Diversions

Maintaining sanity when seeking pregnancy becomes a challenge can be, well a challenge! For me, the key to maintaining sanity has been to find the balance (I know yesterday was about balance, but I guess it comes into play a lot these days) between acknowledging and spending time working towards fertility through fertility focused activities and finding diversions that are completely exclusive of fertility.

Each week I get an acupuncture treatment that should help with the endometriosis pain and maximize fertility at the same time. I try to make as many meals that follow the guidelines that my acupuncturist has shared as fertility friendly, but I have to admit I let myself slip here and there...I love a big piece of good old fashioned take out pizza and ice cream is not on my list, but I definitely have a weakness there. After reading "Making Babies: A proven 3-month program for maximizing fertility," I  found a little piece of advice from Jill Blakeway, the acupuncturist co-author, that has been priceless for maintaining sanity..."80% is perfection." So basically the idea is you do exactly what you are supposed to maintain maximum fertility about 80% of the time.  It allows you to give yourself a break once and a while and remember that it's necessary to just live your life without thinking about your fertility once and a while. The other critical part of caring for my fertility and my sanity is attending a fertility focused yoga class. This class gives me both the chance to care for my health and move in a way that optimizes fertility, but also a place to find community and share the good days and the bad with women who understand.

Now, to diversions, the other half of maintaining sanity. I have found that the things I love to do have become even more important as we all need times where we are not thinking about fertility at all. I take lots of walks with my dogs and enjoy the fact that I live in a great neighborhood with beautiful parks. I play music with some old friends in a little band called Thought Thieves; hanging out with the boys, writing songs and playing music together is a big diversion from the worries in our life. When I have time I love to read and my monthly book club with some of my best girlfriends is an amazing night off from thinking about fertility, it's a time when I get to discuss literature and take a step back in time to my years as a student-discussing books and art. My job itself can be all encompassing diversion when we have the weeks with art shows, conferences, or grades due and since those weeks come and go, they are a welcome break from fertility when I just focus on being a professional. I can't wait for summer because then I get to add my favorite diversions of creating art and gardening to my days!

Speaking of diversions...off to band practice! I got so caught up in this I'm going to be a bit late.