My own invisible battle.
This has been on my heart for a while now, and it will give you some context for the work that I do with mums, my experiences and hardships with mental health from my own motherhood journey.
In this episode I share a very personal, raw and vulnerable letter that I wrote in November 2018 and emailed to a group of Mums around the same stage of motherhood I was.
At the time of writing this letter I was finding my feet again after burnout, postnatal anxiety, and probably postnatal depression, though I didn’t have a handle on those terms at the time. I wrote it because I wanted other mums to know that I wasn’t always the ‘supermum’ they thought I was (a smile can cover up a lot!) and that they weren’t alone if they had felt the same way I did.
I also chat about:
- A little life update post ACL surgery
- My invisible struggle with mental health as a mum
- Finding joy, creativity and a way to contribute meaningfully through my personal development
- Why I don’t think it’s healthy to put a spotlight on the term “supermum”
- The strength and realisation I found in writing out my struggle and how I got support to move through “The Black Hole”
I know that this letter will resonate with so many mums out there who are going through their own invisible struggle too. I want you to know that you’re never alone!
Benita x
Be kind to yourself as you listen to this. If this, or any, ME + MOTHERHOOD podcast episode ‘triggers you’ or raise issues for you, I urge you to reach out and speak to a professional on any one of these related support lines:
- Lifeline: 13 11 14
- Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
- Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
- Blue Knot Helpline: 1300 657 380
- PANDA National Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Helpline: 1300 726 306
