YPLpodcast15032024.mp33

The podcast episode discusses the topic of mental health during pregnancy. It highlights the impact of infertility and pregnancy loss on mental health, as well as common mental health challenges experienced during pregnancy, such as prenatal depression. The host shares her personal experience of anxiety throughout pregnancy and emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and addressing these challenges. She also mentions the benefits of exercise, gratitude lists, and meditation in managing mental health. The host encourages seeking support from a network or therapy when needed. Hey everyone, you're listening to another episode of my podcast, Young People's Lives. I'm your host Lauren and today we're going to be discussing all things mental health. So the last time I've done podcasting, it was a good few years ago and since then life has just got in the way, so has the ego. But as ever, I wanted to discuss my favourite topic, which is mental health. And I wanted to be as transparent and as open about my own experiences by doing my first ever solo podcast sharing some of those experiences of mental health and pregnancy. So today we're going to be delving into the complex but crucial topic of mental health during pregnancy. From the highs to the lows, we're going to explore it all. Some of you may or may not know that I am pregnant with my first child, which is so exciting. It's been such a welcomed transition, but it has been a tough one. Pregnancy is often represented as a time of glowing skin and boundless joy. Whilst this can be true for some, the reality is that pregnancy can also bring a whirlwind of emotions, from anxiety and depression to happiness and excitement. It's vital to acknowledge and address the mental health aspect of this journey. Many individuals grapple with mental health challenges throughout their pregnancy, yet these struggles are frequently overlooked or dismissed. So the first topic that I wanted to acknowledge is the impact of infertility and pregnancy loss on mental health. I believe that this is a topic that deserves more attention. For individuals who've experienced challenges conceiving or have endured the heartbreak of miscarriage, the journey to parenthood can be fought with grief, anxiety and self-doubt. Pregnancy loss, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth or termination, it brings its own set of challenges. The loss of pregnancy is a profound grief that is often misunderstood or downplayed by others. It can trigger feelings of profound sadness, anger and even a sense of failure. I suppose I wanted to highlight this topic because what is most often a time of joy, pregnancy can be extremely anxiety provoking for some. Through loss, you experience the anxiety of not wanting to share your news until 12 weeks. Then also societal judgements if you do share your news before 12 weeks. It's such a strange place to navigate as a woman and pregnancy definitely does open up a new world where you're judged in different ways. It's just to highlight this and to be more aware and be more mindful when speaking to others about pregnancy. The next topic I wanted to discuss was common mental health challenges experienced during pregnancy. Hormonal fluctuations coupled with external stresses can worsen pre-existing conditions like anxiety and depression or lead to their onset in expectant mothers. So one prevalent issue is prenatal depression. Studies suggest that up to one in seven pregnant women experience prenatal depression. This isn't just feeling a little down. It can significantly impact a woman's well-being and even affect the developing fetus. So I just wanted to share my experience of anxiety throughout pregnancy because this is what the whole aim of this podcast is to share experiences to help you realise that you're not alone. And these feelings of anxiety and depression can be a real challenge. These feelings and these thoughts are very common but they make us feel so isolated and alone at times. So it's really just to acknowledge them. I'll share a little bit about my history, my passion, where that comes from. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 2017 and that was a really difficult time for me because a family has got severe mental health issues so that's probably one of my most anxious thoughts and has been at the forefront throughout my pregnancy is that I will develop something more serious than anxiety. I will develop my mother's mental health condition but that was just my anxious thought throughout pregnancy. So that's been really hard to navigate. There's been a lot of fear of others judging me. I think about something that comes through quite heavily a lot of the time and there has been patterns of my anxiety that I haven't been able to contain and I think it's important that I sit here and acknowledge those feelings as uncomfortable as they can be. I have got through all of these moments whether it's through feelings of sadness and anxiety it really affects you in different ways and I suppose with the challenges that pregnancy has brought I am so thankful that I have to come back to basics every time and remember what works for me and what doesn't and how to get myself out of the groove when it's taken over. It can be different for everyone but for me what that looks like acknowledging my feelings, sitting with my anxiety which is often really awful and sitting with the feeling of not being okay and that's something that I've struggled to do for years. I have this thought that I have to be happy and I have to be positive all of the time when actually that's not the reality for anyone at all. It's really just the fact that I'm not happy but throughout pregnancy I put so much pressure on myself to feel okay and I really wasn't feeling okay a lot of the time. I'm very transparent when it comes to my mental health like I'm open about my struggles and I think that's because I come from a background where mental health really hasn't been encouraged in my family. It's really important to acknowledge that we all go through very similar experiences but some of us just choose not to talk about it and that is more damaging to yourself in the long run. The best thing I do personally for my mental health is exercise. Now my exercise journey, I've kind of done charity runs all throughout my life which I really enjoy doing but I would say my fitness journey essentially really started when I met my partner, the love of my life. He has really got me into fitness. He has made me view fitness in a completely different way. He is absolutely incredible and to be on that journey with him as well is so special and you know pregnancy has really made me realise I try and do my gratitude list and I've always been thankful for being able to move my body but pregnancy has really limited that especially towards the end of it of course. I'm slowing down now, I'm due next week. So yeah that's been really hard. For someone who has seen how much of a negative effect that exercise has on their mental health I use that as my tool. I have to exercise, I'm not saying every day but if I get some steps in or whether it's doing a run or whether it's going to the gym some form of exercise really helps alleviate my anxiety gets me out of that negative head space. So I would just have to acknowledge Joe. He has been absolutely incredible for my fitness journey and this is just to say to anyone that's struggling with any mental health or just exercise in general getting out and moving your body whether it's just walking outside, going round the block or whether it's going on a 15k run or whatever it may be that's going to benefit your mental health and make you feel so much better afterwards. Moving your body is such a gift. I would say exercise is probably one of my main tools. I would say being grateful for everything around you can really shift your mindset. I think when I started doing gratitude lists I kind of set myself a goal of writing three things in the morning as soon as I wake up I have to write three things or whether I say it in my head or out loud I have to write three things that I'm grateful for and some days I'd wake up I would be feeling in low mood I'd be feeling like crap and I'd still be feeling like that after I've done my gratitude list but the fact that you're searching for the happiness when you're in those low places that's what's really beautiful about gratitude because the list is endless there's so many things that I'm grateful for so yeah I would say gratitude lists definitely help me. Meditation helps me. Meditation is a great one. It's very hard to practice in my opinion. Meditating brings me peace and it makes me observe my thoughts rather than letting them control me as my anxiety sometimes does and sometimes I must admit that when I do all of my mental health checklists sometimes I'm not feeling great afterwards but I'm showing up and I'm being consistent with my efforts it's making me grateful it makes you realise that life can be beautiful when you're not stuck in your own head and then I would say most importantly something that's really helped me is of course I have a fantastic support network and I'm very transparent and open about my thoughts and my feelings with them I acknowledge that some people don't have that they haven't been feeling themselves lately but I would encourage you if you can to tell someone around you or I would talk to a professional therapy has been life-saving at times for me I've tried many different types of therapy I would say the last year has been significant for me I tried EMDR so I started doing eye desensitisation movement therapy that was life-changing for me and I started doing that at the start of last year and when I found out I was pregnant I had to stop doing that therapy and I started doing CBT CBT, so Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and I've had CBT quite a few times this time it's different because I'm pregnant and some of my old thoughts have been creeping in again it has been quite hard to navigate throughout pregnancy I've had more feelings of judgement I have felt quite alone even though I'm not alone I have felt very alone with my thoughts at times but these have been things that I've been acknowledging reflecting and improving I think with my mental health it's going to have to be something I'm always consistently working on and I know that some days are going to be better than others but it's just really about acknowledging these thoughts throughout pregnancy your anxiety can become more heightened I just wanted to share my experience and since I have been in treatment with my hospital there has been some really great support for my mental health and I suppose this is why I really wanted to just jump on here and say that my personal experience has been really successful I am someone who is open to bettering myself and that is what I feel like therapy does luckily my hospital have been really supportive and it's just about knowing what's right for you what tools you can use so yeah look if anyone is listening, any mummers to be it's just to say that you are not alone even though you might feel it sometimes you are able to navigate this journey positive pregnancy affirmations have been fantastic for me knowing that I am in control when I don't feel like it has been great so on that note I just wanted to say that it is crucial for pregnant individuals to seek support and prioritise their mental health so this can involve various strategies that I've discussed before such as therapy, mindfulness practices and self-care routines tailored to pregnancy I wanted to discuss the importance of a strong support network during pregnancy which is not always available to mothers whether it's a family friend, a partner a friend or a healthcare provider having someone to lean on can make all the difference furthermore let's not forget the role of societal expectations and stigma surrounding pregnancy and mental health there's often pressure to maintain a facade of happiness and gratitude which can deter individuals from seeking help when they need it the most as I wrap up today's episode I want to leave you with this reminder it's ok not to be ok during pregnancy your mental health matters and seeking help is a sign of strength not weakness thank you for tuning in to Young People's Lives remember to take care of yourselves because a healthy mind makes a healthy happy pregnancy until next time stay well