Fertile Friends Eight-Week Program
Welcome to the weekly update page for the Fertile Friends Eight-Week Program. Below I will have the information listed by week. All text documents are offered as a weblink, word document and pdf for printing ease.
This weeks journaling assignment is to fill out the getting to know you information and email your friend with the answers. Remember you only need to share what you’d like to, this is a great way to learn more about and create connection with another person. I will be giving each of you a journal when we meet at the clinic, as well as other information.
Journal Topic
Getting to Know You
weblink word document pdf file
Here are some links to meditating minutes. Also an article that I thought was very well written and will be your topic to journal about this week.
Journal Topic
Links
3 minute meditation – This link is a 3 minute audio clip guiding you through a meditation session.
10 minute meditation – This link offers a 10 minute audio and pictoral journey with Buddhist themes. Just click on your connection speed on the page.
Meditation and postures – This link has information about step by step meditation and information about meditation postures.
More info on meditation – How to meditate, reviews all aspects of meditation.
This week we’ll look into coping techniques and ways to refill and rebalance.
Journal Topic
“10 Tips for Coping with the Infertility Process” by Meg Sullivan LMSW
weblink word document pdf file
Comfort Drawer
This is an exercise in making deposits into your emotional bank account.
weblink word document pdf file
This week we encourage you, or you and your friend to try out Yoga, Pilates or any stress-reducing activity that you are interested in. If you are in Syracuse, you can view our calendar here for our yoga schedule, and visit us soon! Remember that you don’t need to be Gumby to truly reap the benefits of Yoga!
If you are interested in trying yoga at home here are some DVDs that you can buy and do on your own!
I own the Crunch Yoga and Pulling Down the Moon Fertility Yoga- both are great DVD’s to energize, reduce stress and experience fertility conscious poses.
Pulling Down the Moon Fertility Yoga
Fertility Yoga with Monica Morell, PhD
Journal Topic
“The Spiritual Wound of Infertility” by Meg Sullivan, LMSW
weblink word document pdf file
Also.. Conceive Magazine does a live-on air question and answer talk radio show about infertility. It is each Wednesday of the month at 2PM.
Click here to be linked to the site. There are also excerpts from past shows available online.
This week we’re going to do a couple of different jouraling exercises. The first one will be for you to write an angry letter – this letter isn’t going to be sent to anyone – so don’t hold back. This excercise will help you in purging your negative feelings, it can be very cathartic. I’ve included a few articles written by Meg Sullivan. The first one deals with how to deal with the holidays, which can be pertinant for holidays as well as family gatherings throughout the year. So read through the article and then write your angry letter to no one.
The second exercise will talk about coping as a couple.
Journal Topic
“When the Holidays are not so Happy” by Meg Sullivan, LMS
weblink word document pdf file
“Coping as a Couple” by Meg Sullivan, LMSW
weblink word document pdf file
This week we ask you to begin writing in your journal about the things in your life that truly light you up. The things that you are grateful for, the activities that you enjoy. Write about things that you would like to do or try, like learning the cello, or taking a pottery class.
Sometimes people tend to shut down and withdraw from the things that they enjoy the most when they are dealing with difficult life stressors, such as infertility. Counselors suggest that you re-introduce those things, people or activities that bring you joy and explore new things that you’ve always wanted to try.
This week I also encourage you to visit the resolve website at www.resolve.org. It is the national infertility association, you can register for free and there are great articles, message boards, and FAQ’s about infertility and coping. There are options to donate, but you don’t need to pay anything to be a registered member.
Journal Article – Another wonderful resource for emotional support and information about infertility is INCIID (www.inciid.org) which is The InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination, Inc.
There is an article entitled Staying Sane and Whole During Treatment here by Jennifer Bloome, MS OTR, HWC. There are many other articles here as well that you can check out if you’d like.
This week we encourage you to take 2 hours (or longer!) and do something that you listed on your “What lights me up” list. You don’t need to do it alone, you just need to enjoy whatever it is that you have set aside this special time to do. Continue emailing, calling or meeting up with your friend. I’ve included some links to different fun things to do in the Syracuse area.
In addition to the journal article for this final week, I’ve also put together a Fertile Friends Message Board. Click here to visit the forum home page.
These articles discuss the impact of infertility’s stress on you and your partner’s relationship.
Happy Together Again: Reframing Infertility in Your Marriage by Susan G. Mikesell, Ph.D.]
Thank you for your time and energy as you worked through the past 8 weeks with your Fertile Friend. I hope this was a positive and helpful experience. We are always looking at how to improve our program – so I’d love to hear from you about your experience – good, bad or indifferent. Share your suggestions on what you liked, what you didn’t like or what you think is missing. Good luck you each of you.
