Beyondblue ambassador and founder of online community Bad Mums Club Lisa Boyce is a stay-at-home mum to two children.
Having experienced post-natal depression, Lisa wants mothers to realise that parenting isn’t always perfect, and that too often, people choose to suffer in silence. Lisa is proactive about managing her anxiety and hopes sharing her story will help others to realise mental health challenges are something which can affect us all.
You can find more information on the series by searching #timetotalkvic
If you or someone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 224 636. In an emergency, call 000.
If you or someone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 224 636. In an emergency, call 000.
IMAGES: A woman, Lisa Boyce, talks to the camera. Lisa is wearing a navy top and a colourful scarf and has shoulder-length dark blonde hair. She is sitting in front of alphabet posters.
“I just remember feeling like I was in a fog and I felt really isolated and sad and there was a lot of confusion.
“It’s so hard because it is all the things people tell you motherhood is gonna be.”
IMAGES: A baby doll is shown lying in a crib, there are children’s stick figure pictures and paintings on the wall.
“And I was lucky I had I had two uncomplicated pregnancies. So as far as the guideposts go, I was pretty much should have been in the clear. But it still got me.
“My name is Lisa and I live in West Footscray in Melbourne and I have 2 children, a 5-year-old and an almost 3-year-old.”
IMAGES: A chalkboard with a drawing of balloons and the words ‘Happy 5th birthday’.
“I’ve had anxiety since my 20’s. I still have challenges, literally daily challenges with anxiety. With the post-natal it was with both pregnancies and yet I didn’t know I had it at the time. It wasn’t til after my second that it was diagnosed.”
IMAGES: Lisa is shown talking to a friend and having a cup of tea on the couch
“Outside you would have seen a tired, but confident mother who was loving her child and the experience and that was true. I actually put a lot of responsibility on myself. I felt quite a bit of pressure to be perfect, but my version of perfect but still perfect.”
IMAGES: Lisa is talking and being filmed on an iPhone being held by her friend. She is smiling and is standing in front of a sign which says “Bad Mums Club: Own it, revel in it, enjoy it.
“One of the things with anxiety and post-natal is that you feel like no matter what you do you are not good enough.”
IMAGES: Lisa is folding baby clothes and putting them away in a nursery drawer. There is a beautiful mobile of brightly coloured birds hanging from the ceiling.
“I remember with the birth of my son we thought we were really prepared, and the first six months were probably the worst 6 months of our parenting journey. We all lost our way.
IMAGES: Screen fades to black for a second as Lisa wipes tears from her face. Lisa is then shown sitting on the chair again. There is a small shiny mark on her cheek from her tear.
“And so, in that moment when you are crying on the floor you say; do I ask for help? Because how do I explain this, and do I want someone else to see me like this?”
“So, it’s really hard and you can have all the support in the world but in that moment to let someone in to see your, to see your world at its core, at its rawness is so difficult.
IMAGES: Lisa is shown outside standing in the sunlight
“Because when you are on the floor and your children are crying at you, you’re not going to ask for help you are just going to sit there until you can’t cry anymore.”
IMAGES: The screen fades to white. Writing appears which says ‘It’s Time to Talk about Mental Health’. The next screen says for support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue; The final screen says 'To find out more search www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au'