Video Interview: Dr. Christina Hibbert, Best-Selling Author & Clinical Psychologist

IN HONOR OF MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH THIS MAY, WE WILL BE FEATURING GUEST BLOGGERS AND INTERVIEWS, EACH OF WHOM BRING THEIR OWN UNIQUE EXPERTISE AND PERSPECTIVE TO THE DISCUSSION. IT IS MY HOPE TO HELP EDUCATE AND NORMALIZE THE EXPERIENCES OF ALL MOMS.

Today, I'm so excited to bring to you a special interview I did with Dr. Christina Hibbert, Clinical Psychologist and best-selling author of This Is How We Grow, Who Am I Without You, and 8 Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise. I loved her book, This Is How We Grow. And our conversation didn't disappoint. Check it out - just click play below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-pR7FOxdi0&w=854&h=480

CATHERINE O'BRIEN: Hi, I'm so excited to be here with Dr. Christina Hibbert, who is the best selling author of This Is How We Grow, Who I Am Without You, & The 8 Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise.  She is a clinical psychologist specializing in women's mental health, grief and loss, motherhood, parenting, pregnancy and postpartum, self esteem and self worth and personal growth, and she is also the host of the weekly web talk radio show, 'Motherhood.' Thank you so much, Dr. Hibbert for being here with me today and being part of um the series I'm doing on Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month. 

DR CHRISTINA HIBBERT: It’s my pleasure.  

CATHERINE: So can you tell us a little about you and your passion for helping moms?  

CHRISTINA: Sure, um, I guess it started when I, you know, when I became a mom, I actually had, had postpartum depression with my first born and um, tried to get some help, tried to reach out for support and just felt like nobody understood and I just wished that I had somebody who could help me and so even though I was, I had already graduated from college and so I was kind of stay-at-home full time at that time, um I knew I wanted to go back to graduate school and after my second son was born, 4 years later, I went back to graduate school and then sort of focused my dissertation and a lot of my doctoral work in that area of pregnancy and postpartum new disorders, an especially with couples, and that's kind of, that lead me into, you know, volunteering with Postpartum Support International and starting the Arizona Postpartum Wellness Coalition here, which is, basically I started because I wanted to have that when I was going through it and I didn't. So, um, and then you know, it's a evolved over the years. I just, I feel like I always want to tell people what learned. So, I feel like I work with women and mothers because that's what I am and I'm in the thick of it, just like everybody else and um, just trying to keep up and so I just, yeah evolved over the years to working on more of like, how do we handle teenagers? And how do when our kids leave home? And these kinds of things. And, oh I just love working with moms.

CATHERINE: Well, what do you feel like moms need the most? Like, what, I mean, you've gone through different stages, so like, haha...  

CHRISTINA: The big thing that comes to my mind of what we talk about pretty much every week on my radio show, "Motherhood,"is um, self care. I really think that we need to get, just get how important that is to take care of ourselves and not feel guilty. I know that's something that I personally struggled with over the years and I remember when my last one was born, so I have 6 kids, and after my last one was born, well that's a whole long story we can get into that later on, but anyway I was going through major 

CATHERINE: Yeah, it's great. It's in your book!  

CHRISTINA: Yes, it's in the book! So a lot going on after my last one was born and needless to say, I had grades and postpartum and who knows what else going on. And I, you know, after a few months, I had a babysitter that I used a couple mornings a week for my 4-year-old daughter and I started taking the baby with her a couple mornings a week and I never told anyone because I was embarrassed. I felt like, what I can't handle it? But I needed a break an I needed to go to therapy and, you know, there were things I needed. And now, I'm at the point where I can say, yeah, I'm takin' a nap or I'm takin' 2 hours off this afternoon to just lay around and watch TV or Netflix or something, you know.  

CATHERINE: Yeah, haha, yeah 

CHRISTINA: Um, but I think we need to take care of ourselves. We need to be able to say, or to believe that we're worth it. And to me that's a biggie. And that goes, going along with that, I think the other one is just to be able to ask for help when we need it and still feel good about ourselves as moms because we really can't do it alone.  

CATHERINE: Right. I know, and I talk to moms all the time about that. It's just that guilt that they have that, "If I take thing time off then somehow I'm not fulfilling my role as a mom" or I'm not always sure what... 

CHRISTINA: Yeah, you're right and I hear that all that time too and I know that I felt that way too, like we're supposed to be a mom 24-7 and never have a break and all we do is be happy about it and be fine and be healthy and it just doesn't happen that way. You know, we need to know what we each need to be healthy and then we need to prioritize those things and I have just, over the years, really learned that when I do that I am just so much better and I know we hear this all the time, but I think we need to hear it all the time because we forget and we put ourselves low on the list or we forget to put ourselves on the list at all and it's just, it's too much. You can't do it without a break, you can't do it without help, you can't do it without really good self care and prioritizing that. 

CATHERINE: Yeah, 'cause even when we teach self-care, it's like, you have to be reminded. Like my husband will be like, "Oh, what would you tell a mom?" And I"m like "Oh yeah, I'd probably tell them...haha, to take a break and it's ok to have a break, you know, but..."  

CHRISTINA:  Yeah it's true! I agree, I think sometimes I have been with clients and I come home and I'm like "I am such a hypocrite!" I'm sitting there tell them to do these things and I'm not doing them. But it's also a good reminder that ok, well, why do you think you're not doing so well? Well, Christina, I mean, let's get on the ball here and take better care... You know I was just I actually went and got a massage this morning and I was talking with the massage therapist because a year ago I was in a car accident and rear ended and I had really bad whiplash and it was a good 7 or 8 months of going through treatment and um, so I used to go get this body work done with her every week to try to get through that and then all of the sudden I felt better and I didn't come. I mean I haven't seen her in like 6 months and I was like "What is wrong with me?" But you know, it was a reminder that last year was a big eye opener, that I've really got to take care of myself and hey, if i need a massage, I need a massage. If I need a nap, I need a nap and that's just it. Like I always say, it's called a need because we need it and you know... CO: Yeah, exactly, I like that! Yeah, So what, do you feel like there is a most effective treatment for like moms with a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder or what do you think is the most helpful? DCH: You know I think, I mean I think the best place to start when you think you're struggling with some kind of maternal mental health disorder or issue, first of all we have to admit that there's something not right, you know, and again, that's the hardest part right? To be able to say, "I'm not doing so well. Maybe I need some help." 

CATHERINE: Yeah. 

CHRISTINA: To be able to tell our spouse or our partner, "Hey can you help me figure out what's going on with me 'cause I'm just not well." And I think sometimes I like to say ad theorem psychology is really interesting to me because it looks at depression in a different way. Basically, it says, instead of saying, I'm depressed because I'm not sleeping and I'm not eating the same and I'm hopeless and I feel helpless and all that, instead it's saying, maybe you aren't eating right, and you're not sleeping well and you feel hopeless because you need to be depressed. You know, maybe that's just what you need right now and so I think it's ok, I mean it's definitely ok for us to say, "Hey, I am havin' a rough time and I need some help. I need to figure this out." And the problem I think for a lot of us moms is we just don't want to admit that, we feel weak.  

CATHERINE: yeah 

CHRISTINA: and it's so not a weakness 

CATHERINE: No.  

CHRISTINA: I mean so not a weakness! It's just, this is your body and this is what's happening and hormones is another huge part of it that you know I always talk a lot about because I think we minimize what really goes on in our body and how it effects our mental health and also, we minimize our life experiences and how much that effects our mental health and so to me, that's a biggie, is we have to stop and say, "Sometimes is not right and it's ok. I'm not a bad person. I'm not weak." or whatever, but we need help.  

CATHERINE: Yeah.  

CHRISTINA: And I know, I've struggled with that too, you know um, after you know, just kind of briefly, with my This Is How We Grow experience, you know, my sister had died, we inherited our two nephews, we went from 3 to 6 kids and we finally you know, got back together after several years- long story obviously- but then as I published, This Is How We Grow, just a few months later, my very good friend too her life and she dropped her daughter at my house and she went and she jumped off the Grand Canyon.  

CATHERINE: Yeah. 

CHRISTINA: And it was so traumatic again. It felt like the same thing as when my sister had died. She died of an overdose. And so, um, it was, I knew that it was traumatic so I was like "Ok, here we are. We're going to do this grief work again." So grief felt fine to me.  

CATHERINE: Yeah.  

CHRISTINA: I can do the grief work. And then 6 months later I thought I was all better and all the sudden I'm having symptoms of anxiety and depression again and I'm like, wait a minute. What's wrong with me? I thought I was better. I was working at this and some how I couldn't accept that, like I could accept grieving, you know?  

CATHERINE: Right. 

CHRISTINA:  So, I had to look at myself and go, you've been through a lot of really hard things, like trauma, and it's no wonder that your brain is a little messed up right now and we gotta fix that, so and I think we need admit first of all. And we need to reach out for help in whatever ways that's gonna be helpful- of course, I'm a fan of therapy, but... 

CATHERINE: Yeah, me too! Haha! 

CHRISTINA: We're bias but, yeah we're here to help!  

CATHERINE:  Yeah, I think it's a lot of, I think it's a lot of different things, just kind of like in your new book about like exercise and stuff, I think exercise is definitely really effective for overall mood, um and I, I know I encourage moms that I'm working with to kind of get out and just even go for a walk in the fresh air and you know, moving and stuff like that, but sometimes it's like they share that it's hard to even get going. Like, what do you suggest, or what do you, what's the magic! Tell me the magic! Haha! 

CHRISTINA:  The secret is: There is not magic secret!  

CATHERINE: Yes. Haha!  

CHRISTINA: But no, that's the big question that I was facing when I was trying to write this book, The 8 Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise, because really I wanted to, I didn't want to just write another book saying, "You need to exercise! You need to exercise, you really need to exercise!" 

CATHERINE: Yeah.  

CHRISTINA: Because we all know that.  

CATHERINE: Right.  

CHRISTINA: But, you know the research is just amazing at the benefits of exercise. I mean exercise really should be viewed as a form of treatment for ourselves. And a way of prevention. Preventing mental illness. And keeping ourselves mentally healthy. It's is THE best thing we can do- that and sleep- probably the two best things we can do for our mental health overall. But, yeah, the hard part is, how do you do it? You don't feel like doing it. And so that's what really a lot of the book is about, but basically, there's a couple things- first of all, we need to redefine exercise. Like you said, you just need to get moving. We don't need to be running a marathon or training for something or you know even taking a Zumba class or whatever, it doesn't have to be that idea in your head of what you think exercise is.  

CATHERINE: Right.  

CHRISTINA: It's just about being active and trying to live that active lifestyle that promotes your mental health and happiness and satisfaction and then beyond that, I mean we need to look for activities that will actually, we actually like to do.  

CATHERINE: Yes.  

CHRISTINA: Something we want to do. And realize that just because, you know, my friend has done 10 marathons, I have no interest in running a marathon. I just don't, right? 

CATHERINE: I had a major fail with trying to run a marathon last year, so... haha it's not my cup of tea either.  

CHRISTINA:  At least you tried! I mean I just admit up front, no thanks, I don't want to do that. It's kind of like having a baby without an epidural. I could do that, I just don't choose to.  

CATHERINE: Right, right! 

CHRISTINA: Anyway, so it doesn't have to be that. You know, it can be whatever is getting you active. And the best thing I love is, I love the chapter I wrote about exercising with your family.  

CATHERINE: Yes.  

CHRISTINA: Whether you have a baby or kids, it's great to get them out and you start to show them how make this lifelong habit. You have fun together, so you make exercise fun and you do things that you want to do and then you start small. You start really small, like you know what, I don't feel like going for a jog or even a walk, so I'm gonna go out and get the mail, 'cause it's sunny out and I have to walk down to the end of the driveway and maybe when I'm there I'll choose to walk to the end of the street, and maybe I won't. But at least I moved. I got out of the house and I got in the sunlight which as we know, is also great for you mood right?

CATHERINE: Right, yes.  

CHRISTINA:  Or being in nature, you know, being outside sometimes, so um, you know, we start really small. And then build from there and you know set very tiny achievable goals to get us to where we want to be and, and you know, feel good about ourselves when we do those small things. 

CATHERINE: Yeah, right and even if we have a day where we don't get where we want to be then, it's like well, tomorrow is a new day and you can do it tomorrow.  

CHRISTINA: Yeah, be kind to ourselves. Be compassionate with ourselves. You know, and cheer ourselves on. I just think we are so harsh with ourselves, that sometimes, you know, I always ask clients, "Would you ever say those things to somebody you know?" I mean, you never would be like... 

CATHERINE:  I hope you wouldn't say that, 'cause that's awful!  

CHRISTINA:  I know right?! "That didn't count! You didn't even work hard today, that doesn't count as exercise!" We would never! We need to do that with ourselves too.  

CATHERINE: I know, I know. That's good. Um, one of the things my kids, we started doing with them, is this like dance party at night. And so it's like, especially, and I'm too tired to do anything, but then they'll be like, "Hey, can we do a dance party!?" And it's like, "OK!" And it's like, how can you not be happy after like dancin' around haha to some crazy song and... 

CHRISTINA:  How do you say no to that?!  

CATHERINE: Right, because they're just like so cute with their little, they'll do the little cute faces to really bring it home like, "Come on! Let's do a dance party!"  

CHRISTINA: Guilt trip- that works every time right?  

CATHERINE:  Yeah. So um, ha, I've been doing this series called, like these Momma Interviews where um, Interview different moms and ask them a few questions and since you're a mom of 6, I know you have lots of expertise being a mom, but like how do you balance the mom, work and relationship roles?  

CHRISTINA: You know, for me, first of all I think it's been really important to just know my priorities. So, to know what my top 3 are and my top 3 are my spiritual connection with God, my connection with my husband and my connection with my family, so with my kids, so if those three things are, you know, in line, in order, then ok good then I can move on to the next thing and it's really important to me to contribute and to serve and so a lot of my work you know, especially what I do online, I do just because I want to help people. But, I don't want to do that to the extent that I burn out, again, because I've been there, done that too. Um, so to me that's really helpful and to me you know balance is that feeling that we get when we are making wise choices in our lives. So, to me, whenever we talk about balance, I say well it's really about choices, so what am I choosing to do and what am I saying yes to and what am I saying no to? Because saying no, is really saying yes to something better, right? 

CATHERINE: Yeah, no I like that. I like that.  

CHRISTINA:  So, yeah, so I kind of try to, whenever something comes my way- an opportunity, like a couple, the last two books fell into my lap. I was approached by publishers, two different ones and asked would you write a book on this topic for us? And it was sort of like, I don't know should I? And my friends are like, especially my writer friends, are you kidding me? Yes! And I was like I don't know, I don't want to say because I don't want to jump into something and then regret it, so I really try to pray and talk with my husband about it and make sure that whatever I'm going to do fits and isn't going to block those top priorities in my life, so that's kind of how I do it. And you know, it, it's it's a work in progress. But, um, and the other thing I would say is that there are different seasons of motherhood.  

CATHERINE: Yeah.  

CHRISTINA: You know, or seasons of growth as a I talk about, as we grow. And there have been many times, like when I've had a, like when I had a young baby, I quit everything. You know, I was just home with my kids and especially after the last baby when I suddenly had 6 kids, I mean for two years, I didn't do anything. I saw no clients. I did nothing. I wasn't online doing anything. So, and then it was very slow starting back and everything to me, I always tell myself, everything is going to take four times longer than I think it should or than it used to before I had a big family. 

CATHERINE: Uh, huh, right.  

CHRISTINA:  So, I just, I just have to be patient and that's what I'm constantly trying to work on is patience, slow down, you know, give yourself time, because it's going to take a while to get this goal finished or to finish, to know whether you want to add on something else or not. So, yeah.

CATHERINE: Yeah, no I think that's good. I like that whole, seasons of motherhood, because there are just yeah, there's times where you can do things and there's times when you can't and you know it's ok and it comes back again and you know, just in a different way. And sometimes even better than before. 

CHRISTINA: I totally agree and you know, I really thought, like when I quit everything this last time when I suddenly had 6 kids, I thought I would never, ever, you know I would never be able to be a psychologist.  Like, I thought I wouldn't be able to help people like I wanted. I never thought I'd be an author like I wanted to be. You know, you feel like you can't ever do those things but you don't realize how quickly that times goes and um, you know, all my kids are in school. I have two in college and so it's like every year kind of gets a little bit easier time wise. You know, when they start to move out and whatever, I mean yeah, their emotional problems are way tougher but um, but you know time wise, I have free time in the day now when I had babies, I didn't have that. I mean you know, I had to get a babysitter and feel guilty about it, so 

CATHERINE: Right, haha, like us all!  

CHRISTINA:  Like all of us right? But we shouldn't feel guilty!  

CATHERINE:  We should. We shouldn't. It's good. Um, so and another question I ask them is like, I've had parents tell me that one of the hardest things about being a parent is the comparisons and judgments from other parents, like how do you, how do you cope with that?  

CHRISTINA:  Yeah. That's a biggie for me because of how I ended up with 6 kids. It was really shocking because, I'll, we had 3 and then we inherited our two nephews when my sister and brother-in-law died, and then I gave birth to my baby all within 3 weeks, so then we had 6 and so I remember the first time going out with all of them and people looking at me and saying like "Oh my gosh, are these all your kids?"  And I didn't know how to respond.  

CATHERINE: Yeah.  

CHRISTINA: They weren't adopted yet, they are now. And now, yes, they are all my kids. But, it just it was weird even that kind of judgment, like how could you have so many kids? Or, don't you know about birth control? People would say that! And sometimes, I'd say well, my sister and brother-in-law died, soooo you know, just to put them in their place. Sometimes, I wouldn't say anything. Just like, haha, funny, funny. So, um, you know I do think it's tough and I think now, especially, I've had to deal with that because I wrote this memoir and now my kids are getting older and going off and making their own choices and when they're not making the choices I want them to be making in the back of my head it's sort of like, wait no, you've got to turn out really good because everybody is gonna wonder how you turned out now if they read the book! So, you know, that's not fair but, but I do feel that pressure of like, people are gonna extra judge me especially because I'm raising my sister's two kids and their gonna be you know, I don't know. And I felt that early on too, just people watching me more than maybe they otherwise would and so I just, I guess that lead me to feeling like I had to always be on and try to be perfect and you know it just doesn't work. And so, I've learned over time, that's what I mean by burning out- trying to do too much, trying to do everything, trying to be everything to everyone all the time and you just cannot. So, I think the good advice is, yeah it's gonna happen, you're gonna feel judged and you're gonna compare yourself to others too and that too! I definitely was like, oh my gosh all the other people I know that have large families are way better than I am and I was never good at, I'm not a good enough mom to do this.  

CATHERINE: Yeah  

CHRISTINA:  Gosh, yesterday was Mother's Day and it felt so good because I really felt like I am doing a good job. You know?  

CATHERINE:  Yeah, Oh that's a wonderful Mother's Day gift.  

CHRISTINA:  Yeah it is! It is! My little one wrote a thing, it said "What is your mom good at?" And before she would say things like, "writing her book" you know? 

CATHERINE: Yeah, haha. 

CHRISTINA:  Now she said, "Caring and loving and making us happy." I was like awww.  

CATHERINE:  Awww.  

CHRISTINA:  Ok, that- I'm doing ok! Even if my older kids, some of them are struggling sometimes, you know, that's not me.  

CATHERINE:  Everybody does, yeah! Everybody struggles. Yeah.  

CHRISTINA:  Yeah, so I just think it really goes back to us. We can choose to compare or the other way I like to look at it is instead of comparing, we can look to other people that we admire and say, "I like how they're doing that. I want to try that. I want to work on myself to try that." That's different than looking at someone else to make ourselves feel worse about ourselves.  

CATHERINE: Right, right.  

CHRISTINA:  And just to like put ourselves in the depression place instead this motivates us, you know?  

CATHERINE: Yeah.  

CHRISTINA:  So, it's trying to look and kind of go, huh, that's another way I can do that better and that way we're growing instead of just letting ourselves be deflated by others.  

CATHERINE: Yeah, no, I really like that. Yeah, um, and I know you work a lot with couples or have and you have the video with, about couples too. Yeah, like how do you encourage um, a mom to talk to her partner if she's really struggling with feelings of like a mood or anxiety disorder and like, I get that a lot. Like, I don't know how to say or I feel shame that I feel this way or what will my partner think of me if I... do you ever? Like, what would you encourage them? And how would you encourage them to talk? 

CHRISTINA:  I think that's a bigger and I've heard that so many times, you know, moms who come in so late for treatment because they didn't even feel like they could tell their husband what was going on or their partner.  

CATHERINE: Right.  

CHRISTINA: So, um, you know the statistics show that when you're depressed, you're partner is 50% chance to be depressed too right?  

CATHERINE: Right.  

CHRISTINA:  And so, you know, the likelihood of both of you being depressed just effect your children. Maternal depression is the number one predictor of future behavioral and cognitive problems in a child and that means untreated depression, that's not to put a guilt trip. Just to say, the stakes are high, you know, the stakes are high and you're not alone, 1 in 5 moms are gonna feel depressed and then we have also anxiety disorders on top of that as you know and all these other kinds of issues that can happen. So, I think it, again, it goes back to getting that courage deep within to say, you know what, this, I'm not weak.  I'm not a bad person. I need help and um, being able to admit it especially to the one that you're supposedly closest to um and trust that you know, your partner is going to be there for you and be able to help you find that help that you need and of course that doesn't always happen, we know that, there are some cases where couples you know, he's just not gonna get it. I remember early on doing counseling with a couple who she thought she was sterile, and she was 40 and got pregnant and they'd been together for like 11-12 years and they had this really carefree life and um, she at first was really depressed, she didn't really want to take care of the baby. He was excited about the baby. But, he didn't get that she was depressed. And so after a while, he started just getting really like upset with her and I remember doing session after session with them as a couple trying to talk to him and explain to him, this is real. This isn't her fault.  Here are the symptoms. And so, you know, sometimes, it can be helpful to say, you know what I'm not feeling so well, let's set up a therapy appointment, will you come with me and help me? Or, will you just come with me so you can watch the baby and get him in there too, especially if you're afraid that he's not going understand or you know, get it, you know. Let somebody else help you with that.  

CATHERINE: Yeah.  

CHRISTINA:  But, really it has to go back to again, that kind of like, I guess the only word I can think of is, courage, to say you know, I'm not OK, and it's OK that I'm not OK, but you know, we're going to get some help.  

CATHERINE:  Right, because I think oftentimes, like you were saying, I think the partner knows sometimes not right but doesn't know, you know and doesn't necessarily know how to bring it up either, so it's like, sometimes helpful just to be like, yeah let's go in and find out like what's going and ask they questions and get some information.  

CHRISTINA:  Yeah, it goes both ways. So, you know sometimes, it's the father calling me and saying, hey I think my wife's got somethin' I'm gonna bring her in and him saying, hey I need to go talk about this whole baby thing can you come with me?  And she can come with him. So, you know I really suggest that a lot for couples if they've got one person that's just not sure what's going on or not sure if they want to kind of admit this. So, they can get education and support and help and resources and you now obviously finding the right person to help you is really important too and how quickly you do right? 

CATHERINE:  Yeah, I always say that. It's like you know, even if I'm not the right fit, let's find somebody that is for both of you. You know. 
 

CHRISTINA:  Exactly. Me too. I always say that too. And I want to say that postpartum couples video, you can watch it online for free now, so if you go to my website www.DrChristinaHibbert.com you can just find it in the sidebar, click on and it um that's another good way. I used to always give it to couples, especially when she's trying to help him understand or he's trying to help her understand, 'cause it really does show both sides of the couples relationship and it can be a way to start talking about things too.  

CATHERINE:  Uh huh, yeah. So, I won't keep much longer but if there is one piece of advice you'd like to give other moms, like what would that be? I know you have lots of wonderful advice, but like if there is one thing to end on, what would that be? 

CHRISTINA: Well, again, because it was Mother's Day I was thinking a lot about this over the weekend and um, wrote a post recently of the one thing that I think all moms need and, and to me I think the thing that we all most need is to know that we are doing better than we think we are!  

CATHERINE: Yeah!  

CHRISTINA: And to believe it! You know, and 

CATHERINE: Yeah, yeah.  

CHRISTINA: That's what I was kind of saying about Mother's Day this weekend, is you know, we shared all the time and even on Mother's Day you know, we hear, from our kids, you get the kind little letter or whatever 

CATHERINE: Yeah.  

CHRISTINA: You know, there have been years where I've gotten cute things from my kids like my daughters letter and I didn't believe it. It's like, ok they don't know how bad I am or that I haven't done this very well or that I'm sobbing all day or something ridiculous but we have to believe it and so you know if you don't believe it there's lots of ways you can do that- you can work on changing your thoughts, hearing your thoughts and changing them. And I have some free videos on my Youtube channel or on my website that you can do that, you know you can just start journaling or writing about your feelings or go to therapy and talk to somebody or to a dear friend and try to dig down and figure out what's blocking you from feeling that and really to me it's about developing that sense of self worth as mothers that we not only need but we need our kids to see in us, you know we need our kids to see that we feel good in our role as a mom and that we can feel confident and when we make a mistake we can say, oops sorry my bad and you know and make it better and change and grow right? So, 

CATHERINE: Right, right.  

CHRISTINA: I really think that's another one too and again self worth, that's a whole other topic but you can find a lot of resources, free resources on my website and also I talk a lot about that in my books, Who Am I Without You and The 8 Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise.  

CATHERINE:  Yeah, no your, I've read your first book um This Is How We Grow, it's an excellent book so I'm looking forward to reading the next two so um thank you so much for your time today, I really appreciate it. I think you have such valuable resources on your website and everything so we'll definitely link to that um below, but um, thanks again so much for everything! 

CHRISTINA:  My pleasure, thanks for all you're doing to help moms too!  

CATHERINE: Alright, thank you.

Dr. Christina Hibbert is the bestselling author of This Is How We Grow, Who Am I Without You, and 8 Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise. She is a clinical psychologist specializing in women’s mental health, grief/loss, motherhood, parenting, pregnancy/postpartum, self-esteem/self-worth, and personal growth, and is host of the weekly WebTalkRadio show, Motherhood. Dr. Hibbert is a dynamic speaker, the Founder of the Arizona Postpartum Wellness Coalition, and producer of the internationally-sold DVD, Postpartum Couples. She, her husband, and their six children live in Flagstaff, AZ. Learn more about Dr. Hibbert through her popular website and blog, “The Psychologist, The Mom, & Me,” on www.DrChristinaHibbert.com.

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www.Facebook.com/drchibbert

www.Twitter.com/DrCHibbert

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www.YouTube.com/drchristinahibbert

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