Just relax? Grrr. Anyone whose gone through infertility treatment hates hearing that. It implies that if you just relaxed, you’d get pregnant. It’s insensitive and insulting. If only it was that easy! Studies have shown that the stress associated with infertility treatment is equal to the stress associated with other serious illnesses such as HIV and cancer. It makes sense. You’re trying to decide on the best fertility treatment option, you’re not sure if it will work, it’s taking a toll on you physically, pushing your emotional buttons – and it’s expensive!
But hear me out. Maybe today, on National Stress Awareness Day, you can make a commitment to yourself to start working on your stress level, even just 5-minutes a day, by practicing positive affirmations. Positive affirmations help to develop a positive mindset, help you de-stress and can make this time in your life more manageable. They work for me!
Choose affirmations that are short and simple, and that really pinpoint the areas you need the most positive feedback and reframing. For example, instead of telling yourself: “I’m scared infertility treatment will fail,” your affirmation can be “I know I will be a parent one day.”
Other ideas
- I trust the process.
- I have faith.
- I will choose the right path.
- I release my fears.
- I love my body.
How to get started with affirmations?
I love the ThinkUp app: you record affirmations in your own voice, the app sets them to music, and then you listen to them on a loop. It helps instill positive thoughts and really has a calming effect. Listen to them while out on a walk, during your commute or at the gym.
Another option is to print out affirmations and put them in places that you will frequently see them. Maybe that’s on the bathroom mirror, on the upper right of your laptop screen, above your desk, above the stove or above the kitchen sink. If you want to be a little more private about it – say in the workplace, or you don’t want friends you’re having over for dinner to see them everywhere – you can simply place a round sticker as a reminder to repeat your affirmation.
Also consider journaling your affirmations first thing in the morning and/or before going to bed.
I’d never tell you to just relax. But I would love to see you in a more calm place. Let me know if you’re practicing affirmations and what the experience has been like for you. I’d also love to hear what your affirmations are.
xo,
Jennifer