5 easy tips to survive the two week wait
Trying to survive the two week wait can be a time of intense anxiety and obsession, when you’re trying to conceive. If you’re not familiar with the phrase the “two week wait”, it’s the time between ovulation and being able to detect a pregnancy on a home pregnancy test (or your period arriving).
This is also a time where you’ll likely be looking for every evidence of pregnancy in your body (even though you know it’s too early to tell and every pregnancy symptom is also a premenstrual symptom.)
When I was trying to conceive during a 12 month period that involved 3 losses there were some two week waits where I struggled with the rollercoaster of emotions. I felt out of control and really disconnected from everyone else in my life. I would obsess over every symptom and spend my days googling everything. It was not a fun time.
After my 3rd loss in a row I took a big break from trying to conceive. This break gave me a much better perspective and after that I was able to approach the two week wait with much more grace and ease.
So let’s talk about a few simple ways you can make today a little less unbearable and survive the two week wait with your sanity in tact.
5 tips to survive the two week wait
1. Drop the expectations.
Many of the women I work with are far too hard on themselves (and I can definitely relate!) If you know anxiety is going to be worse during these two weeks, PLAN to give yourself a big ol’ break during this time. Stop try to over-achieve (even though I know that’s your usual go-to strategy). You can’t push or “work harder” on your way to conceive. It’s okay if your only plan is to just survive the two week wait.
Don’t push yourself to go to social events that trigger you.
Let yourself do just enough at work, without doing the gold-star-standard like you usually do.
Stop “should-ing” all over yourself with expectations.
It’s okay to just focus on looking after yourself at this time.
2. Plan distractions.
Too many times I spent the entire two-week-wait focusing intensely on every symptom. This made my anxiety (and the heart break at the end), even worse. When I started actively distracting myself by just living my happy life, the two week wait became much more manageable.
If you feel like being social – book in a fun soul-filling catch up with your friends or go on a date with your love.
If you prefer solo time – start a novel you’re not going to want to put down or begin a project around your home.
Some of the women I talk to in 1:1 counselling say they feel like they need to be all in on trying to conceive for it to work. I believe you need to look after you first. If you feeling good means you try not to think about pregnancy or babies – then do that! It’s okay to just survive the two week wait when you’re struggling to conceive.
3. Shift anxiety with movement.
On the days where you feel like you want to escape your own body because the anxiety is overwhelming – use movement to shift some of that energy.
I prefer yoga, but even just going for a short walk is great. Other great options – weightlifting to feel strong, dancing to cultivate joy and swimming to find calm.
If you’d like to feel supported during your two-week-wait I’d encourage you to join my Online Yoga Circle community. I’ve just created a new series for the two week wait that offers short daily practises that you can use to connect in and (hopefully) make the process a little bit more enjoyable.
4. Stop overanalysing pregnancy symptoms
Look, I know it’s tempting to check if your boobs hurt every 5 minutes, but if you’re only a few days post-ovulation you’re really just driving yourself crazy.
Stop googling pregnancy symptoms. Stop over-analysing every different thing going on in your body and step away from the pregnancy tests until your period is due.
I know, it’s harrrrd and you will want to keep checking, especially if you’ve obsessed in every two week wait so far. But you need to re-train yourself to look after yourself during this time in a better way.
Focus on living your happy life. Distract yourself from the constant thoughts of pregnancy. Move your body to shift the anxiety. Deep breaths… you’ve got this.
5. Plan in advance to deal with stress
You already know the two week wait is going to be stressful, so you need to plan in advance how you’re going to manage that stress. If you wait until you’re in it to try and make better choices, you’re like to slip back into old familiar habits.
We’ve already talked about using distraction as a tool, so spend some time during pre-ovulation to book in those things that will help you relax. Schedule in a massage or acupuncture appointment. Plan a date with your love or organise to meet your friends for something fun.
If you find yourself slipping back into anxious, obsessive thoughts all day long, it can be helpful to schedule your worry time. This way when you notice those thoughts creeping in during the day you can take mental note and remind yourself that there will be time later where you can focus on these thoughts. When it’s time to worry, you might like to journal out all your thoughts, talk to a friend or counsellor.
Having a scheduled time for worry means that you won’t feel like you need to spend all day doing it. Having a dedicated time and practise for focusing on your anxious thoughts can also help you to give them your full attention so you’re more likely to notice when they aren’t true or helpful.
Where to now?
- What’s your best tip to help others survive the two week wait? Please share them with us in the comments.
2. Practice this two week wait fertility yoga class to help you shift some anxiety.
3. Join my Online Yoga Circle community to access the new 14 daily practices to help you survive the two week wait.