I know the feeling. You log onto social media and there it is.. another pregnancy announcement. Friends, family, women you don’t even know, all seem to be getting pregnant. You see people out at restaurants and in stores pregnant and with small babies. People keep posting pictures of their gender reveals, baby showers, and all of those first year milestones. It feels like you can’t escape it. It is even starting to feel hard to be excited and happy for other people, may even your friends. It just feels like everyone is getting pregnant but you. Sound familiar?
If you’ve recently thought to yourself, “Everyone is getting pregnant but me”, you are not alone. Despite social media and how others may make fertility seem, getting pregnant is not easy or a quick process for many women. In fact, studies show that infertility rates are only increasing, and have been on the rise for many years.
Watching others have what you desperately want is agonizing. It is painful. In fact, struggling to conceive and/or struggling with infertility is not for the faint at heart. This struggle comes with emotional, mental, physical, and even financial strain and stress. What you’re doing to cope with it is key.
If you’re feeling the strain, frustration, and sadness that comes with trying to conceive, I encourage you to do the following things:
- Limit social media time
- Unfollow accounts or people that trigger you to feel sadness or compare yourself to them
- Spend time with people you feel you can relate to
- Talk about how you’re feeling and what you’re going through with someone you trust
- Seek therapy from a trained therapist in fertility and pregnancy
- Stop comparing yourself to others
- Start a new hobby
- Spend time doing things that you enjoy as a healthy distraction
- Focus on what is within your control
- Let go of trying to control what you have no control over
While these coping strategies won’t help you get pregnant, they can help you cope with your fertility journey and navigate the stressors that may be coming your way. If you’re struggling to feel like you want and enjoy life while trying to conceive or struggling with infertility, reach out to Psychotherapy for Women today to learn how we can help support you during this time.
