When it comes to fertility treatment, the focus is largely on the body, but what about the mind?
When anxiety bubbles over, it is hard to quiet the mind and slow the heart. Affirmations allow for an active meditation that can speak positive, strengthening words over the chorus of background noise in your head.
What is an affirmation?
Affirmations are short, powerful and simple positive statements that can help you overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts. Positive changes can be made when affirmations are believed in and repeated often.
How do I do an affirmation practice?
There is no right or wrong way to do an affirmation practice. Each affirmation can be repeated five times, ten times, or more depending on what you prefer. You can change your affirmations as your needs change, and they can be modified to whatever situation arises.
Some find it helpful to do affirmations in the morning, while others like to do them throughout the day, particularly during times of stress. A nighttime affirmation practice can also help to calm the mind, making it easier to fall asleep. The most important thing is to commit to doing an affirmation practice. The more you repeat your affirmations, the stronger your belief will be, allowing for hope and mental resilience.
What should my affirmation be?
This is personal and will be different for everyone. What is the largest concern on your mind? What worries keep you up at night? An affirmation should speak directly to that fear. You can create your own affirmation, or pick from thousands that are available online.
An affirmation should start with an active statement, for example:
- I am (grateful, open, strong, excited, worthy)
- I release (worry, self-doubt, fear, anxiety)
- My body is (strong, capable, ready, healthy, healing, fertile)
- My mind is (calm, positive, powerful)
- I love (myself, my partner, my body, my life)
15 well-being and happiness affirmations:
- I am able to go beyond what I thought were my limits
- I am worthy of love and acceptance.
- Today, I will find joy in where I am.
- I am grateful for my abilities and my gifts.
- I am a person of immeasurable worth.
- I am excited for the new opportunities today will bring.
- I live my life hopefully.
- Today is a fresh start. I am not bound by who I was yesterday.
- I bring positivity to the lives of the people I know.
- Today, I will face my fears and work to overcome them.
- I will treat myself with kindness, patience, and respect.
- I deserve love, life, and happiness.
- My thoughts are peaceful and calm.
- I let go of all negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.
- I am grateful for and love my body and all it does for me.
15 fertility-focused affirmations:
- I am grateful for my body and what it can do.
- My body is fertile and ready to conceive a child.
- I am ready to conceive a child.
- I can’t wait to meet my child.
- I am becoming more fertile each day.
- I am taking care of my body and mind in order to welcome a baby.
- My body is designed to conceive.
- Patience and care help my body prepare for pregnancy.
- My womb is open to new life.
- My body is a fertile place worthy of conception.
- My womb is strong and fertile.
- My eggs are healthy and developing perfectly.
- I feel safe, supported, and loved through my fertility journey.
- I support and love my partner through our fertility journey.
- My womb is a healthy place that will nourish my baby.
Whichever path you choose, please remember to treat yourself with an abundance of kindness, love, and compassion.
“Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Dr. Tiffany Edwards is a licensed clinical psychologist and patient educator specializing in counseling couples and individuals during treatment as well as egg donors and surrogates for those pursuing third party reproduction. In her career, she has worked with patients to address a variety of psychological and health-related issues such as anxiety, depression, cancer survivorship, women’s health issues, stress management, and more.
