I'm quite sure all parents can relate to the fact that society and the media put pressure on us, constantly making us feel as though we're not doing a good enough job.

Not only this but parenting throughout the pandemic has layered on new and unique challenges that many of us have never faced before.

In fact, new research from Gidget Foundation Australia revealed 90 per cent of parents said their level of worry or concern had increased since COVID-19 started. And more than half (54 per cent) of parents reported their biggest concern was experiencing increased anxiety and depression.

This is a feeling that I know all too well, and I constantly worry about my daughter catching COVID-19.

Parenting throughout the pandemic has been challenging for every parent. My experience with the extended lockdown is that it helped me to realise what was really important.

That family time was absolutely critical. I had to learn to let go of having the perfect schedule and getting everything right. This helped me to see the positives in the smaller things.

I understand the effects mental health can have on parenting as I was diagnosed with perinatal depression after the birth of my daughter.

I put myself under so much pressure to be the perfect parent and I felt as though I couldn't handle the overwhelming feelings of shame and guilt surrounding my condition.

Before I reached a point of acceptance, I willed myself to be strong, snap out of it and get over it.

I had issues with breastfeeding, and I just couldn't connect with my daughter. I used to berate myself that I couldn't do the one thing that my body was supposed to do.

The further I got into my perinatal mental health and anxiety, the worse I slept and the darker my thoughts got.

It intensified my feelings of failure and made me want to run away. I kept this bottled up and I didn't tell anybody for as long as possible.

The parents at my mother's group always looked perfect, with beautifully blow-dried hair and happy bouncing babies.

I was too scared to open up about the fact that I wasn't coping. I was terrified they'd take away my child, send me to a facility and my husband would divorce me.

These dark thoughts paired with my inability to breastfeed my daughter caused me to experience debilitating anxiety.

Social media makes this so much more difficult, especially with the rise of hustle culture where we are expected to work full time and juggle being a parent.

Parents are expected to be everything to everybody at a detriment to themselves.

We are trying to keep up with people online who look like they have it all together but aren't displaying the true versions of themselves.

When I started to see a psychologist, I had to learn to be kinder to myself and take the pressure off so that I could accept that I was not perfect, and I never would be.

My psychologist helped me to move forward and taught me meditation and mindfulness practices that have helped me to learn to love myself again. I had to learn to be kinder to myself and accept that the world would not end if I wasn't a picture-perfect mother.

This Perinatal Mental Health Week, my advice for any parents experiencing perinatal depression and anxiety is to start opening up and to ask for help.

If what you are feeling seems insurmountable, seek professional support to help get you back on track. We need to be so much more honest with each other and I make it a point to be open about my journey.

Learning to take time for yourself, setting boundaries and investing in your mental health and wellbeing is incredibly important. Parents shouldn't feel guilty about investing in themselves because our children watch what we do. If we learn to take care of ourselves, our children will pick up these self-care habits too.

One of the most difficult things for me was to learn to accept my imperfections. The world would be such a boring place if we were all the same.

Don't be afraid to share if you're having a bad day, drop the pretense.

Honesty is the best policy, and you'll find that talking about it will help ease the stress.

Lifeline: 13 11 14