https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 12 May 2026 05:23:06 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-839851 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:44:17 +0000 sweetooth 839851@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@spaniellove: that is a super sweet idea... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-839617 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:26:25 +0000 Mrs.Someone 839617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@spaniellove: Such a great idea! It will definitely help show how loved and wanted your future LO is. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-839373 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:36:02 +0000 spaniellove 839373@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I remembered that I've always found crafts soothing and found something to work on. A long time ago, my friend and I used to make these origami stars for each other for good luck. So I thought it might be nice to make a star for each day of this journey and eventually turn all the stars into a garland. One day when we finally have a LO I'll be able to see how many days we waited, and every single day will have a purpose. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-836331 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:08:01 +0000 sweetooth 836331@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The exhaustion from it all is the worst. Cycling takes it out of you. I found that getting my feelings down on paper really helped me work through what I was feeling. I know that paper doesn't really give you any feedback or any hugs, but just emptying out my head really helped me. It's all so consuming, even though we want to believe that our lives are filled with more <i>(and they are!)</i>. It's all that was on my mind - so I had to record the thoughts to feel like I always had an outlet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-834764 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 07:26:26 +0000 Happygal 834764@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No tips for you, but I wanted to say that I'm thinking about you and hope your spirits can perk back up with all the advice people have offered here. </p> <p>I don't know if this makes you feel better, but I always enjoy reading what you share here on HB. You are a great source of information and support for others, and I hope that is something that is satisfying for you. Sometimes I like to come here and just read non-pregnancy stuff to remind me that there is life outside of TTC, and it is a good life, too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-832123 Wed, 05 Jun 2013 09:07:04 +0000 raintreebee 832123@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@spaniellove: I'd miss you a lot too. Don't worry. I am not going any place. Just a passing thought I have when I begin to feel too much like a veteran. :)</p> <p>Tell me more about this infertility coach... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-831771 Wed, 05 Jun 2013 01:55:50 +0000 TheSwissWifeStyle 831771@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hmm, I dunno. I think everyone handles it differently. I can throw out a few things at the top of my head...can you just take a day or 2 off work? Maybe just go down the shore, walk the boardwalk and just BE. You know? Just physically remove yourself, even for just a day. </p> <p>Or you can take just a lil money and do something nice for yourself. (This is often what I do.) Buy a new bag, get a new hair-do, get a tattoo. </p> <p>Try to meet up with other people in your area that are going through the same thing. For me, I was really struggling having no IRL friends that I could talk to. So I got on some online forums here and basically reached out, asking if there was anyone else going through IF stuff. I've met 2 great girls here now. They are both from the US too, so that's really made me feel less alone. Maybe your clinic has a support group you can go to? I was shocked that mine did not! So I sorta started my own!</p> <p>Always here if you need to vent! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-831498 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:46:35 +0000 bamblm 831498@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@spaniellove: hang in there! I just wanted to say that mini breaks were the key for us. Like no IF talk after 8 pm. Also, about the money thing- we also got tapped out money wise since we had to pay for all treatments and meds out of pocket. Some free things and it might sound stupid, but game night with friends, play chess or cards with your SO, picnic night with a bottle of cheap champagne on our deck, gave each other back/neck rubs. It might feel forced, but just try to do things to get your mind off of it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-831459 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:31:03 +0000 spaniellove 831459@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I appreciate all of the ideas; thank you so much! A while back I started talking to my infertility coach (apparently different from a therapist) again, though less frequently, which helps a little bit. And I asked DH if he could take a few days off so we might be able to just spend some quality time together since weekends are always so rushed. </p> <p>It used to work for me to throw myself into something or focus on being optimistic, but I've run out of energy for that too. </p> <p>@raintreebee: I would miss you a lot if you took an HB break. Although I've only been through one IVF cycle, I feel like you unfortunately understand what it's like to cycle endlessly and go through so many treatments and disappointments. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-831016 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:41:54 +0000 Mrs.Someone 831016@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh, I feel ya, I'm there too :P Thanks for the suggestions ladies! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-830940 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:08:06 +0000 justdarling 830940@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I want to second what Mrs. Green Grass said about the acupuncture. I was totally against doing acupuncture since we have MFI and I thought it would not help at all. Well, I decided to try it, and I really enjoy the relaxing time. It is almost a therapeutic experience. We always talk about my cycle, but then she always asks how I am doing emotionally. It really helps to get that out to someone and then just have time to relax. If you can't do acupuncture, I suggest something like it, like maybe a massage or weekly yoga practice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-830920 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:58:19 +0000 raintreebee 830920@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Do you do any hobbies? I was getting back into oil painting for a a while, and that was a nice outlet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-830872 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:37:52 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 830872@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Can you take a closer trip at a good part of your cycle? Something that doesn't have to be planned far in advance? Or get a membership to massage envy or try acupuncture. I really looked forward to my acupuncture appointments because they were really relaxing.</p> <p>I also took "breaks" without taking a real break. I would only temp when I had to or I would try to stop counting days if I was in a part of my cycle that I could not control like the tww.</p> <p>Blogging was the #1 way that I "dealt" with it though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-830855 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:30:06 +0000 raintreebee 830855@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am struggling with the same. We have been doing fertility treatments over the past ten months, and I just can't bear to think how many more we have to do. The constant monitoring and total uncertainty re: procedures drastically cuts down on our ability to plan anything at all, yet I am also reluctant to get off this crazy roller coaster, even for a short time. I did find a local support group and a yoga for infertility group that has helped somewhat with coping, but for burnout I have turned to distractions. I am trying to pour myself into work (with little success), and we are moving soon so lots of little projects to accompany that (although the thought of spending $ on furniture when god knows how many ivfs we will need kinda makes me sick). I have thought about taking a hellobee break because part of me is starting to feel out of place here since I am getting so far along in treatments with no success. Not sure if that would help, and I'd miss my friends. I think I need to do more of what justdarling suggested--little treats or mini breaks to get us through. And try to keep myself distracted while waiting for those daily phone calls. During stims, I found myself just staring at the phone for way too long or googling this or that. NOT productive. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-830831 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:11:23 +0000 justdarling 830831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I totally understand how you are feeling. This whole IF thing is really an emotional roller coaster! </p> <p>If taking a break isn't possible, then I would suggest taking mini breaks. Have a day, or an hour, where you pamper yourself and try not to think about IF. Do a few things that remind you of life outside of IF - like have a girls night or go to a nice restaurant with DH. I've started imposing a rule in our house that we don't talk about TTC or IF for a few hours each night and just enjoy being together. Those little mini breaks really help. They are hard to do at first, but then become more of a habit.</p> <p>Hang in there. Hopefully this will all be over with soon. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-battling-burnout#post-830584 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:46:25 +0000 spaniellove 830584@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>IFer bees, do any of you have suggestions for how to handle the exhaustion and burnout? Staying positive is only one small aspect of this. It's also just the emotional and physical exhaustion from spending almost every morning at the clinic (and then spending the whole afternoon waiting for the phone call), and not knowing more than 24 hours ahead of time whether I'm going in again. Although monitoring and TI sounds like no big deal, I realized that I'm actually at the clinic more often than in an IVF cycle. The idea of keeping this up for who knows how long is daunting.</p> <p>To top it off, next month marks a year since we started the process with fertility specialists so it's been intense for a long time now. Normally we'd just go away on a long faraway trip, but there's just no way we can do that now that we've spent so much on treatments...and more importantly, it's hard to predict when I'll have more than a day off.</p> <p>Taking a break isn't the answer (I've already had a forced break and it did no good) but I'm just so tired. </p>