17 Dec We’re Thinking About Our Infertility Community This Holiday Season
The holidays are such a tricky thing to navigate for the infertility community. What feels like a steady stream of fun parties and gatherings with friends and family can feel like a series of emotional traps of landmines instead.
Take Good Care of Yourself Over the Holidays
This year is especially challenging for many, but we have to say we’ve heard from many of our fertility treatment patients about the fact that using the pandemic as a reason to opt out of traditional gatherings has been a blessing! Read Boosting Your Fertility During the Pandemic if that’s your camp.
That may or may not be the case for you, but the team here at the Fertility Center of Dallas wants you to know that we are thinking about our fertility community over this holiday season. Our greatest wish for you, beyond fertility treatment success, is that you take good, tender care of yourself
1. DO say, “We can’t, but thank you for inviting us…”
Forgo the natural tendency to feel obligated to attend any or all functions that find their way on your calendar this year. Look yourself in the mirror and say, “It is okay for me to take a year or two out to prioritize my needs and wellbeing over others.”
That isn’t selfish at all. It’s called recognizing your needs, honoring them, and taking good care of your mind, body, and spirit.
2. Take lots of time outs
Parents are exceptional at giving children time outs, but they aren’t so good at acknowledging when they need a timeout themselves. This will be good practice for you later on. When you are feeling stress, anxiety, overwhelm, difficulty managing your emotions – or you are just plain tired – take a time out.
This may mean retreating to a quiet room, a warm bath, sitting in your car for a few minutes, taking a walk, staring at a tree in the moonlight – whatever it is that restores your heart and soul.
3. Cry long and loud and hard if you need to
It’s amazing how much we hold back in our emotions. The tell-tale lump in the throat, smarting and then tearing eyes, the heaviness in the chest – all make way on a regular basis for our culture’s “chin up” mentality
Sometimes, though, we just need to let it all out. Put on a piece of music that always makes you cry and play it over and over, write about the grief you continue to hold at bay, watch a tear jerker and then stew in the despair you feel. Getting the stored stuff up and out is the only way to process stuck or repressed emotions, so you can move forward with a fresher and lighter self again.
4. Catch up on sleep (and reboot your sleep habits)
Are you feeling tired from the rush of the season? Or the fatigue of running the fertility treatment gauntlet? That’s understandable. Sleep is an essential healing and restoration process. Your body needs healthy sleep to be its best and to support your fertility journey.
Take advantage of any days off work or extra space in the schedule to sleep in, or get to bed early. Take naps, or just lay down and close your eyes – breathing deeply and relaxing every part of your body – to rest and recharge.
5. Find any and every excuse to be merry!
Surround yourself with “…a few of your favorite things,” and be grateful for those. Fine any and every excuse to be merry if you can. Smiles, laughter, silliness, play, delight in the magic around us – all help to provide us with purpose and inspiration as we make our way into a brand new year.
The Fertility Center of Dallas will be holding you in our thoughts and hearts as we celebrate this holiday season. Be well, and feel free to reach out if you need fertility support.