Emotional Baggage while trying to conceive

Do you sometimes feel like you need a hug? That's how I felt today. My hubby was already sleeping but I hugged him anyways 😅 that's how much I needed that hug.

 

The last couple of weeks had been hectic. It was the busiest time of the year at work, plus fertility treatments and doctor visits in between. I was working long hours, not realising I was taking in more than I could handle.

 

Every time I felt overwhelmed I would just push that feeling down and move on. I had so much to do I didn’t have time to stop and think… or rather I realised I didn’t want to stop and think.

 

Until my body gave me a loud and clear warning. I finally took a moment to pause and realised the emotional baggage I was carrying. I thought I could handle it, but apparently my body felt otherwise.

What is emotional baggage and how to deal with it?

Emotional baggage, tension and stress are things we unknowingly carry and pile on as we go through everyday life. Some people more than others, and women more than men (in my opinion…lol). Feelings of anger, anxiety, worry, frustration, depression and so on affects our behaviour and how our bodies react.

 

Our bodies hold tension and emotional stress in different areas, everyone reacts differently. That nagging shoulder or neck ache, bloating, Gerd, headaches, backaches could be caused by stress and tension built up in our bodies.

 

Pay close attention to your body and try to find out where you usually hold tension. When you are rushing for a deadline or irritated by that traffic jam, do you tighten your shoulder muscles or clench your jaws? Maybe it could be worry or anxiety that is causing you shortness of breath?

 

We get into stressful or intense situations all the time when we least expect it. The key is to have self-awareness and realisation, dealing with it asap rather than ignoring it and allowing it to manifest into a greater problem.

 

It is especially crucial to release those emotions especially when trying to get pregnant or when going through fertility treatments. The damage it can do to your health would be more than the damage fertility treatments do to your wallet, and it may affect chances of a successful IVF. It’s funny that I always get the same advice even from different fertility doctors, ‘Don’t be stress”. Yeah…. I know that, but how??

Over the years I've learned ways to overcome stress and anxiety. But I sometimes forget to pay attention to my emotional state and get carried away until my body give me that warning. I would used to feel so guilty and beat myself up worrying how it could affect my egg quality, will it affect my treatment, what if… what if… what if…. 

 

Well worrying about those things could cause another tension which is not what we want. So instead of regretting the past, I’ve learned not to waste time and energy but rather deal with it best I can, focus on the future and move on.

I hope you too can start paying attention to your body, are holding onto emotional baggage and how do you deal with it? I'd love to hear your story.

 

By the way these are based on my own experiences and learnings through the years struggling with infertility, it’s not intended to treat or replace any medical condition but rather to share the importance of having awareness for our emotional state and being able to manage and overcome it.

 

Are you trying to conceive and looking to have some emotional support? Join my free group where I share my experiences, tips and ideas on my diet and healthy living to improve fertility. Contact me to join. See you there!