00:00:00 Hello and welcome. We are going to talk about self-care and self-love and maybe a little about guilt today. Has it become one of the hardest disciplines for you to take care of yourself and give yourself the attention that you truly need right now on the path to pregnancy? If so, I can definitely relate to that feeling of being at the very bottom of the list of
00:00:22 things you should do something about. It can actually be quite a challenge to focus on self-care and self-love when facing fertility challenges. It can feel as if we self-care and self-love when facing fertility challenges. It can feel as if we are constantly putting our own needs aside to focus on fixing, improving or finding solutions to the situation you are now in. But why is it so difficult to create time and space for
00:00:48 ourselves, and not least, to prioritize it? Part of this may be culturally, but also socially conditioned. Many of us are raised to put others' needs before our own and to be self- Many of us are raised to put others' needs before our own and to be self- sufficient without asking for help or support. Additionally, there may also be a feeling of guilt associated
00:01:07 with taking time for oneself, especially when we feel that there is so much pressure to be in the most optimal state with our bodies and to achieve a pregnancy or to maintain one. Furthermore, the fertility journey can be filled with emotional pain, which can make it even harder to find time for. Self-care and self-love. It can indeed seem to it even harder to find time for. Self-care and self-love. It can indeed seem to
00:01:31 feel challenging at times to find space to take care of oneself when one is so focused on solving the problem. But it is precisely in these difficult moments that self- care and self-love are incredibly necessary, that we give ourselves permission to rest and care for our body, mind and soul. In order to find joy in the small moments, this
00:01:57 can help us rebuild our strength and resilience on days when there may be some small bumps rebuild our strength and resilience on days when there may be some small bumps in the road when we experience along the way that our treatment suddenly takes a new direction. All we are, for example, forced to take a break or must completely stop for a while.
00:02:14 What I'm talking about is not about ignoring fertility challenges or giving up hope, not at all. Rather, it is about creating balance and healing in your life. And remember that you also deserve care and love, no matter how difficult everything may be. you also deserve care and love, no matter how difficult everything may be. Throughout my own journey with fertility treatment over many years, I experienced how
00:02:36 difficult it was to set aside time for myself. It became more of a responsibility that needed to be checked off in the daily routine. Physiotherapy, check. Massage, check. Eating healthy, check. Often I feel that if I let go and made room for more me time, it would be my own fault if the next treatment didn't go well. But deep down, I actually truly needed to if the next treatment didn't go well. But deep down, I actually truly needed to
00:03:06 let go of the guilt I felt and the responsibility that came with it. In my sessions , I experienced that letting go largely involves being able to relinquish control. For many, this is one of the hardest things. For those of you who thrive on control and security, knowing what lies ahead, much like me, it can feel extremely challenging.
00:03:28 Therefore, I am sharing a practical exercise with you today that you can work Therefore, I am sharing a practical exercise with you today that you can work on to reduce the amount of guilt and self-blame, so there can be a little more space for self-care and love for yourself. Are you ready? Good, because what we are going to talk about now is how to let go of that self-blame and guilt on your fertility journey. The exercise
00:03:53 is coming right up. The technique I have chosen to call "Trell Sautinga". You can call it right up. The technique I have chosen to call "Trell Sautinga". You can call it whatever you like, but it can be a bit of a bothersome person we need to think about. We have this little voice in our heads that tells us it's all our fault. It can be extremely critical,
00:04:10 judgmental, harsh and unforgiving. Let's face it, it is actually not very sweet at all. And for some reason, that voice is often much easier to believe than the one that says we are important and that it is not all our fault. I know it is easy to get carried away by our carried away by our thoughts. It's about jumping on the train when it first leaves. Because often
00:04:37 we operate a bit on autopilot for most of the day and we spend a lot of time inside our heads, within ourselves. Especially if you are often having difficulties with infertility, we tend to turn things inward. Often because our surroundings do not really understand the world we inhabit and because we do not want to be judged for what we are currently going through
00:04:58 . So the little voice can certainly feel very familiar and trustworthy, but it is quite
