Podcast Summary
The Value of LinkedIn for Hiring and Addressing Mental Health for Moms: LinkedIn is a key platform for hiring professionals, potentially reaching 70% of non-active job seekers. Mental health is crucial for everyone, especially moms, and open conversations and resources can help support them through motherhood.
LinkedIn is a valuable resource for hiring professionals, as over 70% of its users don't visit other leading job sites. This means that businesses who don't post jobs on LinkedIn could miss out on potential candidates like Sandra, who might not be actively looking for a new role but could be open to the right opportunity. Additionally, mental health is an important issue that affects 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 10 children, with numbers increasing due to lockdown-related stresses. Anna Martha, a psychotherapist, author, and podcaster, emphasizes the importance of addressing mental health, especially for mothers. She encourages open conversations about mental health experiences and offers resources and tools for supporting moms through motherhood. Anna's background includes training as a psychotherapist since 2010 and working clinically in various settings. After having her own children, she realized the importance of implementing mental health tools for herself and became passionate about sharing them with others, especially mothers, through social media. Anna's experiences with her own mental health and motherhood led her to create resources to help moms cope with the challenges of motherhood.
Experiences of motherhood can differ greatly, even with multiple children: Despite having a straightforward first child, challenges with a second led to lack of sleep, making it hard to prioritize self-care and seek help. Realizing the importance of vulnerability and community support was pivotal.
New motherhood experiences can vary greatly, even with multiple children. The speaker shares her experience of having a straightforward first child and then facing challenges with her second, who had silent reflux leading to lack of sleep. The lack of sleep made it difficult to make rational decisions and prioritize self-care. She felt the pressure to cope on her own due to her background as a therapist and her tendency to be a perfectionist and people pleaser. However, she eventually realized the importance of vulnerability and seeking help from others. The experience was humbling and pivotal in her life, highlighting the need for community support and self-validation. The lack of sleep also had significant consequences on mental and physical health, creating a vicious cycle. To break this cycle, she encouraged her husband to sleep upstairs and eventually asked for his help when she felt overwhelmed. Overall, this experience taught her that it's okay to ask for help and prioritize self-care, especially during challenging times.
Embrace vulnerability during new motherhood: Allow vulnerability, accept help, and embrace messiness during new motherhood to find support and growth.
During the challenging times of new motherhood, it's essential to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and accept help from others. The pressure to appear perfect can be overwhelming, but acknowledging our vulnerability and asking for assistance can lead to growth and support. A simple yet powerful piece of advice is to not rush getting dressed or putting on a facade for visitors. Instead, embrace the messiness of the experience and let others see that we're not "superwomen" but human beings in need of care. By being open about our struggles and vulnerabilities, we can find comfort in knowing that we're not alone and that many others have gone through similar experiences. Ultimately, embracing our messiness and vulnerability is a crucial part of the human experience, and it's okay to ask for help when we need it.
Embracing the Challenges of Motherhood and Seeking Improvement: Mothers are encouraged to seek rest, accept support, and work on self-esteem and relationships through therapy and simple tools, moving beyond acknowledging struggles towards meaningful improvements.
It's important to acknowledge and share the challenging aspects of motherhood, but not to stop there. While it's valuable to know we're not alone in our struggles, it's also crucial to strive for more than just communal acceptance. As a therapist, the speaker encourages mothers to seek rest, accept support, and work on improving their self-esteem and relationships with vulnerability. The speaker is passionate about making therapy accessible to all, and equipping people with simple tools to help themselves. While the specific stories may vary, the underlying themes often involve self-esteem, critical internal dialogue, and past trauma. By recognizing these common threads and providing tools to address them, the speaker aims to help people move beyond acknowledging their struggles and towards making meaningful improvements in their lives.
Messages of encouragement for new moms during overwhelming moments: Validate and reframe emotions instead of using gratitude to shame or invalidate them, find clarity to move on
The Little Bit of Calm for New Moms is a collection of emotionally resonant messages meant to provide clarity and encouragement for new mothers during moments of overwhelm. The book, born from a personal experience of parental overwhelm, offers a solution for those who may not have someone to ground them in difficult emotions. With the pandemic highlighting the importance of mental health and gratitude, the author emphasizes the need to validate and reframe emotions instead of using gratitude to shame or invalidate them. The book aims to bring clarity to emotions and help readers move on from them rather than suppressing them. Gratitude, while important, should not be used to invalidate or shame other emotions, but rather, be used to transform moods and find balance.
Finding Gratitude in Daily Challenges: Acknowledging daily challenges and expressing gratitude can shift perspective and make even mundane tasks enjoyable.
Acknowledging the challenges of daily life while practicing gratitude can bring balance and positivity. The speaker in the text shares her experience of finding joy amidst the drudgery of motherhood and the importance of recognizing both emotions. She encourages listeners to reflect on their own experiences and find moments of gratitude in seemingly mundane tasks. By acknowledging the challenges and expressing gratitude, we can diffuse potential stress and prevent resentment from building up. The speaker's personal story of cleaning the cooker and remembering her younger self's desire for a house clean enough to require such a task illustrates this idea. These moments of reflection and gratitude can add up to a significant shift in perspective and frame of mind, making even the most tedious tasks feel more manageable and even enjoyable.
Anxiety in New Mothers: A Natural Response or a Problem?: Anxiety in new mothers is common, but chronic or intense anxiety can interfere with daily life. Seek help through self-care practices, therapy, or medication to improve mental and emotional well-being.
Anxiety is a common experience for new mothers, and it can stem from both hormonal shifts and external factors. While it may be a natural response to the vulnerability and risk that come with love and caring for a newborn, chronic or intense anxiety can be problematic. Anxiety can serve as a warning system, keeping us alert and focused on potential dangers. However, when it becomes overwhelming or interferes with daily life, it's essential to seek help. Whether it's through self-care practices, therapy, or medication, addressing anxiety can lead to improved mental and emotional well-being for both the mother and her family. Additionally, it's important to remember that anxiety is not a sign of weakness, and seeking help is a sign of strength. So, celebrate the extraordinary women in your life, including yourself, and take care of your mental health. This Mother's Day, consider exploring Blue Nile's beautiful pearls and gemstones or checking out PlushCare's weight loss resources or Burrow's Memorial Day Sale. Remember, self-care is essential, and taking care of yourself is an act of love.
Embrace the 'if it happens, I will cross that bridge' mindset: Recognize not every anxiety-inducing scenario will come to pass, focus on the present, and draw on past resilience to find calm
Constant anxiety and hyper-vigilance can have negative effects on our physical and mental wellbeing. These responses, which are natural, become problematic when they are constantly switched on. To cope with anxiety, especially in today's world where there is an abundance of information that can fuel our worries, the author suggests adopting the mindset of "if it happens, I will cross that bridge." This means recognizing that not every potential anxiety-inducing scenario will come to fruition, but also acknowledging that we have successfully navigated challenges in the past. By focusing on the present and reminding ourselves of our past resilience, we can find a sense of calm and grounding. This approach can be beneficial for both adults and children dealing with anxiety.
New mothers often experience anger and rage: Acknowledge and validate feelings, communicate with friends or therapist, understand root causes, and normalize emotions to improve mental health.
Anger is a common emotion experienced by new mothers, often due to unmet needs and unexpressed feelings. Rage can build up like a pressure cooker and lead to actions we're not proud of. It's important to acknowledge and validate these feelings, even if we can't change the situation. Externalizing feelings through communication with friends or a therapist can provide relief and help prevent the buildup of rage. It's not just about letting off steam, but also understanding the root causes and addressing them. Normalizing these emotions and talking openly about them can help raise the bar for mental health and reduce the stigma surrounding anger and rage in motherhood.
Embrace emotions, practice self-compassion: Acknowledging emotions, especially those related to motherhood, is vital for personal growth. Let emotions pass through, seek support when needed, and practice self-compassion to build confidence, trust, and resilience.
Acknowledging and validating emotions, especially those associated with motherhood, is essential for personal growth. It's natural to experience various feelings, from guilt and shame to sadness and anger, as we navigate different stages of life. However, instead of trying to suppress or change these emotions, it's crucial to let them be and allow them to pass through us. This doesn't mean ignoring the need for support or professional help when required. Recognizing when to seek assistance is essential, and reaching out to a mental health professional can be an effective way to process emotions and find healthy coping mechanisms. Overall, embracing emotions, practicing self-compassion, and seeking help when needed can lead to increased confidence, trust, and resilience.
Checking-in with oneself for emotional support: Recognize prolonged absence of enjoyable emotions, consider seeking help, and remember it's okay not to be okay.
Recognizing a lack of enjoyable emotions for an extended period could be a sign of needing emotional support. It's essential to check-in with oneself and consider seeking help through various resources such as therapies, charities, or even opening up to trusted friends or family members. For those looking to help a loved one, approach the conversation tentatively and remind them of your support. Remember, it's okay not to be okay, and seeking help is a sign of strength. If you're unsure about your own need for support, ask yourself if you've been experiencing a prolonged absence of enjoyable emotions. If so, it may be time to reach out and explore the available resources. For friends or family members, approach the conversation with care and understanding, acknowledging that they might not be ready to address their feelings right away. Let them know that you're there for them, and when they're ready, you'll be there to support them.
Discovering the Benefits of Quercetin for New Mums with Anna Martha: Anna Martha's platform, Mothermind Way, supports new mothers with mental health, self-care, and personal growth resources. Lizelle shares her positive experience with quercetin, a natural supplement for hay fever relief, and emphasizes the importance of trusting reputable brands and making informed health decisions.
Anna Martha, also known as @annamartha on Instagram, offers various resources for new mothers focusing on mental health, self-care, and personal growth. Her platform, Mothermind Way, includes 12-pound resources on topics like health anxiety, guilt, self-esteem, and people pleasing. She also hosts a podcast called The Therapy Edit with short, encouraging episodes. Her latest book, "The Little Book of Calm For New Mums," is now available. During the conversation, Lizelle shared her positive experience with quercetin, a natural plant pigment that helps control her hay fever symptoms. Quercetin is linked to inflammation and the immune system's histamine response. Lizelle recommended buying quercetin from trusted brands like BioCare due to potential inconsistencies in supplements purchased online. Overall, Anna Martha's resources and Lizelle's experience with quercetin emphasize the importance of self-care, mental health support, and making informed decisions when it comes to health and well-being.
