Dr Cate Howell talks about her new book The Flourishing Woman - A mental health and well being guide, recently published by Exisle Publishing.

Dr Cate Howell is a GP, therapist, researcher, educator and author with over 40 years of training and experience in the health sphere. She is passionate about the areas of mental health, wellbeing and counselling and currently, Cate is mostly involved in education and writing related in these areas.

She has travelled internationally to present research findings and has been published in a number of academic journals. The author of five books, Cate was awarded a year 2000 Churchill Fellowship related to the study of anxiety and depression, and the Order of Australia Medal in 2012 for services to medicine, particularly mental health, and to professional organisations.

In this podcast Cate talks about a range of aspects of mental health and wellbeing for women, which she has written about in her new book. These include:

• why do we put ourselves last
• not putting ourselves higher on our 'to do' lists
• the 'not enough' stories that we tell ourselves
• the importance of taking small steps to prioritise self care
• reframing thoughts and noticing 'thinking traps'
• burnout verses burning out
• the benefits of knowing your strengths and values
• how to notice warning signs and signals of stress in your body 
• ways to consider reprioritising and problem solving to reduce what is in your 'stress bucket'
• the benefits of relaxation to counteract the effects of stress and simple ways to include this into your day
• vagus nerve hacks to bring more calming effects into your nervous system
• learning to look at situations and working out what is humanly possible to manage, not what is superhumanly possible to manage
• learning to give ourselves permission to change, and to use self compassion

Tailored for women at every stage of life, The Flourishing Woman will show you how to unlock your full potential and truly flourish!

To find out more about your strengths, using the quiz Cate refers to, visit VIA Institute on Character at www.viacharacter.org

Visit Dr Cate's website for further resources including free mindfulness recordings at drcatehowell.com.au

For further information visit The Pregnancy Centre at www.thepregnancycentre.com.au