Whether or not you are an over-thinker or someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder or general stress in your life, I believe the tips I am going to share will help as they have helped me tremendously throughout my whole first trimester, and what I know will continue to help even after pregnancy, and once the baby is here. The reason why we need to minimize stress and the stressors in our lives, especially during pregnancy, is because this has an effect on our unborn baby growing in our uterus. Whether these stressors are our everyday stresses like bills, work, school, or even drama with friends and/or family, these are the best ways I have found to help me, and I hope they help you as well.
Ways to Manage Stress and Stressors
Here are some healthy ways we can manage our stress and the stressors around us!
Practice Deep Breathing
This was my first step to managing my stress; however, I quickly found this alone would not help me, but it does help me reduce my risk of an on-set panic attack. When I feel panicky, or something happens that upsets me, I will do breathing exercises and have felt that deep breathing can relieve some stress. If you want to look into it, I found some of these exercises on this site.
Invest in a Journal
Investing in a journal or two can’t hurt and absolutely has been so helpful during my pregnancy. I am a writer, so it is no secret that writing helps me reduce my stress, but writing things down for myself and reflection is perfect for self-care during pregnancy, one of the hardest things women may go through in their lifetime. It is rough growing a baby and even more intimidating when things are plaguing our minds and keeping us hostage in our brains. I have several journals for different things, but keeping a pregnancy journal and a drama journal has helped me. When a situation arises that upsets me, I write it down in my drama journal. After writing down what is going on, I will write down one thing I am grateful for and one thing I can do to help the situation. I often find myself writing down to forgive the universe or people involved in my case and letting go, as holding grudges and having negative thoughts about people or situations we cannot help lead us to be more stressed. As an over-thinker, this is a big thing that has helped me through challenging situations throughout my life and this pregnancy. Also, keeping a pregnancy journal for all things pregnancy and baby-related will help you relieve stress and put you back on track to thinking about what truly matters.
Practice Mindfulness and Gratitude
As stated above, a journal will help you so much, and even if you don’t want to invest in journals, your phone notes and applications can help you practice gratitude and mindfulness. Every morning before work, I will practice mindfulness by using the above mentioned breathing techniques and meditating for at least five minutes. Clear your mind, and let your brain rest.
Set Boundaries and Stick With Them
This is a big tip! We need to establish boundaries for ourselves when it comes to other people. Our goal is to keep the baby and ourselves happy and healthy. If we aren’t satisfied, the baby can sense that. So, whatever we need to do to keep ourselves comfortable and stress-free, we need to be doing that. If toxic friends or even family members in your life can impact you and your stress levels, consider limiting contact with those people. If there are activities that you do not feel like doing, put your foot down and listen to your body – I have been so sick throughout my pregnancy, and there have been things I have had to say no to. I have missed out on a lot of fun stuff, but it is better to miss out on stuff that can be done again than to go anyway and feel miserable. Overall, set boundaries and actually stick to them.
Seek a Support Partner
This one can be fun! There are many pregnancy groups for due dates on Facebook, and I have made many new friends and support buddies since joining them. If you don’t want to appoint a stranger as your support partner, consider a friend or family member, even your husband/wife, as a support person to be there for you. I have found that having a support person who is also pregnant and in the same stages of pregnancy as me helped and makes the most sense.
Consider Therapy
Lastly, consider an actual therapist. Therapy can be scary and intimidating but benefits mommies and our psyche. Therapists help us understand our feelings and can help us channel them in healthy ways. These professionals are trained to help us handle what we have going on, making this a great outlet.
Final Thoughts
Overall, we must put ourselves and the babies we are carrying first and understand that peace is all we need and deserve during this time. I know that it is hard when you’re an over-thinker and a people pleaser. But we have to try!
For more information on stress and pregnancy, please visit this link, as you can read more about it as I am not a health professional. You should also consult your doctor if your stress has not been relieved and you need extra help.
Life With Caitie 