Fertility – Stress and Overwhelm

Struggling with fertility can be overwhelming, and the stress is real - studies even compare it to the impact of a major medical diagnosis. In this episode, we dive into the emotional toll, what happens when stress tips into overwhelm, and the coping strategies that help.  As you'll see, in the excitement of it all, we even get the name of the podcast wrong  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Episode Notes 2:32 - definition of stress 2:46 - definition of overwhelm 3:07 - the reality of dealing with infertility/ IVF 7:15 - IVF without NHS funding & big career moves 9:27 - financial funding / packages 10:54 - the impact of stress and infertility 14:34 - being everything to everyone 16:54 - when stress tips into overwhelm 17:38 - not fit for human consumption days  18:26 - effort doesn’t always equal reward 20:25 - fertility burnout  21:33 - infertility is like running a marathon 23:33 - draining your stress bucket 25:20 - grabbing moments of self-care  26:34 - telling other people you’ve failed 28:43 - supporting your mind as much as your body 29:57 - control and giving yourself permission to hope 31:23 - trust and communication with your partner 32:08 - being stressed about being stressed 36:35 - infertility is a unique stress 37:19 - coping mechanisms and creating space for yourself 39:04 - reconciling with the idea that it’s not working 40:52 - wallowing in the darkness when it all gets too much  42:33 - talking about feelings with your partner 46:29 - the stress of disenfranchised grief  48:30 - opening up and finding your tribe 50:40 - motherhood is a gift 57:06 - recap of coping mechanisms Follow MYND.FLO