Coping and Hoping During the Holidays

The holiday season brings a mixed bag of emotions for couples having difficulty getting pregnant: there’s the joy and hope that comes naturally with the season, but so is the fear and dread of having to answer that awfully nosy question at family gatherings: “So, when are you going to have kids?” Add into that mix the rush of office holiday parties, surprise pregnancy announcements, and child-centric holiday traditions everywhere, the holidays can be a truly tough time when you’re experiencing infertility or loss.

Here are four ways to both cope and hope during this holiday season.

1. Focus on the gifts you share with your partner.

Trying to conceive can be a trying time indeed, especially so if you’ve been diagnosed with fertility issues and are currently seeking treatment. It can be a draining process: physically, emotionally, spiritually. Make some quality one-on-one time with your partner this holiday season. Instead of focusing on all the stress of your journey so far, just focus on and celebrate each other. Remember and indulge in why you started this journey together in the first place.

2. Be kind to yourself.

You might be giving plenty of gifts to others, but give yourself the gift of self-care this holiday season. If showing up to holiday parties is a must, you’ll be using plenty of emotional reserves to get through them, so refuel your heart and mind with something that makes you feel awesome: spa day, mani-pedi, or even just curling up on the couch watching your favorite movie, uninterrupted. This holiday season, put yourself at the top of your gift list.

3. Politely decline those holiday invitations.

RSVPs don’t always mean you have to show up; there’s a reason “regretfully decline” is always an option. Sometimes you just don’t have the emotional energy to deal with colleagues, coworkers, or even family. Think of declining those invites as just another way of being kind to yourself as an act of self-preservation. And if you’ve already said yes but realize it’s too much, remember: no one questions a stomach bug.

4. Celebrate and honor your journey.

The holiday season marks another turn of the year – a season of endings and beginnings. Make peace with the close of this year and everything you’ve experienced – and then focus on your goals for the New Year.

This holiday season, Aspire Fertility wants to grant the ultimate holiday wish for five hopeful parents with their #AspireToHope IVF Raffle: up to FIVE lucky winners will receive a 50% discounted IVF cycle at Aspire Fertility’s Houston, TX clinic, opening in January 2016!