Many countries around the world are now in lockdown as the coronavirus spreads and we're advised to socially distance or isolate.

It's easy to feel fearful watching the news, hearing how fast coronavirus is spreading, doing your weekly shopping and not being able to get half the things on your list. You might be working from home and feeling lonely because you're not able to socialise. You might also be worried about your fertility clinic shutting, your doctor not being available or your acupuncturist not being at work.

What does the coronavirus mean for your plan to get pregnant?

What are you most worried about?

And how can you reduce stress and anxiety, so that it doesn't take over and mess up your fertility?

Here is a video to support you with these questions and an easy exercise you can do to immediately reduce stress and anxiety.

Tools To Transform Fear So It Doesn't Destroy Your Fertility

We know that fear, anxiety and stress are harmful to fertility and that staying calm and relaxed helps your body to be more fertile.

Here are some more tools to support you:

1. Acknowledge

The first step is to acknowledge how you're feeling because, when we don't, emotions will get pushed down and come out later in other ways. When you're acknowledging an emotion you can feel it by closing your eyes and allowing yourself to be present in it. You can speak it out loud to a friend or family member. It often helps to have someone else witness what you're experiencing. Or you can write it down in a journal.

2. Process

The next step is to process the emotion. Sometimes the act of feeling, speaking or writing it is enough for it to be processed. Other times you have to be more proactive and take another step. You might need to meditate, dance, walk or do the tapping exercise in the video above.

3. Focus

If you imagine emotions like seeds inside you, then when you feed the seeds of fear or anxiety, then these are the ones that will grow. Likewise, if you focus your thoughts and energy on compassion and care for yourself and others, then these are the seeds that will get bigger.

Together We Are Better

With social distancing in place, it's even more important to be connected online in a like-minded and warm-hearted community.