I SPOTTED THE SUPERMUM MYTH BOOK by Anya Hayes on instagram one night and thought that is EXACTLY what an event needs to be about - a toolkit to help with all the emotions, anxiety and worries we might have as mothers at various points. Those thoughts that you might not share (but you should) are all in this book, and more than that, the tools really help break down issues so you can move forward.
Combined with complimentary pampering from a pop up braid and beauty bar from Hairsmiths and Kirstie Barton, hand massages from Cherry Beauty Therapy, pre and post natal advice from The Powder Room Physio and About Birth and Babies (part of the Pregnancy and Parenthood Team at Rowan House) and guests could have their photo taken with Charlotte from Emily Gray Photography.
Anya was engaging, articulate, inspiring and so knowledgable - her experience as a writer specialising in pregnancy, motherhood and mindfulness was profound and genuinely empowering: Anya's post on Birth Stories, Anya on destructive emotions and finding your mojo.
Top tips:
πIn relation to our partners who we may sometimes find βdifficult", the ratio is 5 to 1. If you talk about 5 positive things to 1 negative, your relationship will keep moving in the right direction (big tip for a moany old goat like me!)
π±Be strict about your phone use, have a routine where you leave it in another room so youβre not tempted to βjust checkβ and think about how you feel if youβre hanging out with someone and they wonβt put their phone down, that may be how your kids see you! This is a helper in freeing up your mind and helping find some flow in other activities too (Mike cracked up at me reading this out π¬)
π₯βHelpfulβ tips or comments from other people that might ignite the panic googling (should he be walking / why isnβt he talking etc) that is their issue not yours, shake off the comment like a duck shaking off water and mentally move away ......
ππ½Catch yourself when you are talking to yourself in a horrible way βthat happened because I didnβt do thisβ or βIβm such a crap mum, I should have seen that comingβ etc- if you jot down your internal chatter you may be shocked how you talk to yourself, catch it and change it to how your kind friend might talk to you, police your thoughts
ππ½Mojo - it can take a while to find your mojo, who you are now, post natally you may have βpost natal depletionβ which we hadnβt heard of, and this can leave you feeling tired, meh, not quite right for years after the birth - Anyaβs book helps you understand if thatβs actually ok right now and ways to help you find your identity again
Anything that helps make #mumlife easier has to be a good thing, right?!