Each with its own “tools” allows us to perceive our needs, prompting us to address them. Just as we physically feel hunger, sleepiness, pain, etc., we also receive signals psychologically through emotions like fear, joy, sadness, or anger about what is happening. A physical condition can have emotional effects, and vice versa.
Psychosomatic Symptoms
Psychosomatic symptoms occur when emotions find an outlet for expression in the body. When intense emotional states are present, or when we struggle to connect with our feelings—headaches, dizziness, stomach issues, skin conditions, neck pain, and more—these can become the body’s way of speaking on behalf of our psychology.
Key Things to Observe in Our Daily Flow
- If our sleep has been affected
- If our diet has changed
- How our concentration is
- What our mood is like
- How much energy we feel we have
- If we are experiencing psychosomatic symptoms
- If our immune system is weakened
During the IVF Process
A common concern for women during the IVF process is whether their psychological state can affect their physical condition. Any unpleasant emotion may seem like a threat that could ruin the outcome, but this is not true in practice. It’s important to remember that an excessive effort to remain positive can force our other voices (such as anxiety, discomfort, or irritation) to find an outlet in the body.
The process of self-care does not change or gain new rules during this period of trying. We observe, understand, explain, and care for both our body and our psychology.
The Psychology of Nutrition
At Embryolab, our goal is fertility. Nutrition is directly connected to fertility issues and plays its role in the IVF process. However, our diet is also influenced by our mental state, and we may notice that depending on our emotional phases, it becomes easier or harder to take care of it.
A Proper Diet or Ideal Body Weight
These are certainly desirable for most people. However, the pace of daily life, stress, emotional instability, pressure from life’s difficulties, and many other factors can be reasons to neglect our nutrition or find in it a refuge of pleasure (if no other is available). Conversely, we may be in an anxious pursuit of perfect nutrition—trying to take care of the body but ultimately linking it to high levels of stress. Under certain conditions, any tendency can evolve into an eating disorder.
What Can We Do?
First, recognize our relationship with food and, without fear or guilt, address it with understanding and genuine interest. This is a healthy approach, as opposed to a restrictive one that tries to “put us on a regimen” in a harsh or unsustainable way. This is a good example of the conflict that often leads us to a dead end: “pleasure with poor nutrition” or “punishment with good nutrition.”
Our eating behavior is a significant aspect that characterizes our relationship with ourselves: how we maintain, care for, please, and ensure our[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
