The Impact Infertility has on Mental Health
If you’ve been trying to get pregnant for any length of time, then you know the toll infertility can take on your mental health.
Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after having frequent, unprotected sex for more than a year. 1 in 8 couples struggle with infertility and it affects about 50 million people globally. Unfortunately as infertility rates continue to rise, mental health is severely declining.
Couples who struggle with infertility experience quite the emotional rollercoaster when trying to conceive.
It’s common for infertility to cause depression, stress, anxiety, irritability, jealousy, anger, grief and PTSD. These symptoms negatively affect both partners when faced with so much doubt and fear. And no matter how strong your relationship is, it can be hard to remember that you’re on the same team.
Your infertility journey can be filled with so many highs and lows. Even when you get good news, it’s easy to start bracing yourself for impact waiting for something to go wrong. When you’re on a rollercoaster of hope and disappointment, it feels like the ride may never end.
Struggling to create your dream family can leave you feeling hopeless and lost, but it’s possible, you can get pregnant!
If you’ve felt anxiety while awaiting yet another pregnancy test result, fallen into a depression after having a miscarriage, been jealous when other women get pregnant, or if it seems like your body has failed you . . .
It’s easy to back down in the face of fear and doubt. Choose the family of your dreams instead. It’s possible for you to move forward emotionally in a healthy way.
How to Enhance Mental Health During Your Fertility Journey.
Take time for rest and self care:
When you’re trying to conceive, all the researching and worrying can quickly take over your entire life. It’s easy to lose pieces of yourself in the process. But it’s important to make time for the things that bring you joy and create the space to unwind and destress.
Self care isn’t just bubble baths and face masks. It can be whatever you want. You can pick up a new hobby (or revisit an old one), write out what you’re feeling in a journal, hang out with friends or family, spend time outside in nature, or find a new way to laugh and connect with your partner.
Stress can significantly contribute to fertility issues, so try incorporating at least one thing every day to stay grounded.
And if you want a little extra help calming anxiety and easing your nerves, the SoulShine Calm Elixir is the perfect supplement for you to add to your regimen.
2. Start a mindfulness practice:
Creating even one mindfulness habit can help you work through those hard to reach feelings that are cooped up inside of you.
Meditation is popular because it works. It’s a total game changer. Whether you use mala beads, visualizations, or mantras doesn’t matter. What matters is that you do it.
Three minutes, five minutes, a half hour . . .
In your meditation corner with your cute floor pillow . . .
Or on a quiet walk in the woods . . .
Even the smallest moment of mindfulness will have a big impact on your mental wellness.
3. Get the energy moving in your body:
Taking a light walk, doing yoga, or incorporating low impact exercises into your day can reduce stress, depression, anxiety, and just about every other feeling that infertility brings your way.
Gentle movement can open blocked pathways, get your blood flowing, and support your life force energy (Qi). And it will almost instantly improve the way you feel.
When you move your body, it gets everything moving. It doesn’t have to look a certain way. The best exercise for you is the one you’ll actually do.
Start slow, have fun, and remember this is for your mental health, not a number on the scale.
My Hope is That You Can Love Yourself During Every Phase of Your Fertility Journey.
Your baby making breakthrough can only come when you make peace with where you are. Don’t wish you started earlier. Don’t beat yourself up. Where you’re at right now is okay, but you don’t have to stay there.
Driving yourself crazy trying to understand why things aren’t easier won’t help you feel better. It just keeps you stuck in the past. And worrying about the future only robs you of today’s peace.
Acceptance is simply working with your current reality, not against it. It doesn’t mean you’re giving up. And it certainly doesn't mean you’re giving infertility your personal stamp of approval (when it really deserves two thumbs down). It simply means that when you know where you stand, you’re ready to take the next step.
You don’t have to carry around the heavy burden of infertility anymore—go ahead and put your baggage down.
Be willing to let the pain go. Don’t keep hanging on to it and reliving it. You don’t want those depleting emotions to be stored and stuck in your body.
Through fertility struggles, pregnancy, and yes—even childbirth (woohoo! 🎉), you can learn to work with your body in new ways as you become the healthiest, most vibrant version of yourself.
If you’re ready to overcome your fertility struggles once and for all, I’m ready to help. And I’m just one call away.
BOOK YOUR ONLINE FERTILITY CONSULT HERE.