One huge way I round out my life being working Artist is by coaching women through life before and during pregnancy. Check out my offerings for pregnancy coaching here: pregnancy coaching.
I hear a lot about fear these days.
Fear of the future, fear of making the right decisions, fear of making the wrong decisions. Fear of not enough money, fear of losing it, fear of being lost.
Furthermore, one of the most common topics of discussion with my mindful pregnancy coaching clients is fear. Often times, it’s a fear about the birthing process–the pains of labor and delivery.
More than often, it’s just fear of the unknown, with the knowing that life will change. As it always does life keeps constantly changing. Planning a pregnancy can really make one aware that a change is gonna come.
I am here to serve and to help you overcome fear in your pregnancy planning and beyond.
Why does fear exist?
Fear is a natural emotion. Fear helps to guide us towards the right decisions for our life and well being. For instance, if you are walking around a new city, and you feel fear when you enter a dark and unknown street, you are probably right to avoid walking down that street. Fear is a guide, it is exists to help our survival. Fear is a normal human occurrence.
Why do I feel fear about becoming pregnant?
One way that I look at this is that fear is about our roots, our survival, our foundation. And when we have a bit of instability in life about these areas, fear comes in and fills in the gaps of that instability.
Pregnancy really heightens all emotions. Pregnancy is a state of direct reflection of your practices and thought patterns. And if fear has been inside of your being for a while, it’s going to feel more intense.
Also, I have to say: it’s ok to feel fear. Again, it’s a natural emotion. You may just need a bit of help to lessen it’s presence in your life.
What can I do about fear in my pregnancy?
First of all, your awareness is a huge step. I just want to say congratulations to being able to be so conscious in your own body. That is a beautiful thing.
Name the fear: Give your fear a name. Naming the fear quantifies it and contains it into a place in your mind. Then you can say, “oh this is Rasputin visiting me again” when you start to have fear (feel free to use whatever name you want, Rasputin is mine right now).
Replace the fear: Replace the fear with breath. I don’t have any idea who to quote when saying this (maybe Gay Hendricks?) but it has been said that fear is excitement without breath. When you feel some fear coming up, take 5 deep breaths. It will help you now and this practice will be helpful for your birthing experience, too.
Love the fear: This is my favorite, because feeling fear is such a beautiful opportunity to learn to love yourself. Fear is a part of you, but does not need to be the whole you. When you feel fear, just love yourself. Say I love you to the fear that is serving a part of you.
Other action steps: seek support, get a good team of experts (Drs., midwives, doulas) on your side, and prepare before you are pregnant.
This is a sacred time in your life. Embrace it with the mindfulness you did for other milestones in your history: your graduation, your wedding day, or your favorite holidays. You deserve to have a healthy, vibrant pregnancy. Start now!