When it comes to the long road of infertility, the new year can serve as a good time to commit to a handful of specific New Year’s resolutions that might help some couples struggling with fertility problems.
For those who aren’t quite sold on the idea however, here are five steps couples experiencing difficulties conceiving a child can employ that might help change their fortunes, or at least their mindset.
Do Not Place Blame
This piece of advice does not merely apply to people, but additionally numerous other external factors. Both men and women afflicted with conception issues will often blame anyone and/or anything for their predicament. It is common for many to hold their partners, bodies, jobs, life stressors, past decisions, and quite possibly even their diets or activities at fault for failing to create a pregnancy.
Placing blame is a negative activity that precipitates negative thoughts and mindsets. While there is no harm in re-evaluating past decisions and/or current activities, dwelling on them or holding them accountable for the current conception troubles often spawns negative thoughts and patters that might be quite difficult to overcome or escape.
Focus on Self-Care
Infertility issues can elicit negative emotions such as anger, anxiety and frustration. In addition, those stricken with the condition might also experience stress that impacts their diets and limits the amount of exercise and sleep they may receive. Such circumstances could result in more serious mental health problems like depression and a host of physical health symptoms and ailments.
Couples can maintain their physical health by focusing on eating a balanced diet, getting the proper rest each evening and finding the time to conduct some level of physical activity. In addition, mental health issues should be addressed as soon as they become evident. One of the more common forms of treatment for people, especially women dealing with pregnancy-related mental health issues is talk therapy. This therapeutic effort involves having the afflicted person speak with trained mental health professionals about his or her feelings.
Be Honest with Yourself About Fertility Problems
Suffering from infertility is a difficult problem for most impacted couples to face, let alone accept. While acknowledging the circumstances might be painful at first, such action can be an important step in moving forward. Once the situation is spoken about and out in the open, couples may be able to research and pinpoint other methods of becoming parents than the conventional route (for examples; medical procedures or adoption).
Avoid Building Up Resentment and Envy of Pregnant Couples
Expressing joy for and not displaying envy towards a pregnant couple can be extremely challenging for those coping with infertility problems. In today’s social media world where proud parents frequently share pregnancy announcement videos and photos of their children, it is almost impossible to completely avoid encountering pregnant women and children. However, there are coping strategies.
These include temporary avoidance of stressful situations during the early stages of coping. This may include steering clear of social media outlets such as Facebook and Instagram, discussing their feelings with trained mental health professionals who may be able to offer advice, limiting attendance in establishments that pregnant women and couples with young children might frequent such as malls or family-centered community events, or joining a support group comprised of other individuals experiencing infertility.
Break the Worst-Case Scenario Mindset
It can be quite challenging for those experiencing infertility to avoid contemplating the worst-case scenario for any given situation. However, this is the ultimate display of negative thinking. It may sound cliché, but positive thinking often yields positive results.