HealthTALK

What Happens When Silence Is the Inheritance?

Around 1 in 10 women will experience a mental health problem during pregnancy or in the year after giving birth. But for many Black, Asian and ethnically diverse women, the silence around this experience is even louder.

There’s a quiet myth embedded in our communities, that strength is the absence of struggle. That resilience means carrying the weight without flinching. But data and lived experience tell a different story. One where stigma, cultural pressure and systemic neglect collide to create an invisible epidemic.

This week is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week and it’s time to look closer. Not just at the numbers, but at the narratives.

The term perinatal covers the full arc, from conception through the postpartum period. It’s not just about “baby blues.” It’s about recognising that serious mental health conditions like perinatal depression, anxiety and postpartum psychosis can and do affect anyone,…

The Lie Stress Tells Us “You’re Not Enough Unless You’re Struggling!”

We’ve been conditioned to believe that being constantly busy is a sign of success. That if we’re overwhelmed, we must be doing something right. But here’s the truth, stress is not strength it’s misdirected survival.

"Stress is an ignorant state. It believes everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important."

This simple idea, deeply rooted in mindfulness and neuroscience, reminds us that the mind lies when it’s under pressure. It shrinks your world. It tells you that everything is urgent and you are not enough until it’s all done.

Let’s reclaim the truth.