I’m sure many women don’t know (I sure didn’t), but having babies can give you nightmares. It’s common, and hits 53% of women in the year after birth. Continue reading “Postpartum nightmares”
Postpartum nightmares
Author: admin
Self-compassion & Self-criticism
Self-compassion & Self-criticism
Compassion often comes naturally towards other people – we are typically taught from a young age to be nice or kind towards others and how to do this. However, we are not always taught how to be kind to ourselves. Continue reading “Self-compassion & Self-criticism”
Mattering
Mattering
‘Mattering’ means that you feel like you matter, or are significant, to other people. It is associated with positive mental health. Positive, supportive relationships go such a long way for our emotional wellbeing, providing buffers against stress and depression, and improving coping. Continue reading “Mattering”
Body Dissatisfaction
Body Dissatisfaction
Body dissatisfaction is high in women- in fact, one population study (of thousands of women) found that 86.9% of Australian women are unhappy with their bodies. That’s the majority of women, which is shockingly high. Continue reading “Body Dissatisfaction”
When the mental load keeps you awake…
When the mental load keeps you awake…
Women are more likely to carry the mental load – essentially, the knowledge and coordination of what is needed to keep the household running.
Often, because this load is invisible, everybody can forget that it is work and also forget to allocate resources to it. It can be easy to fall into the trap of going to bed and have your mind tick over the to-do list, what’s coming up, and what you can’t forget. You can be exhausted, but once this starts happening, your body becomes tense. Sleep (or the possibility of it) won’t happen at this point. It’s frustrating when you’re tired, exhausted, or only have a limited window for sleep.
Sometimes, you can be so busy doing all the things during the day or trying to squeeze in some time to relax and unwind at night that the mental load has no other time to appear but in bed. Bed becomes your thinking time. Continue reading “When the mental load keeps you awake…”
What If…?
What If…?
Sometimes, our minds can run wild with the worst-case scenarios, throwing up all sorts of ‘What If?’ questions.
Continue reading “What If…?”
Perfectionism – the vicious cycle
Perfectionism – the vicious cycle
Perfectionism involves continually striving towards a high standard. In itself, there is nothing wrong with this. The problems begin, however, when these standards are too high, unrealistic, or not fully achievable, or you need to meet these high standards to feel good about yourself.
With perfectionism, if you achieve a high standard (for example, get high marks on an assessment, be a gentle parent all day long through lots of challenges, or get all positive feedback on a task or performance review), then this becomes not good enough – it’s too easy or achievable! For example: Continue reading “Perfectionism – the vicious cycle”
Supporting Someone Experiencing Reproductive Coercion
Supporting Someone Experiencing Reproductive Coercion
If you, or someone you know, is experiencing pressure to have a baby, an abortion, or to keep a baby (regardless of your wishes), this is reproductive coercion. There are several things that may help support someone navigating this:
Continue reading “Supporting Someone Experiencing Reproductive Coercion”
Resisting Reproductive Coercion
Resisting Reproductive Coercion
Reproductive coercion is an insidious way of unfairly convincing you (through pressure, coercion, or threats) to become pregnant, keep an unwanted pregnancy, or terminate a wanted pregnancy. Continue reading “Resisting Reproductive Coercion”
Reproductive Coercion
Reproductive Coercion
Every woman should know what reproductive coercion is – so we can start to protect ourselves from it. Continue reading “Reproductive Coercion”
Postpartum Libido
Postpartum Libido
Research has indicated that women’s interest in sex decreases during pregnancy and that it never quite returns to what it was before having a baby. Continue reading “Postpartum Libido”
Stopping to smell the roses
Stopping to smell the roses
Have you ever heard the expression about stopping to smell the roses? Continue reading “Stopping to smell the roses”