Category: Mental health
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Surviving the holidays with your mental health intact
I don’t love Christmas. Yah, that’s right. I said it. To the die-hard Christmas fanatics, I know what you’re thinking. What’s not to like? The twinkling lights, the festive food, the spirit of giving, the magic of Santa, the awe and wonder reflected on every innocent child’s face – it’s the most wonderful time of the…
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Goddess myth gone too far
The mental health toll on mothers striving for perfection at all costs In the weeks following the birth of my first son I was extremely anxious about the fact that I was his sole source of food. Unlike so many mothers I know, breastfeeding was one of the few things that went reasonably well for…
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Mother’s Day musings of an anxious mother
I had a few tears this morning even before my first sip of coffee. My oldest son – six years old and in grade one – gave me a Mother’s Day card he made at school. Made of pink construction paper, the cover features a hand drawn heart with two smiling figures in the middle…
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Dear Facebook, Re: all the things I never told you
Your seemingly innocent question stares back at me from the screen. What’s on your mind? The cursor blinks, waiting for a response. What would happen if I answered truthfully? If I just laid it all out there for you to see. Put it out in the open for you to judge. A quick scroll through…
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Beating postpartum anxiety – the sweetest Valentine gift
Two years ago Valentine’s Day took on a whole new meaning for me. There was no candlelit dinner. No chocolate. A bottle of wine was out of the question. But nothing says romance like a trip to the doctor for cervical sweep, am I right ladies? I was five days overdue with my second son,…
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Surviving postpartum depression and anxiety
“I think you’re more than just tired” There it was – the truth. It left my husband’s mouth and hit me like ice cold water thrown in my face, stealing my breath and shocking me out of my sleep-deprived denial. We were driving home from the doctor’s office, my eyes still red and puffy. The…
Julie Trites 