How to deal with infertility during the festive season
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
While the holidays can be a time of joy and merriment, but if you are experiencing fertility problems, you may sometimes feel isolated. You would not be alone in feeling this way. However, there are ways to help minimize stress around the Festive Season.
Here are some tips to help you get through what can be a difficult time of year.
Take Care of Yourself
– Give yourself a break, take time out from thinking about fertility or trying to fall pregnant.
– Refocus your mind and energy during this time.
– Make time to relax.
– Don’t be afraid to be a little selfish.
– Allow yourself to take time away from the hectic nature of the season.
– Minimise your stress levels naturally, have enough sleep, exercise regularly and eat healthy foods.
– Be sensitive to others who might also be feeling vulnerable at this time of year. Sometimes, helping others can help you forget about your own concerns for a while.
– Acknowledging your feelings and asking for support if you need it is the first step in taking control of your situation. Attend support groups, if there are support groups available to you, try one out. Just being in the same room/phone call with others who are having a similar experience can help reduce stress.
-Think about giving yourself a fertility break, while you may be scheduled to undergo fertility treatments over the holidays, you may want to consider placing them on hold until the stress of the season has worn off.
Plan Ahead
– Be ready to respond to questions, think through some common questions from friends and extended family about your fertility and plan your response.
– Be selective with the invitations you accept; you don’t have to attend every party or get-together.
– Prioritize your favorite activities, don’t feel obligated to participate in all traditions if you are uncomfortable or if you just don’t have the energy to deal with them.
– Find People Without Children to Celebrate With, If being around children is a particular sore spot for you, seek out friends or adult family members without children. That way you can enjoy yourself without having to worry about interacting with a child or hearing stories and anecdotes about someone’s children.
– Avoid busy periods at shopping centers, when the families, children abound at these times, so perhaps consider shopping online.
– Stay off of Social Media, if you don’t already do so during the rest of the year, the holidays are a good time to curate your feed as there might be even more posts centered on children. Or, consider taking a social media break altogether, you might find that is just what you need.
