Exercises To Calm Your Anxious Thoughts

Being Calm Through Infertility Feels Impossible, But its Not.

I started doing what felt like hard core breathing meditations during my last year of IVF. Unlike most of the patients we help at Ovum Health, I had no other choice but IVF. I had cancer more than 15 years ago and stored embryos way back then. With each failed IVF, each failed pregnancy, I became increasingly despondent. Subsequent rounds of IVF were met with anxious thoughts.

I was doing acupuncture, chiropractic care, exercising, taking my supplements, walking on the beach with my older kiddo. But still it was difficult to stop those intrusive thoughts: “Will it work?” “What happens if it doesn’t work?” “Will Dante and I be ok by ourselves?” “What if I screw this up?”

I realized I needed to train my brain - not to never have the intrusive thoughts but to replace them with calm and positivity. I am never going to tell you to “Stay positive.” I hate that saying and think its so unrealistic, but we can help you to kick the intrusive thoughts out when they arrive! I personally use an app called Insight Timer each morning to do a 10-20 minute breathing meditation. A friend of mine exclusively does Positive Affirmation meditations.

I use the breathing techniques in moments of anxiousness and intrusive thoughts. So a dark thought pops in is now my trigger to start Vagus Nerve breathing or belly breath or breath of fire if I’m alone :) Once I’ve calmed my central nervous system, then I can add in an affirmation as simple as “I’ll be ok no matter what.”

And so will you.