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Think Positive,
Feel Positive
It is common among women living with infertility to
experience recurring negative thoughts like -- "I
waited too long," and "There must be something
wrong with me." Can these thoughts interfere with a
woman's ability to conceive and sustain a healthy
pregnancy? No direct biological mechanism is likely to
exist; however, these thoughts can have a negative
impact on a woman's overall mood state by
contributing toward feelings of worry, anxiety,
sadness and hopelessness. Studies have shown that
women with higher levels of distress and depression
experience conditions that are less than optimal for
conceiving and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
Fortunately, there are very effective techniques to
counter recurring negative thoughts. You may want
to try the following two-step process of interrupting
negative thoughts and then countering them with
more neutral and realistic ones.
Let's begin with: Creating Alternative Thoughts.
Make a list of your top ten recurrent negative
thoughts. Next, take the role of supportive
scientist who calmly evaluates all the evidence.
Then write down 2-3 alternative responses for each
negative thought. For example: Instead of "I waited
too long," you might come up with, "I made the best
decisions that I could with the information that I
had!" And, instead of: "There must be something
wrong with me," you might come up with "I am
learning more about myself everyday and I try to
made sound decisions based on what I know." Once
you have your list of alternative statements, begin to
use them when the negative thoughts arise.
Now, Step Two: Thought Stopping. While it is nearly
impossible to prevent negative thoughts from
entering our consciousness, much can be done to
interrupt them and shortening their duration. One
technique for interrupting them is as soon as
you experience a negative idea, say to yourself
(either in your head or out loud), "STOP!!!" I also
suggest that either in combination with
saying "STOP!!!" or as a separate technique conjure
up the image of a large, red, stop sign. If the stop
sign doesn't work you may want to wear a thin
rubber band on your wrist (though not too tight, the
idea is to get your attention, not to hurt yourself!)
and snap it lightly to interrupt the negative thought
process.
After you interrupt the negative thought, you can
begin to tell yourself one of the more realistic and
positive alternative thoughts that you came up with.
Over time, if you methodically use this technique,
you can begin to interrupt the negative thoughts
sooner and replace them with less
distressing ones earlier. This process can
positively impact mood and can reduce levels of both
distress and depression.
Best of luck,
Gayle D. Crespy, Psy.D.
Program Director
Mind Body Infertility Program ....
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Greetings!
This newsletter is designed to provide you with the
latest fertility news and research so that you can
make the most informed decisions. We carefully
select items that are of special interest for those
dealing with infertility issues and who want to know
more about Mind Body techniques. It is sincerely
hoped that this letter will be of great use to you.
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| Fertility Recipe |
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Approximately 20-70% of women with PCOS also
have insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone which
regulates glucose and fat metabolism. Insulin
resistance is an impaired response to insulin. Insulin
resistance may be the cause of type 2 diabetes
mellitus. As many as 40% of patients with PCOs
develop type 2 diabetes by age 40. Therefore, it may
be prudent for those with PCOS to alter their diet
and exercise programs in order to achieve a healthy
lifestyle. Here is a sweet dessert that is low in
calories and sugar.
Chocolate Cream Mousse
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp of equal or splenda
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until
smooth, Spoon in two cups and refrigerate until
dessert time.
-
Maria Biasucci-Vianna,
MS, Nutritionist
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| Is Yoga For Me? |
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The practice of yoga, which has been around for
thousands of years, can be helpful in many aspects
of life, including infertility. You don't have to be a
pretzel to do yoga. Everyone can do it. Every
individual's physical, emotional and spiritual being is
different and you may move in and out of the poses
differently than another because of who you are.
What may feel comfortable for one may not feel
comfortable to another. I suggest "steady and
comfortable". Do what makes you feel comfortable.
By combining stretching movements with breath-
work, yoga will help you make that mind/body
connection often lost somewhere in the translation of
our infertility treatments. When seeking out a yoga
center or teacher, find one that makes you feel
comfortable and safe. Remember, it is advisable for
anyone receiving infertility treatment to consult with
a physician prior to practicing yoga or begining any
new exercise regimen. Read more at Resolve.
-Monica
Morell, PhD, www.fertilityoga.com
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Monica has an excellent yoga video ... |
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| Local Group Forming |
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10-Session Mind/Body Group: Enhancing Fertility and
Overcoming the Infertility Blues
Program Includes:
Stress Awareness · "Mini" Relaxation Exercises ·
Relaxation Response Training · Yoga Class · Breathing
Exercises · Guided Imagery · Deep Muscle Relaxation
· Stress Triggers · Nutritionist Talk · Exercise
Information · Positive Restructuring · Challenging
Cognitive Distortions
Group Begins: January 11, 2005, Tuesday's 6:30-
9:00pm. Location: White Plains, NY
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Registration Information... |
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| Mind Body Store |
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After receiving many requests over the past few
years to recommend Mind Body books, relaxation
tapes, and videos, we decided to put together our
Mind Body Store.
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Visit the Mind Body Store... |
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