Welcome to the Brilliant Fertility Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Katie Rose, and this podcast exists to help illuminate the path ahead of you. With expert interviews, clinical pearls, and real client success stories, my intention is to bring you hope for what's possible on this journey, and to give you tools and resources to navigate the ups and downs on the road before you. If you find this podcast helpful, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite listening platform. And I have a big request. If you have a minute, can you leave us a five-star review? And let us know what did you learn, what did you come away with? Did you leave with that spark of hope? This helps more people like you find the podcast. My mission is to support as many humans as possible on their path to become parents. And by you sharing and subscribing, you're part of that mission too. And I'm so grateful for you for being here. Welcome back to the Brilliant Fertility Podcast. I had every intention of recording on a completely different topic, and it's just so hilarious how like my body is very good at communicating, and I have gotten so much better at listening to her. And if you have moved so fast for so long, you may not know how to listen to those signals. Um I know for myself, it has just become such a clear fuck no. Like, like I there's like nothing that I can do to push through that. It's physically painful. And so, like, I'll give you an example. Like, I I actually started recording on a completely different topic that's like on our list of topics that at some point we need to cover on this podcast, and they are important topics as they relate to fertility. And I started recording, and it was like, even though I have notes, I have bullet points, it was just like full stop in my body, as if I was literally up against a wall, my mouth did not want to move. Everything just felt like it wanted to shut down. Like, okay. I hear you. Sometimes it's a little annoying. Um, I am I realize that I'm like so deeply deeply. All right, words. I noticed I am so deeply privileged to able to set my schedule for when I record the podcast that I am not beholden to anyone else's list of things that I need to talk about. This is something that brings me joy and satisfaction to share with you versus something that's like I have to do or I should be doing. And so I think for me, there is an element of being able to tune in to that wall, that know, much more quickly with an activity like this, that's like the whole point is to share my knowledge and what I'm passionate about in the fertility world. And so as I started recording, and it was it's just like nope, not gonna happen. And there's been some other areas in life where that is popping up. And given my history with you know, everything that I struggled with through my 20s, especially interstitial cystitis and um insomnia and panic attacks and cystic acne and very irregular periods and extreme pain with periods. Um gosh, it's like it's hard to believe that I lived that life for so long. And I also know that there was such an element associated with pushing through that contributed to that experience. And so I'm I'm deeply aware that I do not want to live that way again. And I am very willing to listen to the whispers before they become screens. Um screams with an M. That's the Pam or Pan. Uh if you are a fan of Step Brothers, you will get that reference. There's there's so much that I could share, but I think today it's on my heart to really focus on what we can be participating in to take care of ourselves and and really call our power back from the news cycle. How we can both participate in good change while staying grounded and regulated and not doing that from a place of just burying our heads in the sand. Like as a human race, like we gotta we gotta pull our heads out of our butts. Like it's time. Um and we have to take good care of ourselves and participate in communities in order to continue on this planet, I believe. Okay, that's a that's a big bold statement I realize. Um but if we really zone in this week on how do we protect ourselves from the news cycle without becoming completely oblivious to what's going on, without shutting out in such a way that we're essentially spiritually bypassing, where we're cutting off from that place of consciousness that is so so important to welcoming in your child in whatever way they are meant to come to you. We have to be good stewards of our own nervous system, our communities, and our land as part of the conception journey. And if part of you is going like, what the hell? Like, I don't have time for that on top of tracking my cycles, figuring out what supplements to take, all of these doctor's appointments, like, how am I supposed to also be protecting myself from the news cycle while also actively participating in what's happening in the world? Like, who has time for any of this? And like, sisters, I'm right there with you. I am running a medical practice, I have employees, I am married, which is a job. I love you, husband, if you're listening. It's you know, I have I have two kiddos who are in school and have all of their own activities and appointments and et cetera, and trying to balance friendships and um my sister circle, and it's it is a lot. And I have so many people who say those, you know, that cliche of like, I don't know how you do it all. It's like when I am acting from my values, when I am acting from deep intention, it actually doesn't feel like it's a lot. When I start listening to that narrative of like, oh my god, it's so much, then it's like I I do start to take that on and start to feel that in my body of overwhelm. And that's part of learning how to protect yourself. So I know this is this is a lot for one little podcast episode. I may have to figure out how to um piece this out into little um like brief exercises that we can do. Sorry, I'm like itchy if you're on YouTube and watching me. I'm like, I need someone to come scratch my back. There's um I think I think just being a human, actively participating in humanity, like it there are gonna be times when it feels like a lot. Um, so part of this conversation of protecting yourself from the news cycle is also participating in community and with people who are honest and have integrity and are helpers and like all when you're all helping together, then it doesn't quite have to feel like you are doing it all on your own. Right. That is part of the purpose of community. So I want to just start with you know, engaging in information in a way that does not traumatize you or contribute more to the emotional turmoil of this time. Let's take a really relevant example right now the Epstein files. Holy Mother of God. I wish that I was not so aware of what was in them um as a clinical provider who sees a lot of women who have a history of sexual assault. Um I use that as an excuse to read some of the files and look up some of the people who were in the files who are you know prominent, like Deepak Chopra, Peter Atia, um, you know, prominent in like the wellness world. And and and pretty much left it at that for myself because I could feel how like deeply disgusted and horrified as feeling. And I think we we should be deeply disgusted and horrified, but also for people who have experienced that trauma themselves, uh, we have to protect those people. And they're not the ones who need to be reading this, right? They're they're not the ones who are in a position of power who are like should be the ones doing something about it, like actually holding the people in power accountable. Um so how can we be aware of what's happening and do something about it without visiting that material in a way that contributes to the trauma and essentially be traumatized ourselves? Because at the end of the day, our our unconscious mind really can't differentiate between something that has happened to us versus something that we are witnessing happening if we are watching it play out in real time. Uh the reading of the material, I think, can be maybe safer, but like the pictures, the videos, like, no, I would not, I would not let that enter into my space. There's no need for me to let that enter into my space, into my mind, um, into my dreams. Like, I know people who are really struggling right now, having read and digested some of that information. So I'm ultra aware of how that's impacting them. Um so what can we what can we do? There's one of one of the theories behind the experience of anxiety in traditional Chinese medicine is that the symptoms of anxiety arise when there's a situation that we're not doing something about. And if it's something that we can do something about, then taking action will actually reduce or eliminate the anxiety. If it's a situation that we can't do anything about, then we have to learn the tools to actually surrender that situation because we have no control over it. Right. So in a scenario like this, what is something that you could do? Well, you could download the Five Calls app and make the daily calls to your representatives. There are scripts in there, it's super easy to follow. Uh you don't even have to be a person who's good on the phone, or you know, if if the idea of like public speaking or calling strangers is one of those situations that causes anxiety, it's like it just gets easier with time. Sometimes you'll get a voicemail, sometimes you're you're gonna get um, you know, with some assistant who's answering the phone, and they just have to note it down. Like you don't have to have a full-on conversation with anyone. You can just spiel off a script, you can be sweating and heart racing, and with done, it's done. And you have a sense of like, okay, I I have contributed in a positive way. And you can reach out to people in your community to see are there um organizations who are taking donations for victims of sexual assault? Are there people who um are arranging for ride shares for people who need health care as a result of assault? Are there other scenarios that you can you have the capacity to contribute to in even a very small way? Like five minutes a day can make such a huge difference in you feeling like you have some element of influence in these scenarios. The other thing that you can do is actually go outside and touch grass. I find that statement to be like a little condescending. So let's let's go deeper into like the mechanism of grounding and the actual physiological benefits that it has to go outside, put your feet on the ground, touch a tree, feel the sun on your face, be witness to nature. The act of grounding, the literal physical act of feet on the ground, touching a tree, involves the transfer of electrons. So there is an electrical process that is happening as you ground that does have a physiological change. And one of the greatest changes that we see, there are dozens of studies on this, is the regulation of your heart rate variability. So if you wear one of these devices like an Apple Watch or a Garmin or an Aura ring, these are measuring your heart rate variability day to day. And they might give you a little report every morning on how you're doing. And just as a side note, be mindful with those devices. Don't let them prime you. Don't let them decide what your day is gonna feel like. But use the data to let yourself know when you're needing more support. So if your heart rate variability is low, that's telling us that your capacity for stress is also low. So if you see that, that might be a day when like you decide, I'm not gonna watch the news. I'm not gonna open up the apps that flash the news in my face without my consent. I'm gonna go for a walk instead, and I'm gonna do some EFT tapping or some qigong or some other activity that has been shown to increase heart rate variability, including grounding. Literally feet on the ground. I don't know. For some of you, it's February, it's freezing cold. This is why I live in Arizona, where I'm really sorry to say it's like 75 and just gorgeous. Um but if you can put your hand on a tree trunk and close your eyes and breathe for 10 seconds slowly in, slowly out, five in, five out, with your hand on a tree trunk, I promise you that will bring a little bit more balance to the body. And what we'll see is that with these activities, you can increase your heart rate variability, which increases your capacity, increases your resilience to stress, improves your immune system, improves sleep quality, and so much more. So that would be our second tool is grounding and using these tools to improve your heart rate variability. So, aside from grounding, if we were to actually list off some of those again, qi kong, this is an ancient Chinese medicine exercise. Uh, there are hundreds, probably thousands of Qi Kong videos on YouTube now. So you could look up, you know, Qigong for stress, qigong for insomnia, qigong for overwhelm, and you're gonna find some beautiful videos that look similar to Tai Chi, but these movements are prescribed to help tonify and support the meridians, the organ systems that are affected by stress in the traditional Chinese medicine model. So really wonderful way to move energy, to process emotion, and let it out of the body. The third tool that you can focus in on is EFT tapping. Um, I had the honor of teaching EFT topping to our local indivisible chapter this past week. I was super nervous about it because this is um, you know, these these aren't my patients who have like signed up for me. These these are just people who who don't really um, you know, know my work. And so I was, and and and they're all like, or a lot of them at least are um 60 and over. A lot of people participating in Indivisible here locally for us are are um retired, which makes them have a little bit more time to be the helpers, but also um not my my fertility crowd, right? So teaching them EFT tapping was one of those ways that I could contribute to an emotionally regulated population. And uh it sounds like everyone really enjoyed it. And I hope that that has a ripple effect into the work that they do, into their households and their communities in a really powerful positive way. But it, you know, it can help you personally as well in improving your energy, in improving your mental clarity, and in really unburdening some of the heaviness of everything that's happening right now while allowing you to continue to take action. The last thing that I want to pull in today is calling your power back. And we have a meditation that I did for my brilliant fertility program members. Gosh, probably a couple of years ago now. It's it's in their membership, but I'm Also, going to share it here in the show notes with you. Uh, the meditation is for calling your power back. And it takes you on a journey of noticing the areas where you have allowed your power to be leaked from you. And I think it's really important to check in on that, not from a place of laying the blame on you. I want to be really clear about that. If there have been situations in which, you know, someone did something to you, if if you were a victim of trauma, I have I have heard that there are some practitioners out there who are telling people essentially, like, you know, do you have to rid yourself of that victim mindset? It's like, um it's so hard, especially with like like given the current context, um, they really don't appreciate that frame. So I am looking at this instance of like calling your energy back to you, calling your power back to yourself, not in a way that says, I have to take responsibility for what someone did to me, but saying, like, here I am now, I'm calling myself back into wholeness. I can stand in my power no matter what. And other people have to be responsible for their actions too. It is very much a both hand. So as you approach that, if it feels good for you to call your power back to yourself, I invite you to listen to that meditation. And also please, if you if you are someone who has experienced significant trauma, um, I know it's easier said than done, but if you choose to do this meditation, I would not choose events to call your power back from that were heavily traumatic. Like I would be working alongside a provider who is trained to support you through that. Versus, you know, I'm I'm more speaking to the moments of like if you have an in-law who has a completely different viewpoint from you and you feel yourself highly activated in their presence, and therefore you can't sleep the night before you're gonna go to a an engagement where they're gonna be there because you just feel super riled up inside. Like, don't give your power to these people. Um, that's this the type of situation where I'm saying, like, call it back to yourself. Um, if you imagine yourself having, you know, read something that's recently been on the news or watched a video, and and you just notice yourself like completely falling apart, like, okay, yes, you are human, and we have to maintain our humanity, and for the sake of your health and your hormones and your uterus and your ovaries and your future children, we have to learn how to use these tools to stay regulated. And I think our final piece on this would be learning how to set boundaries. Setting boundaries with the news, setting boundaries with the people who are maybe never going to take accountability for their actions. Um boundaries can be so challenging to really set firmly, and it's gonna give you so much energy back, so much peace of mind back, so much more peace in your body. So, whatever that means for you, if that means getting um a brick, one of those brickets where you can like connect it to your phone and it shuts you out of the apps during a certain period of time, whether that means unfollowing accounts that are just displaying like really violent things, there are ways to stay informed that do not involve having to watch and re-watch every single video from every single angle. Um, there it's it's really, really challenging right now to put the block on that. But I think it's also really important to be careful of how often you consume information and what type of information. So setting your boundaries on your social media use and your news consumption in a way that allows you to be aware of what's happening while not constantly having it on replay in your brain. Okay, so let's just revisit because if we're honest, I was verbal processing this whole thing for myself. This is for me just as much as it is for all of you and for all the patients who I've talked to this week who are in a very similar space, and I didn't have a full, you know, extra 30 minutes to go into this with each of them. But number one, we are calling our power back. Number two, we are using tools to support our resilience to stress. We're going outside and grounding, we are using EFT tapping, we are doing Qi Kong. Number three, we are taking action, even if right now all you have capacity for is five minutes a day. As you build capacity, as you are able to engage more in community efforts, this can be a point of recharging your energy as well and really solidifying the hope in the future and for the world that you want your future children to grow up in. And finally, number four, setting boundaries. Really getting clear on what those boundaries are going to look like, scripting them for yourself ahead of time. Journal it out, talk out loud to yourself as you set those boundaries. Make a few notes about how you are going to set better boundaries with social media and news in ways that allow you to stay informed. And I'm offering so much love to all of you. Um just a long moment of silence for everyone who has personally been affected through everything that's happened in the news lately, whether it's been our immigrant population or our friends and family in Minneapolis or survivors of sexual assault. I mean, there's there's just a lot happening. And on the one hand, I wish we could just create this protective little bubble around ourselves. And on the other hand, it's just it's not realistic, and it's not going to be part of what creates the better world for our children. And it's your body is going to notice the incongruence. What I mean by that is you could stick your head in the sand, but the vibrational frequency of everything that is happening in the world will still have a continued impact on us as a collective. That is going to continue to contribute to the epidemic of infertility that humans are facing. And we could focus all day long on the individual and what they eat and how they supplement. And that that is the work that I do with my individual client. And part of my work with the podcast is to create healing on a more collective scale. So if this spoke to you today, in between my ramblings, um, please share this podcast. I know that this may be beneficial for people even who are not trying to conceive. So if you send this over to someone in your family who you know has been struggling with the news cycle and um they're well outside of the fertility bubble, just let them know like, hey, this episode is for all of us. And part of creating a better world is is really being a part of that community and sharing the things that are helping you. So I hope this helps you. I will link the meditation for calling your power back in the show notes for today. And let's keep going, friends. Sending you all so much love.