Mind Over Mother: Every mum's guide to worry and anxiety in the first year by Anna Mathur

5 Stars Nov 05, 2020

My review

5/5 stars

This book's content is not groundbreaking. For anyone who has dealt with or studied anxiety in the past (like I have), the concepts explored and tips given won't be new or unfamiliar. In spite of all of this, I've still come away from the book feeling refreshed and like I got something out of it.

The author's honesty about her own struggles with mental health is relatable and endearing; it makes all of what is being written feel just that little bit more accessible and sincere.

I appreciated the focus on anxiety in motherhood, and the different scenarios that you find yourself worrying about as a mum. It's not something that's easy for anyone to open up about, as the underlying fear is that you'll be deemed not fit to look after your children, so it's lovely to see someone being brave enough to talk about it for the length of a whole book. The book is marketed as a guide to worry and anxiety in the first year, but having read it, I can see this adding value at any stage of motherhood.

My favourite part about the book was the determination and passion with which the author promotes the idea that worry and mum guilt - those two things that mothers wear like badges of honour sometimes - don't have to be a normal everyday part of being a parent. I'm more than happy to be sold on that idea, and she does it with such conviction that it's hard not to believe it yourself at the end of the book. There's an overwhelming positivity in what's written that provides a feel-good vibe despite the darkness of the subject matter, but there's also a realism about the amount of work and energy it takes to get to a better place.

A worthwhile read (and further investment of time) for any mother who finds themselves struggling to enjoy the ride of parenting their children because of fear, worry or anxiety.

Book blurb

Baby-proof the house; panic-proof the mum.

Do you overthink what you said to the mum in the supermarket queue? Is your internal dialogue more critical than kind? Perhaps you wake to check your baby is breathing, or the sight of a rash sends you down an internet search rabbit hole. Whatever your level of anxiety, however much it impacts your life, this book is for you.

Anxiety is making motherhood a less pleasant, more fraught and pressured experience, and we do not have to accept joy-sapping worry and energy-draining overthinking as part of the motherhood job description. In Mind Over Mother, Anna Mathur, psychotherapist and mum of three, explains how to:

* Understand anxiety, why it affects you and what to do about it
* Make your mind a kinder, calmer, happier place to be
* Transform your motherhood experience by addressing your thinking

The most powerful tool Anna has to communicate this isn't the letters after her name, it is the fact that she is open about her own experience of maternal anxiety. By sharing her journey, she gives you the confidence to reframe yours.

Mind Over Mother is full of light bulb moments of realisation. It will have you learning, laughing and loving yourself through the journey of motherhood. 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.