Mothers' Wellness Toolkit

Tools for finding peace in the mothering mayhem

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Month: May 2017

May 30, 2017May 30, 2017 anyapilates

Series: What’s in Your Toolkit? 6 – Nicky Duffell

May 29, 2017May 29, 2017 anyapilates

Why am I a Pilates Teacher?

May 29, 2017May 29, 2017 anyapilates

Wake up Mama! – Energy Boosters

May 28, 2017May 29, 2017 anyapilates

Series: What’s in Your Toolkit 5 – Fern Taylor 

May 24, 2017May 29, 2017 anyapilates

Mojo detectives – pelvic floor restore 

May 21, 2017May 29, 2017 anyapilates

Power of Touch

May 19, 2017May 19, 2017 anyapilates

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Recent Posts

  • Matrescence – the second adolescence?
  • Caesarean birth: tips for immediate after care
  • Pelvic Floor Restore
  • A gratitude attitude – mindfulness and #everydayjoy
  • Brain gym – exercise to tone the brain
  • Yoga and Mindfulness – Retreats for the mind, body, soul
About Mothers' Wellness Toolkit
The Supermum Myth
Diastasis whatsi? How to get rid of the "mum tum"
About Anya
The Model Method Online
Scummy Mummies: How not to feel like a shit mum
Once postnatal, always postnatal
Caesarean birth: tips for immediate after care

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MOTHER ❤️ hi, I'm Anya, I'm awkward in front of the camera and haven't mastered the confident selfie which is why I never take pictures at Instagram events 🙄 . Last weekend someone told me halfway through a conversation “oh my god I KNeW I recognised your voice!!” she had heard my @scummymummies podcast with my coauthor Rachel. I love the way it's full of laughter, particularly (oddly perhaps) the section where we chat about birth trauma. An issue very close to my heart is PTSD related to your birth experience. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is usually associated with war veterans, but it's increasingly being recognised as an issue after a shocking birth experience. . . Often misdiagnosed as PND, its symptoms are linked but distinct. Excessive anxiety, tearfulness, irritability, flashbacks, possibly withdrawing from life a bit...replaying moments as if you're a DVD stuck on pause, your body is frozen in that experience and the normal healing process is paused. . I had a category 1 crash caesarean to save Maurice's life when he was born, and that along with other elements of my birth experience were unprecedented in their huge stress, but once it was over and he was ok, alive, I was a mum and it's time to just get on with it mum!! I guess my body and mind went into a ball like a hedgehog. . . If you're suffering what you feel are PND symptoms but you're not quite sure, if you had a traumatic birth and just simply don't feel like "you", find a voice somehow to speak up. I've tagged some great accounts who might offer you confidence. Current guidelines for PTSD treatment are trauma focused CBT and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, EMDR. This uses body-based exercises as opposed to talking therapies, to trigger a physical healing tool allowing your body to process your experience and move forward. There is an EMDR exercise in The Supermum Myth. . Looking after your wellbeing is essential as a mum, you're shepherding your little ones and need all your strength ❤️⚡️ sending you love on this crisp Saturday 🍂 . . . . #motherhood #ptsd #birthtrauma #birthtraumarecovery #cbt #talkingtherapies #thesupermummyth #maternalmentalhealth #anxiety #pnd
Twin-tastic ❤️ yesterday I was talking on a podcast about how annoying I found Topsy and Tim’s mum being so pathologically unruffled when the twins do really annoying things. I mean, come on. A bit of human emotion is required from her - she must be a fembot. . But I digress. Human emotion - it’s a pretty amazing thing. It makes us human beings. We need to feel all the feels and show our kids that it’s ok to have a full spectrum, and how to ride the waves 🏄🏻‍♀️ 🌊 in as smooth a way as possible to get back to the beach intact. ❤️. . And then I went to the @neomorganics Christmas press event and who should walk in just after me, resplendent in her gorgeous matching twinning-ness, but my fave mental health instagrammer @mutha.hood ❤️ Topsy and Tim’s mum may have ignored the sartorial matching lest it brought forth emotions. But we squealed and hugged it out. Best way, right? . . @nicolaelliottmoss it was wonderful to hear you talking about your passion project and to smell all the sublime smells - my Christmas list is buzzing now. If you haven’t checked out NEOM’s well-being blog, have a look today, there are some fab tips from fellow well-being panel expert @suzyreading about how you can maximise your sleep in a crazy world. . . Happy Friday people! What are you up to today? How are you? ❤️🙏🏼🏄🏻‍♀️🏄🏻‍♀️🏄🏻‍♀️.. . #postnataldepletion #mentalmutha #pnd #postnatalmentalhealth #maternalmentalhealthawareness #caesareanbirth #birthwithoutfear #selfcare #motherhood #honestmotherhood
MOMENT ❤️ this is a #tbt to 3 and a bit years ago. A friend bought me a sketch pad when Maurice was born, as I had been bemoaning the loss of my artistic side and she sweetly wanted to give me a kickstart to awaken it. Obvs having a fretful sleepless baby gave me loads of time to draw to my heart's content 🙄😂😬 #allthematernityleaveplans ... so I found it in a drawer unwrapped for over 3 years and opened it, sharpened a pencil, and one morning Freddie miraculously slept for a whole 15 mins (and not on me for a change!) so in that time I spontaneously grabbed a pencil to get my long-forgotten artist’s eye in once more. And no, I basically haven’t touched a drawing pad again since 🙄. . Becoming a mum sometimes feels like you lose part of yourself - while obviously giving you plenty in return ❤️ - but maybe all it takes is a tiny window of opportunity and you can meet your old self for a cup of tea. What could you do today that reconnects you to YOU. What do you love? Have you given yourself space to even consider that recently? . . #motherhood #identity #mother #artist #mumlife #freddieat10weeks #hewokeupafter15minutes #pregnancy #birth #findingmamamojo #selfcare #mindfulness #capturingthemoments #ordinarylovely #everydayjoy #pnd #postnataldepletion
MINDFUL 🧘🏻‍♀️ flicking through my Pregnancy Pilates book (which is out now folks 😉) reveals that I use the words “mindful” and “lovely” a lot in relation to Pilates 😂🧘🏻‍♀️. I’ve always taught Pilates as mindful movement, a moving meditation ✨🙏🏼. Focusing on your body clears out space in your mind like a skilful broom. Sometimes we need to get out of our head by getting into our body 🧘🏻‍♀️💃🏻🙏🏼. These two books together form the basis of what Mothers’ Wellness Toolkit is about: tools for mind and body. . . 🕉 Connecting body wellness and mental wellness. Your brain and body are interwoven like the most bespoke and comfortably stylish onesie. . 🕉 Next month I begin training to teach MBCT - Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. Have you heard of MBCT? It’s increasingly being recognised as an effective therapy for anxiety and depression. . 🕉 Ultimately I want to provide a full toolkit for mums to negotiate challenges in body and mind - online and face to face. . 🕉 What do you think about “mindfulness”? Weird bendy hocus pocus, or simply tuning into your “being” part of human being? Do you have a practice? Do you journal? Do you breathe? I’d love to know if it’s something you love ❤️ - or something you think is nonsense....🤪 . #motherhood #pelvicfloorhealth #honestmotherhood #mbsr #meditation #mindfulness #mbct #pilatesforpregnancy #thesupermummyth #goodenoughmother
Loving kindness ❤️ . . Sit down. Breathe. Soften. Say to yourself:❤️ May I have the courage to be me. . May I feel safe and free. . May I be as healthy and happy as it is possible for me to be. . Happy Sunday ❤️🧘🏻‍♀️✨ . . . #mindfulnessformothers #breathe #selfcompassion #motherkind #postnatalrecovery #buddhismformothers #lovingkindness #mother #mbct #mbsr #meditation #pnd #selfcare
Hi mama 👋🏼 it’s the 1st birthday of the beautiful @hi_mama_letters which brings together women’s voices and experiences of motherhood. . . So I’m sharing my letter, link in bio ☝🏼❤️☝🏼. My letter to my new mum self. It does contain my traumatic experience of birth first time round....There’s an interesting debate right now about women sharing birth experiences being a bad thing....but I think sharing your experience is so valuable, so important as a way of seeking ways through, avoiding unnecessary pitfalls, developing knowledge and resilience. My birth was the gateway for me to make it my mission that women feel supported and informed about the physical realities of birth and early motherhood. If I wasn’t able to share my experience, I wouldn’t be able to help other Mums find their way back to vitality 🦋🌱🌻. . There are “horror stories”...or there is someone’s own personal unique experience. As long as we share with an eye softened on how we can gently signpost lights to guide our birth successors along the road through, without building fear, instead building awareness and solidarity, we have to keep sharing. . Happy birthday Hi Mama ❤️❤️. What do you think about sharing birth experiences? 👍🏼👎🏼🤷🏻‍♀️. . #postcaesarean #caesareanbirth #pelvicfloor #postnatalrecovery #birthtrauma #birthwithoutfear #birth #newmum #motherhood #honestmotherhood

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