Find Your Passion For You

Find your Passion for you!

As mums one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is the tools to live a healthy, happy, and positive life and the best way of doing this? Is by living one, ourselves…

‘’Because: a healthy, happy mum means a healthy, happy home.’’

To be a mother is to truly, wholly and selflessly love another.
More than you ever thought possible.

To be a mother is to hold the hopes and dreams of your children forever in your heart.

Shedding a silent tear that they never see, in a moment that stays with you forever and they forget in an instant.
Feeling their pain like it happened to you, marvelling at their wonder as they discover the world around them, feeling their joy as they discover things in life that brings to them moments of pure uninhibited happiness.

It is feeling so deep that you truly are at the centre of another’s whole world; you are being a source of comfort and safety. Healing the hurts; drying the tears, easing the pain and being that rainbow of love amongst the unpredictable weather of life that is being their ‘mum’.
That knowing, that something is wrong in a quick glance.

For every tear and tantrum there is a beautiful giggle and a smile that touches you deep inside your heart. For every exhausting night there is a cuddle and a look that makes you want to cry with love. You can find yourself being surprised, shocked and left speechless more times than you thought possible and feeling pure delight, immense pride, overwhelming happiness, exhausting responsibility, pushed limits, joyous laughter, anxious worrying and wonderment all at the same time
You can feel so tired, exhausted and mostly unthanked but you've never felt more fulfilled, wanted and full of love.

It is the indescribable moment of complete and pure, timeless happiness that is that special unexpected hug- when time could easily stop.

As mums we gladly give all of ourselves for our family. We endlessly put ourselves last.

We often juggle so many balls at once.
Multi-tasking, balancing the work/life/family act, it’s so easy to let a few things slip to make it work and unfortunately one that is allowed to slip through so often, for so many of us is our own health and happiness.

And the things is if you are not healthy you cannot be truly happy and if your not happy you cannot be truly healthy either. You need both.

You only need to talk to those who are ill or have gone through illness or injury to realise just how important your health is and just how much we take it for granted.
How much we have to lose.

We need  to see how important we are before burnout. We need to accept we are not invincible.
Burning out can happen to any of us.
Crashing from exhaustion, losing a sense of self, feeling frustration, sadness or even anger at our reflection in the mirror, comparing ourself to others and making ourselves feel miserable. Stressing out of every little thing, worrying too much, eating our emotions, going without, neglecting ourselves...
Prolonged stress we know leaves us vulnerable to illness, stress in fact is one of the most dangerous causes of so many scary things that can happen to us and our health.

We need to sit down and really think about how important our health and happiness really is. Look at those little faces and really think, if I don't take care of me and I burn out how will I take care of them? We already make our kids and our family's health and happiness a priority - but what about ourselves? 

We are at the heart of our families, we care, nurture, teach, nurse. We entertain, advise, guide, feed, comfort, and love. 

We love unconditionally and give all of ourselves without a second thought, and we love doing it, glowing fiercely with love and pride.

What we don’t do anyway near often enough is shine some of that love and support on ourselves.

Our family is so very important to us and we are so important to our family. So we need to start being important to ourselves too.

Sometimes it can all seem to big, too hard to find our happy, healthy vibrant place and this is why support and inspiration is so very important.

That is why I am such a strong advocate for all forms of support for women and mums, for taking time out for yourself, joining networking and socialising groups, support groups; for having a hobby or passion on the side that is just for you, for scheduling in some time in your day to go for a walk, even if it is with the kids as well, it is getting you out into that fresh air with the benefits of exercise to our bodies; or for taking a yoga class once a week if you can or finding a gym you like with a creche or a mums fitness group.

Why I am an advocate for doing things that make you feel nice like wearing the dress you like when you go out - even if it is only to the supermarket and to wear some lipstick if it makes you feel pretty or your favourite earrings, it's why I think it is a great idea to pack yourself a lunchbox too - not just the kids for the day ahead, why I think you should occasionally buy yourself a bunch of fresh flowers for your home, just because they make you feel happy, why I think every food shop you do should include one special item that is just for you and your health and absolutely why I shared my very personal story and my burnout after having my first baby in my book, The Pram Diet and why I am just so in love with...  

Nourished 

by the very inspiring Kirri White and Corona Brady

If there was ever a present that you should treat yourself too that could make a hug positive impact in your life or were able to pick for yourself from your loved ones - this would be an incredible one.

An investment in YOU.

To find out about this amazing program and how it can help you, support and inspire you to find your passion for YOU and become your most vibrant self click HERE

Beginning on October 1st, Nourished is a completely unique offering – combining the latest nutritional advice and holistic health practices with life coaching, neuroscience and eating psychology.

Nourished is a Loving Approach to Mind & Body Health and provides all all the tools you need to incorporate healthy choices for your mind and body into your daily routine (or your money back!).

Co-creator Kirri is a certified life coach with a Masters in Psychology, an eating disorder survivor, and proud mamma to three glowing young girls.
Kirri helps women reclaim their lives and celebrate their worth, combining science-based therapies with the wisdom of the heart.

Main body and opening text (c)RebeccaMugridge2013

Healthy, Happy Mums book - Coming Soon

Remember to cherish YOU - these holidays too

The festive season is upon us.
It's exciting, it's often fun and a time of year we all generally very much look forward too and love.
But it can also be exhausting, emotional and stressful for many or even just some of the time...
So these holidays remember to hold your family and loved ones dear but hold yourself dear too. Remind yourself that you are a key special part in your own happiness. You are loved.
Let go of the bad and embrace the good. Do what you can and then let go for the day. Be patient. Be kind. Be calm. Be peaceful. Be positive. Be happy x

Remember too If you ever find yourself feeling on edge or think you might be a little more than just exhausted or upset reach out to loved ones, friends and family, your doctor or a supportive group like Lifeline 13 11 14
You are never alone, and you are so important to your family so you should be to yourself too!

Love Rebecca xx

Post Natal Depression Awareness Week - Raising awareness & helping each other as mums

This week was Post Natal Depression Awareness week.

http://www.panda.org.au/panda-events/postnatal-depression-week

In my book The Pram Diet I talk openly about my experience with Post Natal Depression after having my first daughter Lily and also about how much stigma I perceived there to be around it, how much I thought I would be judged, how I thought admitting it to those closest to me would make them think I didn't love my baby, wasn't grateful for the blessing of motherhood, I thought no-one would understand.

As I began to open up and talk about it I was stunned by the strong waves of support I found, and by the amount of mums who then shared their own stories with me, and those who thanked me for being so honest and open about it.

Post Natal Depression is said to effect as many as 1 in 4 Australian mothers and can happen to anyone.
The biggest misconception with post natal depression is that it is only the extreme cases you might see on the TV or read about it when the truth is, it can be so varied and different, mothers can have different symptoms and it can vary from mild to very extreme and everything in between.
Some women have quite mild symptoms and some very serious and severe and all should be treated with respect, dignity and support.
What IS a common thread to it is that it is something experienced by women from all walks of life, from high incomes to low incomes, from celebrities to everyday mums, it doesn’t discriminate and it doesn’t only affect those with hardships in their lives.

The most important thing to remember is suffering from PND is nothing to be ashamed of, it doesn’t make you any less than as a mother, it does not mean you don‘t love your baby, it does not mean you aren’t happy to be a mum.

It just is.

We can all make a huge difference by increasing support networks and promoting awareness and understanding.
So what can you do if you think you are or someone close to you is suffering from PND?

• Reach out to those around you. You’ll probably be very surprised to learn that some of the mothers you know have been through the exact same thing and words cannot describe the relief of sharing your story, sharing your experiences and knowing you are not alone in this.
• Get Support. Along with talking it over with your doctor and midwife ( who should always be your first point of reference) there are fantastic groups out there for mums that can make such a positive, non judgemental difference.
  From www.beyondblue.com to Facebook groups like http://www.facebook.com/#!/MumsHelpingMumsPND and my own private fb mums group https://www.facebook.com/groups/20093089740/ 
• Get out of the house. It might feel like the last thing you want to do but it can make such a difference to your day. Get out in the rejuvenating fresh air, get away from the housework, even if it’s just for 30 minutes it can really help.
• Go for a pram walk. New studies have been conducted that show there is a definite link between exercise and easing depression,
  Professor Mary Galea with the University of Melbourne found that exercise can reduce the risk of PND by as much as 50%.
  http://www.health.vic.gov.au/healthvictoria/may10/postnatal.htm
  And it was pram walking that helped me personally so much during my depression after having my daughter Lily. Every single walk we did I felt a little better, like the dark cloud lifted just a little each time until eventually I felt like a new me and the skies all seemed blue. Calmer, happier, less angry, and alive again. No longer looking in from a lonely place.
• Try something active or relaxing that you enjoy like Yoga, swimming, pram jogging or a fun mums fitness class.
• Build a support network. It is a sad fact that in our busy modern lives we have less and less extended family and support networks around us and a solid support network is SO important for all new mum’s. If you don’t have a lot of family close by reach out and build one. Ask your midwife when you are pregnant for link’s to mother’s groups in your area and to introduce you to other pregnant mums.
  even having someone who can come over and cuddle your baby so you can have a relaxed shower can literally transform your day.
• Socialise. It can be the last thing you feel like doing sometimes with a newborn but it can help your day so much. Some light laughter, sharing stories and just even adult conversation can really help brighten your day.
• Nurture yourself. You are important. Try to include some healthy foods in to your diet, drink plenty of water and take whatever help family and friends offer and try not stress over the little things, your post baby body or the housework!

Together we really can make a huge difference and support one another.

Please if you think you might be however lightly or strongly feeling like you may have post natal depression, anxiety or are just over stressed or not coping - DO reach out, there is beautiful help and support out there, and  I promise it will really help xx


Rebecca xx