North Star Wellness

🤰Many women enter pregnancy and parenthood expecting joy, connection, and fulfillment...and those experiences can certainly be part of the journey! But many new parents also experience anxiety, overwhelm, sadness, intrusive thoughts, identity shifts, or other feelings they didn't anticipate.

If you've ever thought, "I should be coping better," you're not alone. Therapy provides a safe space to process these experiences and emotions, build coping skills, and reconnect with yourself during this major life transition.

✨ What is one thing you wish someone had told you about the postpartum experience?

Perinatal mental health problems don't discriminate--they can affect anyone at anytime between pregnancy and up to two years postpartum. However, there are definitely some risk factors that increase your chances of encountering an issue. Lifestyle factors such as health and finances, as well as interpersonal relationships and more, can all have a ripple effect on your mental health, especially in this very unique and sensitive time of life.

Mental health matters—at every stage of your journey.

From pregnancy to postpartum and through the many transitions of motherhood, our emotional well-being deserves the same care, attention, and compassion as our physical health. Perinatal mental health challenges are common, treatable, and not something you have to face alone. By creating space for honest conversations, reducing stigma, and supporting one another, we help women feel seen, heard, and empowered to seek the care they deserve. Moms, families, and communities thrive when we prioritize mental health.

Access to perinatal mental healthcare can have barriers that can be difficult for anyone to overcome. LGBTQ+ folks often have their own set of additional barriers to care. If you're struggling to find a care provider, let's talk about your options.

In honor of Pride Month, we want to share some important resources for our LGBTQ+ loved ones. There is a disproportionate rate of su***de and mental illness in this community, but luckily, there are some tremendous resources at your disposal. If you think you would benefit from additional support, reach out--there are lots of open ears, minds, and hearts ready to help you.

Families, work, relationships...we sometimes feel pressure to show up perfectly in all areas of our lives, all of the time. It can be a challenge to celebrate (or even see!) all the ways that we ARE showing up in different parts of our lives.

Throughout the day, take a moment here and there to acknowledge all the amazing ways you are showing up in your own life, and the lives of others. Maybe you made a professional contribution at work, connected meaningfully with your child in a quiet moment, or helped a friend with a problem. All of these are reasons to celebrate what YOU bring to the table!

Taking the first step towards healing can be scary...but once you start the journey towards creating the life you deserve, you will find that courage gets easier and easier to find.

It's June! The temperature's rising, schools are letting out, and summer plans are heading into full swing. Of course, June is also Pride Month, so we want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community and the specific mental health challenges they can face. We'll spend some time exploring that this month. Happy Pride Month!

As May (and Mental Health Awareness Month) comes to a close, let's draw some attention to a major issue for the cause: ending the stigma that can surround mental health issues. Mental health challenges affect at least 1 in 4 Americans (probably more!), and yet the stigma can make everyone feel so very alone. Every one of us can play a part in reducing the stigma and making mental healthcare more accessible for ourselves and our community. 💚

This week, let's spend a little more time bringing awareness to the unique mental health challenges faced by our veterans. If you know a veteran who is struggling, reach out. Help is available.