CONVERSATIONS WITH KELLY AND LISA FROM LIFELINE MID COAST WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH, SELF CARE AND LOOKING AFTER YOURSELF FIRST CHECK IN ON A SISTER! Women are notorious for putting others needs before their own. Kelly Saidey and Lisa Willows from Lifeline Mid Coast believe that when it comes to mental health, it is important to prioritise your own needs and speak up when you need support. Around one in six women in Australia experience depression and one in three women will experience anxiety in their lifetimes. “Good mental heath is essential to the overall good health of women. Unfortunately, women experience some mental health issues at higher rates than men, these include post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders” says Lifeline’s Suicide Prevention Manager, Kelly Saidey. Kelly and Lisa are both working mums and understand the pressure of both working and looking after a household and how that can impact on mental health. Current stressors include COVID, financial instability and lack of childcare support, meaning working mums are feeling more anxious than usual and isolated, trying to keep the stress out of their work life. You have a people who are functioning at a reasonable level, and we are now seeing the impact of recent disasters has had on the workplace in terms of people’s ability to cope with any sort of challenges when it comes to their mental health,” says Kelly. “While working mothers are open to support, they also rely on the compassion of their employers. At Lifeline, we are so lucky to have a really understanding CEO with a family first policy”, says Lisa Willows. “We are always encouraged to phone Lifeline ourselves if we have anything that is weighing us down and we have managers who facilitate safe spaces for working mothers to have open and honest conversations about their needs.” So as a woman, how do you care for your mental health? “There are a range of ways in which you can improve your quality of life through caring for your mental health.”
KELLY’S TOP FIVE TIPS 1. Talk about your feelings 2. Include exercise into your routines 3. Eat and sleep well 4. Find ways to decrease stress 5. Ask for help
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