The Village App
Connect with other new parents in your area, or find mentors who are online and available for a catch-up, a coffee, a walk, and a talk.
Being a new parent can be lonely, especially if we are used to being at work surrounded by people to chat with and then suddenly find ourselves at home all day with our new baby. With The Village App, you can connect with other new parents, find a mentor for those days when you might need a little encouragement from someone who has been there before, or simply chat one-on-one with like-minded parents.
You can invite your friends, create a group, and feel comfortable knowing that you are among (new) friends.
The Village App not only allows you to find fellow parents close by, but in those moments alone when the baby is asleep and you are scrolling, or taking a well-deserved rest, you can journal and use the YourTime Mood Tool to check in with how you’re feeling.
With everything that’s going on in the world, YourTime gives you a moment to stop and check in with how you’re feeling.
During pregnancy and motherhood, so much of your day includes caring for others. YourTime is here to help you.
By tracking your emotions over the weeks, you’ll gain a clearer picture of how you’re feeling.
This can either be a great encouragement, or it can quickly highlight a downward spiral before it becomes tricky to climb back out.
Put the control in your own hands, and let’s get started today.
YourTime Features
Mood Mapping
Monitor your emotions and mood over time through the built-in calendar
Customise
Customise colours and other features to reflect your personal preferences
Capture your mood
Record how you are feeling and learn ways to boost your mood
In Australia, 1 in 5 mothers experience anxiety and / or depression after their baby is born.
YOURTIME STUDY
YourTime began as a paper-based tool, enabling women to monitor their own mental wellbeing during pregnancy and/or after their baby was born.
Based on scientific evidence and designed by a team of researchers at the University of South Australia, a co-design study was conducted. This study included the opinions of mothers, regarding how to make this tool appealing and appropriate for today’s women
Their feedback guided the researchers to develop the App called YourTime. A prototype version of this App is now available for trialing and we would like women to use it and offer more feedback, refining this tool into something that has the potential to help women worldwide.
At this stage, the tool focuses on enabling you to track your mood over days, weeks, and months and has some inbuilt recommendations to help your wellbeing based on your mood score. Not all aspects of the App will be functional but that’s where we would really value your ideas as well.
“It was good to stop and think about exactly how I was feeling.”
“It was a positive way to look at how things are feeling. I could see how things were changing for me. ”
“Different to other mood measures since it focusses on more practical factors like whether you feel competent rather than less specific feelings like whether you are happy.”
RESOURCES
WAYS TO WELLBEING
YourTime is here to help you track your mental wellbeing. By regularly checking your mood, you’ll quickly notice changes, and be able to access help if you need it. As all of the YourTime education functions are not yet released on the App, we’ve added some helpful ideas and links here, which you can access whenever you need them.
Have a look at https://5waystowellbeing.org.au for 5 simple and effective ways to improve your psychological and emotional health.
Here are some suggestions from that list:
Connect
Be active
Keep learning
Be aware
Help others
CONNECT
Think about the people in your life that you could connect with. Building relationships and friendships will give you more support and strength. Although this may look a little different now during COVID-19, don’t give up! Find other ways to keep connecting.
Send a text to someone to let them know you’re thinking of them
Call a friend and have a chat, maybe even do a video call
Have a coffee on the couch with your partner
If your baby’s already born, sit or lay with them and do a puzzle together or read them a book
BE ACTIVE
Exercise is great for your mood and energy levels. It doesn’t have to take long, just some gentle stretches, or a brisk walk in the fresh air.
Put you baby in the pram and go for a walk
Try to touch your toes
Take your shoes off and go outside connecting with the ground beneath you
Release your neck muscles by sitting up tall and stretching your head over to one shoulder and then the other
KEEP LEARNING
Make some time to try something new or rediscover a past interest.
Read a book
Research something you have always wondered about
Try a new exercise you haven’t tried before
Sign up for an online course
BE AWARE
Take some time out to just sit and listen; what can you hear? What can you see? How do you feel? Stopping and taking a moment to become aware of the present can help make you feel less stressed and more calm. You might like to do some slow, controlled breathing. Or just take a bit of time to look at your baby, look into their eyes, study their face, their body, their arms, their legs, their little toes. Let yourself feel the emotion of love wash over you.
Notice something pretty around you
Find on thing to focus on for a few minutes
Say out loud three things you’re grateful for
Look in the mirror and say three affirmation about yourself
HELP OTHERS
Doing something for someone else can bring joy and reinforces a sense of belonging and purpose. This can be as simple as an extra smile or a kind word or comment. You could also think of ways you could help a friend of someone in your community.
Thank someone who has helped you
Send a friend an encouraging text
Tell a mother you know what a great job she is doing
Send a friend something in the mail
IT’S OK TO GET HELP!
Despite trying these suggestions, if your mood consistently tracks low, consider getting support from your GP, the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Assessment Unit (08 8161 7530), Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) or LifeLine (131 114).