How to deal with the stress of IVF
IVF procedures can feel really scary and stressful and it may feel like you have no control over the conception of your baby. While I personally haven’t been through IVF, I do know that my anxiety runs rife whenever things feel completely out of my control. I’ve heard many times from the women I work with in the studio that during IVF this usually deeply private act of creating a baby suddenly feels like it’s in someone else’s hands entirely.
Four tips for dealing with the stress of IVF
The following are my tips for helping to reduce stress when you’re going through IVF. If you’re currently going through this I’d love to know if you find these helpful. Let me know in the comments below.
Take some time each morning to set the tone of your day.
Do you roll straight out of bed, onto your phone into online forums about other women and their struggles. Or maybe you rush straight into your work day and then spend the entire day feeling stressed.
Rather than starting your day by reacting to things around you, try to start your day in a way that makes you feel how you’d like to feel all day. Set an intention. Meditate. Read. Go for a walk. Start with something that makes you feel good rather than in a negative mood.
Use affirmations.
Whenever you catch your mind running away with anxious thoughts come back to an affirmation (a saying that can help you to refocus on the positive.) Eg. I am safe. I am calm. My body is healthy and ready to create our baby.
Don’t put your life on hold.
Being in a perpetual place of waiting is really stressful. If you’re at the IVF process, the chances are you’ve already been in a state of waiting for a significant time already. You’ve likely already had a year or more of waiting each month to see those two pink lines and feeling disappointed when they didn’t arrive. You’ve probably put off holidays or work promotions because you thought you’d be pregnant by now.
Putting your life on hold and feeling like you can’t start ‘really living’ until you’re pregnant or you’ve got your baby in your arms is not a nice way to live. Plan your holidays. Share a glass of wine with your partner. Go out on that girls night. Keep doing all the things that make you happy. It will make the process of IVF a whole lot less stressful because you’ll also be living a full happy life.
Practice yoga regularly.
You knew I was going to throw this one in here didn’t you? What sort of yoga teacher would I be if I didn’t!? Yoga (whether that be a physical practice, sitting in meditation or a breathing practice) is going to give you something to do when you feel yourself spiralling into a really stressful place. A regular practice is also going to help to give you a better perspective of the whole process, and you help you to understand yourself more so that you can do what you need to manage your stress and remain positive.
If you want to get into a yoga practice I’ve created this particular yoga class below for IVF to help you to really start trusting your body during this stressful time.
It is my hope that this practice will help you to come back to yourself and realise that the magic is still happening inside your body. We will focus on the aspects of the IVF process that you can control; making sure you stay calm and relaxed (as much as possible) and opening up your heart and body to this baby. Most importantly, I hope this practice gives you some tools that you can use off the mat to help manage the stress of IVF.
Want a complete fertility yoga practice to support you throughout the whole IVF cycle? Check out my Online Fertility yoga course here.