your vision to your surroundings either. Note the mood, your feelings, and other positive emotions you want to carry with you on your wedding day. Not sure how to put this into practice or need some help? Check out the Bridal Balance Guided Imagery that combines both a meditation and a visualization geared towards brides!

4) Ask for Help: As much as you might think you can do everything on your own, you don't have to. Give yourself permission to get help from capable wedding professionals or family and friends you want to work with and are willing to assist. Aside from planning your big day, you have other commitments and everyday responsibilities. Trying to tackle it all on your own is the quick route to burn out. Getting help when needed can protect you from that fate and the negative feelings that come along with it.

5) Let Go of the Need for Perfection: Very little in life is perfect. Life is full of little surprises. That's what makes it interesting and often provides you with a good story to tell. If you find yourself constantly thinking or worrying about how you can make your wedding perfect, stop. You'll just end up with a lot of pre-wedding and wedding day anxiety. It's great to prepare as best you can for everything to run smoothly, but there are so many variables that you can't control, like environment, nature, and other people. Trying to control it all wastes a lot of energy, which you can be putting towards more important things. Replace the need for perfection with peace of mind knowing that regardless of what happens on your wedding, it will be a beautiful day, celebrating the love of two people. And isn't that what this special day is all about?!

Newlywed and Newly Expecting: 5 Things You Can Do for Yourself Once You Get the Good News

You're just married and find out Junior is on the way. Before you rush out to buy the latest baby books or start furnishing the future nursery, take a moment to consider yourself and do the following:

Breathe: Whether you're excited, nervous, or both, take some time to digest the news. Much like when you got engaged, give yourselves time to enjoy the good news. Sure, you'll have tons of questions and lots to prepare for, but it's important to understand the emotions and feelings going on within you, as well. Talk to your husband and share your hopes and dreams or anxiety and fears with each other. You may not have everything figured out, but processing your pregnancy at some level will help you better deal with all the changes to come.

Get Support: All changes in life stirs up emotions. But with pregnancy, you have the added physical and hormonal changes that make you feel everything from anxious and depressed to excited and happy. You may also feel lethargic and low energy. Keep in mind that, within reason, all of these feelings are normal during this period. If you have concerns, talk to your doctor about what's going on in your body and your mind. Don't shut out your husband either. Let him in on what you are going through so he can understand and help where necessary. Roundup some supportive girlfriends too. Whether it's your mom, sister, or best friend, they may know what you're going through and can lend an ear or shoulder if you need it.

Get Away: Once baby arrives, your lives will become a bit crazy for a while, as you acclimate to your new life. So make a point to get away with your husband for a little vacation before the due date. It's good to have some quiet time for yourselves and you'll appreciate the rest, relaxation, and time with each other. Post delivery travel will be a lot different and more challenging, as well. So definitely give yourself a break now if you can.

Protect Yourself from Overwhelm: With everything going on in your life and all the changes taking place, it's easy to get overwhelmed. And while it's helpful to learn what to expect during pregnancy, don't go overboard. One good pregnancy book is enough. You don't to read them all or even read every chapter in your book. Some may seem foreign or scary to deal with and that's normal. Remember that every pregnancy is different and all the details you read may not apply to you. Make time each day to focus on yourself too and not worry about the future.

Rest, Rest, Rest: Unless you're one of those fortunate people who's baby like sleeping from the get go, you'll likely be sleep deprived for the first few months or so. Now's the time to sleep in if you can and get plenty of rest. Not only will it help you physically and mentally, the stores of energy might even help you when you need it most: after baby's born.