Mental Health, Emotional Wellbeing and Self-Care For Parents
My experience of postnatal depression was largely rooted in intense anxiety. This is the third of three posts about the worst of my anxiety-induced symptoms (insomnia, intrusive thoughts and derealisation/depersonalisation) and how I managed or overcame each of them. …
They say it takes a village to raise a child but, in 2015, where the hell is our village? Many cultures around the world celebrate the birth of a new member of their community by…
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” The Shawshank Redemption I want to talk about the power of hope. Many symptom lists for perinatal mood and…
Looking at baby photos of your child should evoke wonderful, happy and loving memories of those first months or years together. For me, the love I feel is indeed intense; I squeal at how impossibly…
The truth is I didn’t want to take antidepressants. No. Way. I’ll confess, before this experience I think I may have even been part of the mental health stigma. It’s really hard to admit that but…
“Postnatal Depression recovery stories.” These were the only words I typed into my browser for weeks. My anxiety was incredibly high, I genuinely thought I was losing my mind. Instead of cuddling my son or…
Nothing demonstrates my skewed expectations of early motherhood better than a message I sent to my best friend actually asking her if she enjoyed changing nappies. This is one of the few texts I’d been…
When most people describe depression they talk about a black cloud or fog. For me, it was less about life becoming clouded and more about finally being able to see the truth. And that “truth”…
“Then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed his way out and…he was a beautiful butterfly!” Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar One of the greatest transformations in nature is that of the caterpillar…
“Enjoy every moment, won’t you?” I offer a watery smile and nod but inside my blood freezes and my heart pounds with the anxiety that has come to constantly plague me like an unwelcome guest.…