May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Adoption can be a stressful time; you have to complete trainings, fundraise, complete a home study… Not to mention the unknown time it takes to wait for a match! This most definitely can take a toll on your mental health.
It can be a hard time to focus on something that may sound trivial. But on the contrary, your mental health is extremely important! You have to make it a priority. Below are some ways you can focus on your mental health during the adoption process:
Do not push yourself when you are mentally drained.
According to Adoption.org, a way to help is by finding a support group of other adoptive families in your community. It gives you an outlet to talk to someone who has been through the embryo adoption process. You can always check online for support groups for your area or can contact your agency for any suggestions. It can even be as simple as a Facebook group. They can help put you at ease, which in turn will help with your stress levels.
Put your mind on something that is adoption process related.
Sometimes you just need a break. Let yourself unwind, focus on you, clear your mind, and get ready for another day. Ways you can do this is go for a walk, do yoga or pilates, read your favorite book, or just watch a movie. Just take your attention away from the adoption process for a little bit. At least thirty minutes a day.
Check in with your partner.
Remember you are not the only one in the adoption process. Your spouse is going through the same journey and processing emotions, which could be affecting their mental health. Remember that you are not doing this on your own. By coming together, this will help improve your mental health because you are able to communicate with your spouse instead of bottling it up.
Give yourself something to look forward to in the future.
It can be anything, even as simple as meeting a friend for lunch, or even going on a vacation. You are allowing yourself to focus on you and let yourself get excited for something to come, rather than stress about the unknown road ahead.
Do not play the comparison game.
This is something we all have done and can be very changeling not to do! Comparing your adoption process to someone else will only have a negative impact. Not every adoption is the same. With any adoption, it is not guaranteed that it will be a fast and as smooth as possible. Just because a family got matched with embryos immediately is not experiencing their own troubles and road bumps throughout the process.
To learn more about embryo adoption and if it is the right fit for your family, visit EmbryoAdoption.org.
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