The following are time-tested methods for reducing stress that you can try, during and after your pregnancy:
- Low-impact exercises such as walks, stretching and yoga: We start with exercise because of its manifold health benefits. It will help get all your body’s systems in sync, improve your overall health, gently strengthen muscles and help burn excess fat, boost your immune system, and help you feel more relaxed and in control of your life. Consider joining an exercise class for moms-to-be, where you may wind up making new friends who can be there for mutual support when the babies start arriving
- Reach out to your loved ones: Schedule a periodic lunch or dinner with your favorite friends or family members, who will give you support and help you look at your situation more favorably or help you make important decisions about what to change to decrease your life stress
- Get plenty of sleep, and if you find that you need to sleep a little more when you’re expecting, so be it! Nothing will make a person feel more lethargic and hopeless than being sleep-deprived. Make sure you get 8-9 hours of sleep every night. Cut down on screen time (TV, computers, etc.), if you need to sleep a little more
- Make lists of the things that you will need for the baby, then start doing a little shopping! And while you’re out there, don’t forget to buy plenty of loose-fitting clothes for the months that follow! If you plan ahead for what’s to come, your feelings of stress will decrease
- Eat a healthy diet — this is more important than ever now. Avoid caffeinated beverages, which will make you extra-anxious (and they won’t help your developing baby, either). Drink plenty of water daily, to keep the right fluids in your body going to all the right places
- Don’t underestimate the power of humor! Pick up a book written by your favorite famous funny person
- Lose yourself in a novel that you always wanted to read, but hadn’t
- For the majority of us, who believe in a supreme Creator, prayer is certainly an important aspect of our daily lives, and if things aren’t going well at a sensitive time such as this, pray harder!
EmoticonEmoticon