Calming the Nervous System: Restorative Practices for the Female Physician on the Fertility Journey
You can talk a patient through a panic attack in under a minute.
Doing it for yourself at 2 a.m. before a beta? Different story.
Most of the physicians I work with know exactly what their nervous system is doing. They can name the cortisol, the sympathetic tone, the hypervigilance. They’ve tried the meditation app, the box breathing, the bath. And they’re still running on high alert from one cycle to the next.
So I recorded this one solo. I get specific about what actually moves the needle on nervous system regulation during fertility treatment- and how to build a toolkit that fits your particular brain, body, and schedule.
Here’s what we get into:
Why I started Love & Science- what I kept seeing in patients, cycle after cycle, that told me the science alone wasn’t enough
Why I won’t do an embryo transfer on a patient who is dysregulated- and what I said to the one who told me it wasn’t going to work
Inner resources vs. outer resources, and why the inner ones are what protect you from the weather of this journey
The thoughts running under the surface that keep your nervous system stuck- and how to bring them into the light
Compassion toward yourself as a regulation tool- kindness, mindfulness, and common humanity- with The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook by Dr. Kristin Neff as a starting point
Why yoga might be the prescription you’ve been dismissing
Also in there: sensory restoration (flowers, weighted blankets, soft things, and why the Danes were onto something), why adults don’t get nearly enough hugs, and why bubble baths are not going to save us.
You’d never expect a patient to regulate on willpower alone. You don’t have to either.
Three breaths. Start there. 💜
With Love and Science,
💜 Dr. Erica
P.S. If your nervous system has been running the show through treatment and you want another set of eyes on your plan- clinically and emotionally- that’s exactly what a Private Fertility Consult is for. Book a consult here. I’d love to connect.
