During pregnancy, almost all women experience some type of pregnancy symptoms, ranging from nausea and sickness, to fatigue, back pain, constipation, and breathlessness. Shockingly, research has actually identified up to 41 different symptoms that can occur during pregnancy! Whilst pregnancy symptoms often fluctuate throughout the antenatal period, typically easing as pregnancy progresses, some women do experience pregnancy symptoms that persist throughout the entire nine months. For example, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), is an extreme form of morning sickness that can lead to severe nausea, vomiting, and dehydration throughout the entirety of pregnancy.
Battling feelings of illness and discomfort for months of end can understandably take a toll on your sense of wellbeing and quality of life. It can be easy to lean into negative thoughts and feelings during this time, which can start to overshadow your pregnancy experience. Whilst you obviously can’t control what your body is doing during this time, one thing you can control is how you approach and manage the situation. As hard as it may be, you are still in control of your mind, and you have the power to guide your thoughts and choose how you view your situation. To help you do this, I’ve put together the following list of ten mindset shifts to help you cope with your pregnancy symptoms and cultivate a more positive outlook.
1. Trust the process
Nothing we experience in life lasts forever, good or bad. So, whilst your pregnancy symptoms might feel never-ending, remember that you will get through it and come out the other side eventually. Focus on taking every day as it comes and knowing that each night when you go to bed, you’ll be one day closer to meeting your baby and feeling better.
2. Keep your eyes on the prize
When things feel miserable, it can be easy to get sucked into a vortex of despair and lose sight of the bigger picture – your baby. Rather than focusing your energy on your symptoms and the distress you feel, try to refocus your thoughts to the end goal, remembering that the discomfort is a necessary evil for a wonderful cause.
3. Develop a coping toolbox
Try experimenting with different approaches to find what helps you to cope. That might be something physical that helps to reduce your symptoms somewhat, or it might be various mental strategies that you use to help distract yourself from the discomfort, or to help you cope with your feelings. There is power in knowing yourself and what works for you, so take the time to test out different tools and strategies.
4. Focus on what you can control
Severe pregnancy symptoms can leave you feeling powerless and out of control. However, rather than focusing on what you can’t change, consider what you can control, such as your mindset, your reactions, and your daily choices. While your body might be doing its own thing right now, don’t forget that you’re still in the driving seat and have the power to choose how you respond and navigate this experience.
5. Practice self-compassion
If you have a tendency to be very hard on yourself, you might find yourself saying unhelpful things to yourself such as “I should be able to handle this” or “other people have it worse”. If this resonates, try practicing some self-compassion. What would you say to a friend in the same situation? The things you tell yourself matter, so try saying more kind, compassionate things to yourself, such as “this is hard, and it’s understandable that I’m struggling”.
6. Celebrate small wins
If you’re feeling really poorly, it’s understandable that you might not feel like celebrating at the moment. However, making a concerted effort to acknowledge the small wins each day can help to boost your mood and outlook. It might be a new tool or strategy that you’ve found that helps you to cope better, or it might be managing to get to the end of the day with minimal discomfort. Whatever it is, take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate those successes, to help reframe your thinking.
7. Embrace adaptability
There might be parts of your old lifestyle and routine that just doesn’t work for you anymore, and trying to maintain these may be making you feel worse. Rather than forcing yourself to do things that no longer feel good, try showing yourself some kindness and meet yourself where you’re at by adapting your old routine to better work for you.
8. Practice gratitude
Practicing gratitude can help us feel better, even in the most challenging of times. There’s always something to be grateful for, so it’s worth spending some time at the end of each day thinking about three things you were grateful for that day. It doesn’t have to be something big; it could be something as small as the joy you got from your morning coffee, the gratitude you feel for having a comfy bed to get in to, or for having a safe, warm home.
9. Set realistic expectations
Much of life’s unhappiness is caused by our expectations not aligning with our reality. On this basis, it’s important to be realistic about what you will be able to do if you’re experiencing bad pregnancy symptoms. Understand that your capabilities and daily life may need to change, and that's okay. Accepting that, and setting realistic expectations of yourself, rather than fighting the reality of the situation, will go a long way to helping you cope.
10. Build a support network
Experiencing severe pregnancy symptoms can feel really isolating and it can be easy to feel like you have to go through it alone, but that’s just not true. Make sure to reach out to your friends and family to let them know how you’re feeling, or to connect with others who have had similar experiences, if you can. Knowing you’ve got people around you that you can lean on for support can change your experience and help you better cope with the situation.
Final thoughts
Whilst pregnancy symptoms are an inevitable part of the pregnancy journey, they can understandably start to affect your wellbeing and quality of life. However, it’s important not to let negative thoughts and feelings start to overshadow your experience of pregnancy. Using some of these mindset shifts, you can begin to cultivate a more positive outlook and reframe your thinking to better support your mental wellbeing. Remember, you have the power to take back control of your mind.
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