Struggling with infertility can be a lonely, painful experience that impacts both body and mind, bringing with it emotions that can feel all-encompassing and stress that can take a toll on just about every aspect of your life. With that tenderness in mind, Headspace has released a collection of mental health resources designed to support those with infertility no matter their experiences or circumstances. The best part? It’s completely free to sign up.
The fertility support collection, which Headspace created in partnership with Spring Fertility, includes guided meditations and mindfulness exercises, audio conversations, and a documentary-style video series, each with a specific focus aimed towards the different stages and experiences so many with infertility will connect with.
According to a press release announcing the partnership, the platform will highlight:
- Listening to the mind and body by way of “mindfulness and compassion techniques to help cultivate trust in your body and tenderness for your journey.”
- Coping with feelings of isolation, offering “ways to navigate loneliness and isolation while remembering you are part of a shared human experience.”
- Holding space for grief, with ways to “acknowledge and normalize the losses that can be part of a fertility journey without being swept into shame and guilt.”
- Addressing uncertainty around fertility, with help to “develop ways to build resilience, patience, and strength through your fertility journey.”
- Tools to support self-care, with “practices that provide moments of respite from the emotional and physical overwhelm.”
Infertility can have you unsure of where to turn, especially when so many loved ones don’t understand and healthcare providers offer cold comfort (or even gaslight you). Along with employment and financial concerns—that’s without even mentioning the many changes you might experience in your body—and it’s a bona-fide emotional rollercoaster that can leave you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and burnt out.
“After my third miscarriage, it was incredibly tough not to fall into a sea of self-blame and regret,” shared Rosie Acosta, a meditation and mindfulness teacher with Headspace. “I began to mourn the loss of my dream of becoming a mother and having the family I once envisioned. The self-blame was crippling. Needing a break from the merry-go-round of guilt, confusion and negative self-talk, I decided to lean into uncertainty and discomfort and become friends with the normally isolating emotions. Through mindfulness and meditation, I was able to ground myself in the present to let go of resentment, grief, and heartbreak associated with my fertility journey. We developed this collection in partnership with leading mental health experts and fertility specialists to help others going through similar experiences.”
“Infertility can have profound effects on mental health,” added Dr. Nicole Yoder, a fertility specialist at Spring Fertility’s New York City clinic. “Because of this, it is incredibly important that individuals and couples navigating infertility have access to mental health support and resources. In partnering with Headspace on this collection, our hope is that these meditations and conversations can serve as another resource so that more people navigating fertility journeys can feel seen, supported, and not alone.”
With one in six people around the globe affected by infertility, you’re far from alone. But if we’re keeping it real, a lot of times, it doesn’t really feel that way. Here’s hoping that Headspace’s fertility support platform can help bridge the gap and offer the compassionate, shame- and judgment-free space you need and deserve.
