Especially for moms!
20 % of people over the age of 16 in the United Kingdom struggle with depression or anxiety.
How can we prioritise our mental health?
Move our bodies in a way that we enjoy.
For too many years women specifically, but also men have exercised with the primary focus of making their bodies smaller with the unfortunate results of many giving up on movement all together, when not achieving those results.
Leon Taylor talks about being labelled as a “problem child” by his family physician in his ted talk titled ‘how to manage your mental health.’ His parents decided to book Leon into any and every activity possible in a way to use his endless energy in a positive way. He went on to take part in 3 Olympic Games and win a medal in diving.
Joyful movement can be used to reduce anxiety and stress levels within our body. Leon also explains that when we begin to move our bodies, our bodies notice this, as a moment of stress, in order to protect us, our brain releases, a chemical, a protein called brain derived neurotrophic factor. Bdnf repairs and protects the brain.
Joyful movement also create endorphins which helps to boosts our mood.
Connecting with others and dealing with unresolved trauma
Having a baby can result in trauma that if left untreated can result in a negative outlook in life and feelings of guilt and shame. This leads to a need to control everything in our lives and a strong fear of failure. This can become overwhelming and lead to us isolating ourselves.
We go through giving birth or surgical c-sections with almost no recovery time. What other surgery are you aware of that has zero rest after? Not only zero rest but we also need to look after a human life that is completely dependent on us.
Reach out to a health care professional if you feel there may be unresolved trauma of any kind.
Another way to heal trauma is to try healing yoga which has been proven to assist with treating ptsd. A specialized Yoga called Yoga Nidra can help with getting deep and restful sleep. Sleep can often get negatively affected by trauma and when our body is not getting the rest it needs, it will struggle. Journaling and meditation are another way to debrief and work through a trauma on your own.
Finding Gratitude
When you are ready, focusing on gratitude can completely shift your mentality. Actively thinking about positive things in your life releases hormones into the brain that are used for mood regulation. No gratitude doesn’t “fix” depression. We need medical professionals and sometimes medication to control depression but gratitude can be used alongside joyful movement , meditation, journaling and breathing in addition to therapy to help you heal.
Feeling Burnout? Sign up for my Burnout Recovery Guide here