The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost everyone’s mental health to a certain extent. However, teens have been hit especially hard by the societal upheaval of the past two years. If you’re the parent of a teen, you might have noticed that your child seems withdrawn, discouraged, and frustrated by the events of the pandemic. They may have lost contact with their close friends, struggled to get through remote schooling, or dealt with fears about the virus itself.

Many women suffer miscarriages at some point in their lives. Yet there is still so much silence around this issue. Despite the fact that so many women share in this experience, it is difficult to talk about. It’s only natural that some women would want to maintain their family’s privacy if they go through a miscarriage. However, there is also a lot of shame surrounding the topic of miscarriages.

Dealing with infertility can be emotionally crushing. You might never have expected to find yourself struggling with this problem. Yet with each passing day, you find that your emotions swing wildly. One moment, you might be hopeful. And the next, you’re back to feeling discouraged, frustrated, and even angry. All of these feelings are normal and valid.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone. Many people have dealt with mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the pandemic. However, women in particular have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic in many ways. Because of this, countless women are dealing with mental health issues that were brought about or exacerbated by the pandemic.

Pregnancy after loss. It’s a completely different experience than other pregnancies. For many even deciding to try again is an internal war all its own. Grief changes the journey, colors the experience through a lens that is hard to describe. It’s important to note that every pregnancy is unique, every baby-bearing parent goes through their own struggles, joys, and grief, and embarking on this journey after enduring loss makes it that much more intense.

Over the course of our lives, and especially during pregnancy, most women will hear about the benefits of breastfeeding. While this information is important, constant reiteration can leave women feeling pressured, guilty and feeling inadequate. This is even sharper when new mothers experience difficulties breastfeeding. Instead of feeling supported, women who struggle to breastfeed or just do not want to, tend to feel pressure. There can be a lot of judgement about choices made in this realm. Such tensions can negatively affect mental health and self-esteem during this already vulnerable time.

Pregnancy is a time of expectation typically filled with celebration and joy as you eagerly await your little one’s arrival. Throughout your pregnancy, there are milestones you anticipate and look forward to: the first time you hear your baby’s heartbeat, seeing that tiny little face on an ultrasound, a gender reveal party, a baby shower surrounded by friends and family, and the first time you get to finally hold your new baby in your arms.

Birth trauma is real. Learn how you can find healing after a traumatic birth. If you’d describe your childbirth as “traumatic,” you’re not alone. One study reported 50% of new mothers claimed they have birth trauma. And many women deal with intrusive thoughts, nightmares, depression, and irritability in the weeks and months after giving birth. Birth trauma can be isolating. You may find it difficult to process your experience. It’s possible that you are guilty or ashamed to feel fear or sadness following the birth your baby when you expected to feel joy and excitement. You may feel detached from others and struggle to bond with your new baby.

Life transitions can be stressful for anyone, and becoming pregnant and having a baby are some of the most major changes some women experience in their lifetime. From the physical changes your body goes through to the transformation of your life after birth, it can feel impossible to find your bearings when everything in your life (and your body) is constantly shifting. As you prepare for these life-altering experiences, your anxiety is likely to reach its peak.

After bouts of morning sickness, constant fatigue, swelling feet, and heartburn, many women count down the days until their pending due date. While it can be incredibly exciting and surreal to finally hold your baby, approximately 12 to 20 percent of new mothers experience postpartum depression after delivery.

Living with anxiety and depression can make every day feel like a huge undertaking. From struggling to get out of bed in the morning to fighting racing thoughts at night, it can feel like you’ll never get a break from your own mind. And even though both depression and anxiety are very common, you may feel alone as you face your daily battle. Everyone experiences moments of sadness and anxiousness in their lives. However, when these feelings linger for long periods of time or are very severe, they can interfere with your quality of life and make you feel hopeless.

If you’ve experienced a miscarriage, we want to start out by saying that you have every right to feel profound grief. It doesn’t matter if you were only a couple of weeks along, no one else knew about your pregnancy, or you didn’t have a name picked out yet. Your pain is valid, even if you feel no one else understands the depth of your loss.

We are our children's first and most important models. We may never be able to break the genetic predisposition of anxiety in some children, but what we can do is help provide a supportive environment and parent in a way that our kids learn how to recognize and handle their anxiety. We can equip them with tools they need to be resilient. Here are several ways to do just that

Hearing the word “Olympian” brings up ideas someone resembling a god or infallible force. And, to a certain extent as these athletes at the Olympics showcase their supernatural abilities which are often born from a combination of genetic predisposition and unwavering dedication to their sport. These Olympians are certainly gifted in terms of physical strength and talent and are a cut above the rest of us. Even research support that there are often genetic and physical differences in their anatomy but while we have been so focused on their physical abilities, until recently there was very little discussion about mental health.

Many people have been affected by infertility or know someone who has, but struggling to conceive can be a very private issue that leaves you feeling depressed, ashamed, hopeless, or guilty. If you and a partner are going through this journey together, infertility can throw a wrench into your relationship, making it difficult for both of you to talk about how you feel.

Many people understand and expect women to have to heal and recover physically after having a baby. While women are strong and resilient individuals, your body undergoes many changes and challenges over the course of pregnancy, and labor and delivery can be very painful and leave you with scars or even bodily injuries. However, for many women, the damage from labor can also be emotional and lead to birth trauma.

The era of COVID 19 has introduced a plethora of lifestyle changes, some forced and unintentional and others that have slowly become more intentional with time. May of these changes combined with the uncertainty of the time has caused a sharp increase in the struggle with stress, anxiety, feelings of loneliness, and difficult emotions.

What’s that one thing you are looking forward to after a busy week at work or after a long stressful day? It may be having a hot shower or a long bubble bath, while some may choose to nestle in the bed with their favorite show on Netflix. These wind down activities help you and your body rest, relax and calm down. All these activities are centered around getting a break from the constant stimulation of the day and boost your mental health.

Are you asking yourself whether you should visit to your mental health specialist? Then chances are you are facing some kind of discomfort or symptoms that isn’t allowing you to live your regular life or interfering with your inner peace.

In the peak of the pandemic, I was committing to college and deciding my future, but the hardest part was that I had to leave my friends from home behind. As one of the few students from my hometown going to my college, I began to wonder how I will make friends at school. I had grown up around the same group of kids from first grade to twelfth, and I had to now use this skill that seemed to have shrunk during quarantine.