Our thoughts and feelings play a big role in shaping life events. When we are facing a struggle like infertility, it often feels like we have little control over our own inner processing. We may react to things that normally would not upset us. We may begin to doubt ourselves, our experience, and feel disempowered.
Mindfulness Meditation is the perfect tool that can help relax the mind and body, reaching a quieter, more balanced state. When we can access this calming part of ourselves, we increase clarity and widen our perspective. Mindfulness Meditation is a systemic way of using our concentration and focus to settle the busy mind. It’s a cognitive disengagement with our thoughts, a breaking down and indeed a pattern interrupter.
The key to Mindfulness is to affix ourselves firmly in the present moment. This can be achieved through awareness of the breath or body. Tap into our senses and observe our experience moment to moment. As thoughts arise and interrupt our focus, our job is to notice them, label them and gently bring ourselves back to a focal point in the present. Acceptance is a big part of Mindfulness Meditation. There is an gentle accepting of the experience.
The mind has over 70,000 thoughts a day. Many of them are repetitive, untrue and tend to scare us over and over. Some of our thoughts are deeply embedded in our thinking. Mindfulness Meditation reigns us in. As the mind wonders from thought to thought, we notice, observe, label, let go. It is then that we can bring ourselves back to the present.
The scientific research around mindfulness meditation shows many benefits including improved cognitive, emotional and immune responses. Meditation changes the neural activity, increasing our attention and relieving stress. Once we practice the focusing and labelling of thoughts, there is a natural spillover effect that takes place in our daily life. We create a new pattern of not getting tied up with the same thoughts over and over and we make room for something new.
Amira is a Social Worker in Toronto, Ontario. She works with individuals and couples who are struggling with infertility. Amira facilitates the Mind-Body Fertility Group at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
She is also a mother of three miracles.
For more information,
visit www.healinginfertility.ca
and find her on Twitter and Instagram.
