Launched in 2017 by the fantastic team at the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership, this year’s theme for Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is “Your Voice, Your Strength.” This year aims to advocate for all families affected by Perinatal Mental Illness, help them access information and enable recovery. You may be following the hashtags #maternalmhmatters or the bespoke tag of #mmhaw25. If not, track them down to get your hands on a whole host of different organisations, resources and support.
Over the years, I have shared my mental health journey – both after my losses and the return to work following having my youngest daughter. It started with sharing with therapists, with close friends and family, with anonymous blogging, and eventually, with a book. The power that came from that vulnerability tied all these things together. Sharing in safe spaces gave me the language, the insight and the understanding to not only help me through those tricky times but also the tools and ability to continue to support my mental health throughout my life. Being trained as a mental health first aider to assist in the day job gave me another layer of understanding, alongside my most recent coaching qualification, pulling more emotional and regulation tools into my work.
Apart from my talks, my blog and my writing are where I can share MY voice the most. Today, I want to share with you some of the articles that may have felt the most exposed but were therapeutic when I wrote them. I hope that this insight could help those going through similar mental health challenges or working on maintaining their mental well-being.
One of the first times I shared my story publicly was for the wonderful Olivia Siegel and her Every Mum Movement. At the time I wrote this overview, I was finishing off my book; during the research and connection with other professionals, I started to realise that the anxiety I had experienced during the return with my youngest was likely to have been post-natal depression. However well-read and prepared I thought I was, our expectations of PND are not always the reality! That was a massive lesson for me.
As a trainer and a self-confessed eternal student, I can’t deny the importance of knowledge as a tool for supporting maternal mental health. My ongoing journey to understanding and supporting my mental wellness needs often finds its way into my blogs. Mental illness is isolating; there is a power in sharing to feel less alone. Two recent examples of how my personal development has moved into the professional are the reflections of the hormonal cycle on my health and the very real struggle of sensory overwhelm.
During last year’s Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, I wanted to make sure that I highlighted the range of ways we can look after our mental health as parents and as our children grow up and maintain wellness where we can. But it’s not just something that parents should consider in isolation. It’s a societal responsibility. When I speak to companies, I highlight their role in the wellbeing of their staff – not just the early days of returning, but ALL the transitions that parents and carers go through. From supporting flexibility to making sure that staff are paid beyond a living wage, there are societal considerations we can’t ignore.
Whilst I am proud and comfortable sharing these elements in my blog (I know from the feedback it also helps my clients), I will not claim coaching is the best place to support a parent experiencing mental health concerns. So, I want to close off this blog by using my voice to show you a range of organisations that are there to provide specific diagnosis, care and assistance. Finally, if you haven’t already, make sure you are following the PMHP – their Instagram has a wealth of support, information and places to help you get the support you need.
Please share this far and wide with your colleagues and contacts, with anyone you think it will help.
If you are looking for 1:1 coaching support or team career wellbeing workshops, reach out to hello@thebalancecollective.co.uk or book a call directly into my diary.
Clara Wilcox is a straight talking, practical and experienced coach helping clients navigate the tricky waters of returning to work, career changes and professional development. The Balance Collective is a social enterprise focused on improving the lives of parents, by working together to build inner confidence and promote a healthy work/life balance.
