Mindfulness and Mental Health
Perinatal (During pregnancy) and Postnatal (New baby) stress has been found to have associations with adverse maternal and infant outcomes.
Mindfulness training may offer a safe and acceptable strategy to support perinatal and postnatal mental health. Mental health is a serious illness that affects up to one in five expecting or new Mums and one in ten expecting or new Dads...It is never a failure or a weakness to ask/seek help. Sometimes post or prenatal mental illness can hit you like a tonne of bricks- out of the blue and for no reason.
“Mindfulness exercises are ways of paying attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing, and yoga. Training helps people to become more aware of their thoughts, feelings, and body sensations so that instead of being overwhelmed by them, theyâre better able to manage them. Practising mindfulness can give more insight into emotions, boost attention and concentration, and improve relationships.”
“Mindfulness meditation has been shown to affect how the brain works and even its structure. People undertaking mindfulness training have shown increased activity in the area of the brain associated with positive emotion – the pre-frontal cortex – which is generally less active in people who are depressed.
Many studies have shown changes in brain wave activity during meditation and researchers have found that areas of the brain linked to emotional regulation are larger in people who have meditated regularly for five years or more. The evidence for different types of mindfulness is promising and research has grown in recent years.
(Mentalhealth.org.uk)
Mindfulness is a strategy and there are many resources out there for men or woman who might be struggling with their Mental health. PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Association) is one such organisation who can help: PANDA’s National Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Helpline
1300 726 306 9am – 7.30pm Mon – Fri (AEST/AEDT)
Or ask us a question via email at support@panda.org.au and one of the Helpline team members will get back to you during Helpline hours. Their website www.panda.org.au also has a wealth of information.