3 Tips For Surviving Thanksgiving (Or Really Any Holiday)

Ohhhhhhhh Thanksgiving. The time of year when we count our blessings by trying to eat our own weight in pie. As if the holidays weren’t a challenge enough, they can be extra miserable if you’re struggling to conceive. Between familial expectations and nosy relatives, even the most holiday-spirit-filled among us can be driven to craziness.

So what’s it take to make it through Thanksgiving with a modicum of sanity remaining? We’ve put together a couple of tips to help you put your best foot forward.

1. Try to find something you are thankful for. Cultivating gratitude in your life can really help reduce suffering. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have this weekend, make a real effort to find what you can, truly, be thankful for. Research shows that people that cultivate gratefulness are more likely to be happy and make healthy choices. If you have a couple of minutes on Thanksgiving, we encourage you to check out this great video Ted Talk about how to feel more gratitude in your own life. If you don't do anything else, just doing this one thing could totally transform your holiday.

2. Eat for your fertility. We say it over and over, nutrition is the one factor that substantially affects your fertility that you have 100% control over. The holidays can seriously derail your plans for healthy eating, usually starting with Thanksgiving, but they don't have to. Here’s an easy tip to make sure you’re nourishing yourself and don’t overindulge (at least not too much): get your veggies first. We always try to fill half our plate with veggies before we dive into other goodies like tater tot casserole. Getting some good quality nutrition first means that you don’t have to feel guilty about treating yourself to a little pie later on.

3. Easy on the booze. Too much alcohol can be detrimental to your fertility, and it can also fan emotional flames that already tend to run hot during the holidays. A glass of wine with dinner isn’t going to hurt, but no one needs a melt down at the dinner table because they started drinking gin and tonics at 10am. Making sure you’re getting enough water will keep you hydrated, and help you slow down the drinking. Focus on get your 8 glasses of water in!

At Conceivable, we’re thankful that we know so many wonderful women who are committed to living more fulfilling, more fertile lives. We’re thankful for every one of you and wish you all the best this holiday season.