Going through fertility treatment can be a challenging experience both physically and emotionally. All matter of scenarios might be running through your head, with so many questions, what ifs and more. You might be researching the topic or constantly wanting to think about it.
Some days you may feel completely overwhelmed with the process, so it is important to put some strategies in place early, to help you cope during these times.
Fertility treatment can be an emotional rollercoaster; it is normal to find you cope well some days and others your emotions are a little overwhelming. On those tougher days, consider taking time out for yourself to engage in whatever self-care works best for you – it may be having a good cry, time alone, time with friends or family, doing something you enjoy.
Make these part of your daily or weekly routine and use them regularly; prioritise these to assist with your well-being. Self-care is very personal but could include things such as reading, music, exercise, time with family or friends, soak in a bath, fresh flowers, meditation, engaging with spirituality etc.
By doing this you can be proactive and channel your energy into things you have the ability to influence which many people find empowering. Things you can control include diet, exercise, sleep, self-care etc. but be balanced in this and don’t be too restrictive.
You could set a daily time limit (e.g. 30 minutes) or a specific number of times per week. During this time give yourself permission to think about, talk about, research infertility and treatment as much as you like, but once the time is over try to set it aside until the same time the next day/occasion. Although difficult, it is important not to let fertility treatment consume you.
It is easy for your mind to wander too far ahead worrying about all the what ifs. Try to deal with each moment or difficulty as it arises. Mindfulness can be very helpful in allowing us to stay more in the present moment.
It is important to talk with others, particularly your partner about your thoughts and feelings.
Fertility treatment can take a toll on your relationship. Try to do things that help to put the fun and spontaneity back into your relationship. Reconnect with all the things about each other that drew you together in the first place.
Noting down three things a day that you are grateful/thankful for. These could be related to fertility or could be completely separate. Even in tough times, if we look hard enough there are often other little things in our life that give us hope and lead us to feel thankful.
If your feelings seem to be increasing in intensity or lasting more than a few days please seek professional support through your specialist.
We are always here to help with your journey through IVF, ART, pregnancy and all that comes with it.
We have a full list of therapies that would include body treatments, talk therapies and classes.
Just call us on 018310888 or email info@riverholistic.ie
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CLAIRE
FACT Mindfulness Skills Course
Mindfulness is an awareness process that involves the ability to pay attention with flexibility, openness and curiosity to life as it arises at any given moment. It is a practice when cultivated, that enables people to interact with themselves and others through awareness and compassion, handling life’s stresses and challenges with more ease and resilience. Ultimately, it teaches us to accept and respond, instead of react to life.
Aim
The aim of this six week course is to introduce clients to the practice of mindfulness in their everyday lives while simultaneously being held within a psychotherapeutic space. This one-to-one experience fosters a tailored and unique mindful environment.
Week 1: – Introduction to course and exploration of relevant life issues and expectations
Week 2: – Stopping, calming, resting and healing
Week 3: – Nourishing happiness and sustaining mindfulness
Week 4: – Understanding and transforming ingrained habits
Week 5: – Developing conscious awareness and maintaining happiness
Week 6: – Establishing mindfulness practice in daily life.
Psychotherapeutic Approach
Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT) is a progressive evidence based psychotherapeutic behavioural intervention designed specifically for brief therapy. FACT encourages psychological flexibility in clients and integrates mindfulness in its approach.
Outcome
At the end of this course clients will be able to understand how to recognise and handle difficult thoughts and strong emotions within themselves related to stress, pain (including physical), anxiety, fear, sadness and anger etc. They will have developed awareness on the factors that influence and perpetuate much of the patterns of suffering within their lives and have gained the knowledge and skills necessary to make alternate and more life affirming choices within their respective environments.
For further information:
To make an appointment with Niamh, please contact her directly on the information below.
Niamh is available for appointments here at the centre on Monday’s from 11am to 3pm
087-9828707
Your self-esteem is a delicate creature. It can be damaged by many things – a break up of a relationship, a change in life or work circumstances – any dent in your sense of identity can leave you feeling less yourself and cause you to suffer a loss of self confidence.
Some people are naturally more self-confident than others, and for some, like myself, it doesn’t take much at all to leave you questioning yourself and your life choices.
When your confidence is at an all time low, it can be difficult to think of practical steps to make you feel better. The natural reaction to pain is for you to withdraw to protect yourself, and so you may begin to pull away from socialising or situations that put you at risk from feeling even worse. When you’re feeling at your lowest and most delicate, it’s all about taking small steps to make an overall big difference.
The WORST thing you can do is to push yourself too hard, and try to make big changes all at once. When you’re delicate, any knock is going to be felt even more acutely, sending you flying back in the opposite direction.
It may seem like the opposite of what you want to do when you’re not feeling good about yourself, but gaining knowledge or learning a new skill can actually make us feel a lot better about ourselves. Learning new things has been found to be a core need for psychological wellbeing. This doesn’t necessarily mean throwing yourself in the deep end and learning something like kite surfing or mountaineering – even something like an online course, or local exercise class can make you feel better about yourself, and introduce you to new people you wouldn’t have met otherwise.
We are generally not very good at talking ourselves up. We feel embarrassed to admit that we’re any good at anything, and yet we know that we are our own worst enemy.
So, just for a minute, leave the modesty at the gate, and try this psychiatry endorsed “brainwashing” technique to see if it makes a difference. Making a list of 5 things that you love about yourself and reviewing this list daily for one month, has been proven to have a positive effect on self image and self esteem.
When you’re thinking negatively about yourself, it can be easy to fall into a pattern of self- neglect. Taking care of your physical self is the first step to repairing your mental wellbeing. Try simple things such as making yourself healthy, delicious dinners, or making sure that you go out for a long walk every day. Exercise has also been consistently found to improve mood, and your overall self- confidence. Make taking care of yourself a priority rather than an afterthought
Think about what you would do for a friend if they were feeling down. Would you force them to start on their to-do list, or tell them they need to ‘pull themselves together and sort themselves out!’. No – of course you wouldn’t! You’d spend some time with them, listening and doing something that they wanted to do, like go for a coffee, or a walk, or to the cinema. Treat yourself like you would treat a friend. Allowing ourselves time to do the things we enjoy is another important act of self-love, it signals that we respect ourselves enough to allow ourselves happiness. Once our mind is clearer, we can concentrate on the more ‘pressing issues’ of the day.
The Dali Lama was certainly on the right track when he said “Our prime purpose in life is to help others”.
Sometimes when we are thinking negatively about ourselves, it can help to focus our attention outward by helping other people. Not only does this distract us from the negative self-talk in our heads, but as a result of helping others, our own self-esteem increases. Psychologists have discovered a direct link between volunteering and levels of self esteem. I’m not talking about saving the world, but a few hours spent a week volunteering for a charity, or even popping round to see an elderly neighbour can have huge mutually beneficial benefits!
We have some amazing talk therapists in house if you feel like you need someone to talk to.
Source: Huffington Post UK