Your IVF cycle’s been cancelled and there’s a global pandemic. WTF? Like most infertility patients your stress level is sky high. So do your fertility a favor and get your body out of “fight or flight” mode and into “rest and digest” mode.
When it comes to stress management, you need to choose the practice that works for you because consistency is key. Here are a few suggestions:
- Practice deep breathing exercises. Deep breathing is a form of meditation. It can be done anywhere, at any time and in addition to relieving stress it provides relaxation, and helps you become present and feel balanced.
- Practice gratitude. You might not feel very grateful right now. But no doubt there are good things that happen in your day, every day. A gratitude practice is simply recognizing those things. Do that by writing down three good things that happened in your day in a designated gratitude journal. Or do a daily gratitude exchange with your partner or a close friend – you each state three things that went well for you that day.
- Reframe negative thoughts. Positive affirmations might seem quirky or awkward, but science has shown that they help decrease stress and increase resilience in addition to improving your mindset. Rewrite the negative phrases that are nagging you and place these new, positive thoughts somewhere you will see them regularly, like on a mirror or on your laptop. You can also record them on your phone or upload them onto app like Think Up.
Commit to a daily practice whether it’s one of the above – or meditation or yoga. Studies have shown that high levels of stress lead to lower levels of conception. You want to be in the best shape you can when your fertility clinic calls and says treatment is back on.