Acceptance. Preparation. Intuition. Resilience. Fear. These are all addressed in Megan Hine's new book Mind of a Survivor and she talks about how to apply them in the context of a real survival scenario but more importantly, your day to day life. No shock that these are things a couple trying to conceive also face... In this post, I'll review Megan Hine's book.
I read this book because I love the outdoors. But I'm not into the male-dominated author market of books on sport, pushing through and showing how tough they are. Megan Hine's Mind of a Survivor was a complete surprise and refreshing outlook.
Here's a Ted X Talk of Megan Hine:
As she describes it, [perfectpullquote align="full" bordertop="false" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]"I've read lots of survival stories that focus on the physical aspect of the survivor's ordeal...and I remember thinking, YES, but how did they cope? What was going through their heads?"[/perfectpullquote]
This book could be read for it's adventure stories and inspiration, but it speaks volumes about the relationship we have with ourselves, within our own minds.
When stress comes along, often we are NOT so nice to ourselves with the self-talk, the nagging voice in our heads.
Hine talks about aspects of the mind that can begin to self-sabotage any project whether it be climbing a mountain, work tasks or life lessons.
I think it has immense value for couples also going through the challenges of trying to conceive. When was the last time your doctor encouraged you to listen to your intuition, practice resilience or prepare for conceiving or an IVF cycle? Exactly. Hine's message of applying real survival mentality to our everyday, makes this an easy and accessible read.
Some questions she asks include:
How do we accept our current situation and move through it?
How do we be the hero of our own life? I thought these themes were highly relevant to couples TTC.
[perfectpullquote align="full" bordertop="false" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]"From my own experience I know that one of the ways we endure extreme hardships is by shutting down our emotional responses. If you let fear, pain, distress and anxiety rise to the surface they can paralyse your mind and stop it functioning....And yet it's been my experience that the mental side of survival is more important than fitness or experience."[/perfectpullquote]
This is so true to Fertility Journeys as well - whether with or without IVF.
[perfectpullquote align="full" bordertop="false" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]"It's only in the fairly recent past in Western Medicine we've begun treating people rather than diseases - taking a holistic approach to health- because we've found that a purely scientific attitude to well-being won't cure some illnesses: we also need to soothe our minds."[/perfectpullquote]
Hine discusses the way the Nervous system and Brain works in relation to stress. I find it refreshing to see that clients are interested in learning this about themselves, simply so they can recognise when they're stuck, tying themselves in knots with stress and affecting their own hormone switches. This is a big part of understanding your fertility potential and hormones.
[perfectpullquote align="full" bordertop="false" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]Hine says often "Be the hero of your own life." I think her message is meaningful to anyone struggling with a challenge that they feel is holding them back.[/perfectpullquote]
It is a reminder to work with your biology, read the signs our bodies give us and listen to them. Because it's trying to give you a clear message! I think also it encourages one to do what is right for YOU.
By reading Hine's book, I was reminded of how Traditional Chinese Medicine can help women on their Fertility Journeys by moderating their stress response. The simple act of having acupuncture can down decrease their Sympathetic output, calming them and addressing their Body-Mind connection.
Easy to read, it really struck a chord with me on the mental and emotional aspects of how we live and how to pay more attention. How to accept our current situation and move forward. This is a concept we address in Chinese Medicine - feeling stuck and stagnant. You can read more about Liver Qi Stagnation and it's role in Fertility here.
The themes Hine discusses in her book are within our own potential to work on and change - simply for our own wellbeing and happiness.
If you're interested in trying Acupuncture as part of your broader Fertility plans, email us on info@springfertility.com.au or join our mailing list.
