By Lori Lite
Reducing stress can help you to relax, be more hopeful, regain energy, and optimize your fertility treatments.
Unraveling the reasons for a couples’ fertility can be a long process. From the first interviews and consultations through the various tests until the (hopeful) arrival of a baby – the road can be filled with difficult challenges – hence increasing the stress level of the individuals involved and the couple.
As you experience fertility treatments, you may feel an increase in stress. Being in chronic stress mode can affect you emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Your reactions to life situations change, your sleep patterns are disrupted, and you feel less connected. Your immune system will not be operating at its highest capacity as stress takes a demanding toll on your body. Being stressed is not our natural state and it is exhausting.
You may not have control over situations but you do have control over how you react.
You can learn to reduce your stress response so that you can experience more peace and joy as you travel through your fertility journey. Stress is not something that happens to you, it is how you respond. Learning to apply stress-reducing techniques to your life is like using a newfound muscle. At first it will take effort, but as you strengthen your relaxation muscle you will begin to use your relaxation techniques effortlessly.
Simple tools like breathing, visualizing, and positive statements can become your ‘go to” tool in any situation. Using stress management tools will help comfort you throughout your treatments, pregnancy, birth, nursing, and as a new mom. Your children will reap the benefits of having a mom that has access to healthy methods to reduce stress. A calm mom contributes to a calm, happy, and healthy family!
These simple stress-reducing techniques can help you relax now and always.
Breathing: Diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing. The secret to this type of breathing is to feel your belly lift up and down as you focus on your breathing. Breathe in 2,3,4 and out 2,3,4. Feel you belly lift gently as you breathe in. Feel your bell 2,3,4. Feel your belly fall as you exhale. Say Ahhhhh…. for extra fun and stress release.
Visualizing: Create a sanctuary within your mind. It can be as simple as filling the space behind your eyes with the relaxing color blue or as complex as steering a sailboat under the warm sun with a perfectly cool breeze blowing on your face. Find a scene or color that works best for you. Visit it often.
Positive Statements: Use your words to create a positive outcome. Catch yourself being negative to yourself, your process, or others. Choose to look for the positive and reword your statement in a more optimistic way. Create a list that you can read when you are feeling down or negative. Tell yourself that you are relaxed. Tell yourself that you are expecting a positive outcome. Turn your outlook into a peaceful, hopeful, confident one.
Stress depletes. Relaxation revitalizes and rejuvenates your mind, body, and spirit. Explore relaxation and see which technique works best for you. Tell yourself that you deserve to feel good!
Watch a video by the author to help with stress reduction.
Read Dr. Norian’s article about Low Responders during fertility ( a very stressful situation!)
About the Author
Lori Lite is the writer and producer of Indigo Dreams: Adult Relaxation. She loves helping parents and children learn to manage stress. Her new book is aptly entitled Stress Free Kids.
Her website is www.StressFreeKids.com
You can view Lori’s stress free presentation on the first season of SHARK TANK.