Do you overthink what you said to the Mum in the park? Perhaps, head home and replay it over and over in your head, wishing you had said something different. Anxiety in motherhood is more common that you think and psychologist, Anna Mathur has written a book all about it.  Anna has three children of her own and as well as being a professional in understanding how the mind works, she also has first hand experience of anxiety, following the arrival of her children. 

Mind Over Mother is full of light bulb moments of realisation. You will learn to address the most important conversation you'll ever have - the one inside your head, because investing in your mental health is the best gift you can offer yourself and your child. We asked Anna some questions as part of our Unwind Your Mind series.

1.  What do you find helps you unwind the best?

Space! For me, to find headspace I need somehow to find physical space
without my attention being demanded by small people. The most
beneficial thing for me to do is to get up an hour early before the
rest of the house, do a short workout, listen to a 5 minute Headspace
meditation and then have a shower and get ready for the day. It’s
amazing how much I can cram into those 60 minutes but I reap the
reward for the rest of the day. However, I do need to get better at
going to bed earlier!

2. What part of the book writing process did you enjoy the most?

Getting the words out of my head and onto the keyboard! The whole
journey to getting the book out here into the hands of Mums, has taken
over two and a half years. It has been a rollercoaster of rejections,
proposal rejigs and meetings in london with a newborn. I was so full
of drive and passion to write Mind Over Mother, that it felt like a
huge relief to get it written down. I actually wrote the book in 8
weeks during nap times and any available kid free hours I could find.

3. During Covid what would you suggest is a good way of unwinding when
in close proximity to your family most of the time?

Find a way to engineer a guilt-free break somewhere in the day. 

My kids are 1, 3 and 5. Florence, my youngest naps 1-3 whilst the boys have ‘rest time’. This is part of our lockdown routine. The boys cosy up and watch a film with the promise of a drink and a biscuit if they complete it. It gives them a little time to wind down and some healthy sensory-deprivation! I take that time to have a break. Whether I spend it doing work or catching up on washing or calling a friend, we all
re-appear feeling re-energised in some way. Sometimes an hour without
someone shouting for me or climbing on me is enough to help me through
the afternoon! If physical space is hard, maybe use some headphones
and put an audio book or some music on to give you some mental
respite. 

You can buy Anna's book here

Anna Mathur is an experienced Psychotherapist and passionate psycho-educator, with a specialism for working with women. As well as working in a classical therapeutic setting, she shares her personal mental health story on Instagram @annamathur