Ep.48 Mental Health Mini Series #1 Body Scan

Welcome to season 4 of Can We Talk About This?!

I am kicking off with a Mental Health Mini Series designed with mums in mind, where you get 6 episodes with me, Amber-lee Buendicho, offering some basic tools and resources for your mental health that you can incorporate in your daily life. We all know the demands of mothering and personal life can be stressful, triggering, frustration, exhausting and I wanted to offer some of my favourite tools because we need to take care of ourselves too! This series is here to offer a helping hand, guiding you through a journey of emotional regulation, recognition, and acceptance. Each episode is crafted to empower you with the skills needed to navigate emotional landscapes and to instill practices that enhance wellbeing. These exercises are aimed at helping you find a moment of peace amidst the chaos, and fostering a deeper connection with yourself. This is more than just a series; it's a space for you to breathe, learn, and grow.

 

In this episode I take you through a simple body scan exercise ask you some follow up questions to help you integrate awareness. I then offer some insight into how our brain works when we feel big emotions and how something as simple as a body scan can bring us back to ourselves and some of the benefits you receive when you use body scan practices. Body scan begins at 7:40 mins and goes for a total 11 mins 30 secs.

This particular body scan is general in nature and was adapted from TherapistAid materials. 

 

Disclaimer: While the content of this podcast is intended to provide support and guidance, it is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. The techniques and practices discussed here are general in nature and may not be suitable for everyone.

 

If you are experiencing significant distress, mental health concerns, or trauma, I encourage you to seek support from a qualified mental health professional. Additionally, if at any point during this episode you feel overwhelmed or triggered, please turn it off and talk to someone or do something that is helpful to you.

 

Finding Support in Australia:

PANDA.org.au 

1300 726 306

COPE.org.au

Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

Gidget Foundation

Black Dog Institute 1300 851 758

 

TRANSCRIPT

Amber-lee (Host):

Welcome back to, can we talk about this? I'm your host, Amberlee Buendicho. Thank you so much for joining me for another wonderful season. I took a big break from the podcast and, and my other studies to just kind of, Be a little bit more present in my life. Enjoy some time being a mum, being with my kids, going on adventures, and just kind of doing things that fuel my soul and my nervous system has really thanked me for that.

 

So, a kind little reminder to you mum is that if you need to take a break where you can, Please do because the world can wait. We need you to be happy and healthy too. But I'm back and I'm so ready to get into season four. I have an amazing lineup of guests for this season and we're going to [00:02:00] start really getting into some heavier topics regarding perinatal mental health.

The first part of this season, I'm doing something a little bit different. So, I'm offering a mental health miniseries. And this is sort of where I'll be exploring practical strategies for coping with stress and diffusing overwhelming emotions, calming your anxious mind, interrupting those negative thought patterns, but also trying to increase your awareness of your inner world, your brain, your body, and what's going on inside your inner world.

 

So these are just all basic essential skills that can help you. Not only help you survive those hard days, but also thrive amidst the challenges that you're facing. And I've also used these tools in my own life. I personally vouch for them. Motherhood is just such a unique experience for everyone. And we all experienced the highs and lows. We experienced the joy and the love, but then also it's just incredibly challenging with the sleepless nights, the endless to do list, the loss of identity, reparenting yourself, navigating tantrums or the unsettled baby, feeding difficulties, managing your own emotions, and just feeling like the weight of Cultural and societal expectations.

The demands of motherhood can sometimes just be completely overwhelming. I want to be able to offer you some tools that you can just simply adapt into your daily life when you're feeling exhausted, anxious, overwhelmed, stressed, or just need a little bit of self care. This miniseries is for you. So each episode I will offer the insights, techniques, and exercises that you can do to easily incorpor