What do you think?
Rate this book
Fertility: Mindset & Meltdowns: How to Manage Your Emotions While Trying to Conceive
Are you trying to conceive and struggling to cope emotionally?
It's a tough time. Months of disappointment can take their toll, and the pain becomes too much to bear. Not having the baby you long for can lead to a host of negative emotions - from anxiety and grief, to loneliness and anger.
But what if there was a way to turn things around?
In Mindset & Meltdowns , Lisa Ashworth shares her insight into the emotional strain of trying to get pregnant. Her knowledge is gleaned from a ten-year journey that included five rounds of IVF, caused many personal and medical challenges, and led to her mental health spiralling out of control. Only when she hit her lowest point did Lisa discover that managing her mindset was the missing link, and she finally became pregnant with triplets at the age of 40.
This book is a glimpse into Lisa's path to parenthood and a practical guide for managing your emotions while trying to conceive. She shares the simple tools that changed everything for her, along with her tips for surviving some of the toughest moments on the journey. You too can learn how to manage your emotions, face challenges more positively, and ultimately get closer to your goal of becoming pregnant.
It's a tough time. Months of disappointment can take their toll, and the pain becomes too much to bear. Not having the baby you long for can lead to a host of negative emotions - from anxiety and grief, to loneliness and anger.
But what if there was a way to turn things around?
In Mindset & Meltdowns , Lisa Ashworth shares her insight into the emotional strain of trying to get pregnant. Her knowledge is gleaned from a ten-year journey that included five rounds of IVF, caused many personal and medical challenges, and led to her mental health spiralling out of control. Only when she hit her lowest point did Lisa discover that managing her mindset was the missing link, and she finally became pregnant with triplets at the age of 40.
This book is a glimpse into Lisa's path to parenthood and a practical guide for managing your emotions while trying to conceive. She shares the simple tools that changed everything for her, along with her tips for surviving some of the toughest moments on the journey. You too can learn how to manage your emotions, face challenges more positively, and ultimately get closer to your goal of becoming pregnant.
- GenresNonfiction
200 pages, Paperback
Published November 2, 2023
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 27, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Cherish Editions for access to this title
I thank Lisa Ashworth for sharing her story and smashing the stigma that surrounds infertility. I felt that I was her audience but I also feel that it's the type of book I would place into the hands of those that mean well but just don't get it.
Publication Date 02/11/23
Goodreads Review 27/12/23
#MindsetAndMeltdowns #NetGalley.
I thank Lisa Ashworth for sharing her story and smashing the stigma that surrounds infertility. I felt that I was her audience but I also feel that it's the type of book I would place into the hands of those that mean well but just don't get it.
Publication Date 02/11/23
Goodreads Review 27/12/23
#MindsetAndMeltdowns #NetGalley.
January 15, 2024
Reading Lisa’s book has entirely changed my mindset. It wasn’t until I sat down with a pen to journal using the prompts in the book that I realised how negatively I was viewing my situation. My affirmations will be changing from negative to positive from here on out and I’ll also be ensuring that I prioritise my own wellbeing and talk to myself as I would talk to a friend - something I think 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 would benefit from doing. The inclusion of the survival guides was excellent and I found the secondary infertility chapter especially helpful.
I now have a well-formed action plan, as in the words of Lisa “𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴”, and I am feeling super positive for the future.
This is a book I would 1000% recommend to anyone who is currently struggling with infertility or anyone who wants to support someone through their fertility struggles.
I now have a well-formed action plan, as in the words of Lisa “𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴”, and I am feeling super positive for the future.
This is a book I would 1000% recommend to anyone who is currently struggling with infertility or anyone who wants to support someone through their fertility struggles.
February 15, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I was in the right mindset to read it. I immediately connected with the author and her insights into fertility struggles and the cascade of thoughts felt like my own. I felt that this book was being written by me. When she was giving a list of feelings and thoughts that described her journey, I was going "check", "check", "check".
I also found her story truly inspiring, reinforcing my recent belief that changing your mindset, changes the outcome of your goals.
With that being said, I view it as an introduction for those ready to shift their mindset about their own fertility. It's very simple with practical exercises that can be easily implemented. However, I believe that to bring about substantial change, they will need to read more books about the topic. So it's great that there is a list of recommended reading at the end.
This is the reason why I didn't give 5 stars.
Before I read those books that go deep into how our minds work and affect our lives, I was already practicing exercises like affirmations, visualisations, and meditations, which didn't yield any results. I had already been following the advice of happiness gurus but still struggled with negative feelings.
This is where I think an introductory section on how our minds work would have been beneficial. I know the author read Joe Dispenza's "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself" because it's on the recommended list.
You see, the problem with affirmations is that it takes much more than just saying "I am fertile and deserve a baby". I did it and my subconscious mind was still not believing it. Works from Joe Dispenza and Bruce Lipton state that 95% of our mind is unconscious, so you can use your conscious mind 5% of the time to say those affirmations but you haven't dealt with the 95% that is actually ruling the show.
Long before I read this book, I also did the same thing as the author: finding a picture of a pregnant woman and visualising that it was me. I didn't glue a picture of my face in there but I found a picture of a pregnant woman with long dark brown hair covering most of her profile face. Since you couldn't really see all her features, I could easily imagine that was me. I set it as my screensaver on my phone, which meant I looked at it about 30 times a day when unlocking my phone or checking the time for almost a year. What started out as hope, eventually became painful to look at. I still had my unconscious mind blocking my results and now I had my conscious mind looking at this picture and knowing it wasn't working. My mindset problem hadn't been dealt with yet.
Another thing that I wished to have seen it referenced here, for other women suffering from the same, is the importance of visualising your goal and then letting it go. The reason I believe that fifth time worked for the author was because she had accepted either outcome. I'm not saying there was no struggle and she was okay either way. Accepting it is much more complex than that. But she says that it was their last round and they had considered buying a holiday home if it didn't work out, something they were excited about. All the manifestation books I have read talk about the importance of visualising and then letting go as if it's done and in the hands of the universe. Being overly attached can hinder success. And it's the ones you wish the most that will probably take the longest to come about.
I say these because I wish these two comments can help women who like me are doing everything right in terms of mindset but cannot see the positive results. If I had read this book before knowing all of this I would have probably been frustrated because I would have said "I've done all that and it doesn't work". But now that I have this information, I finally feel better. I still don't have my wish come true but I am no longer plagued by anxiety, sleepless nights, crying out of nowhere, and spiraling with negative thoughts. Now, when I do the exercises that the author mentions in the book, I feel happy and relaxed. Before I used to do all of this and think "I am already stressed with everything else in my life now I have to do these silly exercises too? And on top of that they don't even make me feel better?". See? Same exercises, but different mindset, different results.
Now, I think this book is a great inspiring story and it can help a lot of women to heal themselves. My only hope is that this comment can help those who feel like it's not useful for them. Continue exploring deeper and one day it will be. I firmly believe it.
I also found her story truly inspiring, reinforcing my recent belief that changing your mindset, changes the outcome of your goals.
With that being said, I view it as an introduction for those ready to shift their mindset about their own fertility. It's very simple with practical exercises that can be easily implemented. However, I believe that to bring about substantial change, they will need to read more books about the topic. So it's great that there is a list of recommended reading at the end.
This is the reason why I didn't give 5 stars.
Before I read those books that go deep into how our minds work and affect our lives, I was already practicing exercises like affirmations, visualisations, and meditations, which didn't yield any results. I had already been following the advice of happiness gurus but still struggled with negative feelings.
This is where I think an introductory section on how our minds work would have been beneficial. I know the author read Joe Dispenza's "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself" because it's on the recommended list.
You see, the problem with affirmations is that it takes much more than just saying "I am fertile and deserve a baby". I did it and my subconscious mind was still not believing it. Works from Joe Dispenza and Bruce Lipton state that 95% of our mind is unconscious, so you can use your conscious mind 5% of the time to say those affirmations but you haven't dealt with the 95% that is actually ruling the show.
Long before I read this book, I also did the same thing as the author: finding a picture of a pregnant woman and visualising that it was me. I didn't glue a picture of my face in there but I found a picture of a pregnant woman with long dark brown hair covering most of her profile face. Since you couldn't really see all her features, I could easily imagine that was me. I set it as my screensaver on my phone, which meant I looked at it about 30 times a day when unlocking my phone or checking the time for almost a year. What started out as hope, eventually became painful to look at. I still had my unconscious mind blocking my results and now I had my conscious mind looking at this picture and knowing it wasn't working. My mindset problem hadn't been dealt with yet.
Another thing that I wished to have seen it referenced here, for other women suffering from the same, is the importance of visualising your goal and then letting it go. The reason I believe that fifth time worked for the author was because she had accepted either outcome. I'm not saying there was no struggle and she was okay either way. Accepting it is much more complex than that. But she says that it was their last round and they had considered buying a holiday home if it didn't work out, something they were excited about. All the manifestation books I have read talk about the importance of visualising and then letting go as if it's done and in the hands of the universe. Being overly attached can hinder success. And it's the ones you wish the most that will probably take the longest to come about.
I say these because I wish these two comments can help women who like me are doing everything right in terms of mindset but cannot see the positive results. If I had read this book before knowing all of this I would have probably been frustrated because I would have said "I've done all that and it doesn't work". But now that I have this information, I finally feel better. I still don't have my wish come true but I am no longer plagued by anxiety, sleepless nights, crying out of nowhere, and spiraling with negative thoughts. Now, when I do the exercises that the author mentions in the book, I feel happy and relaxed. Before I used to do all of this and think "I am already stressed with everything else in my life now I have to do these silly exercises too? And on top of that they don't even make me feel better?". See? Same exercises, but different mindset, different results.
Now, I think this book is a great inspiring story and it can help a lot of women to heal themselves. My only hope is that this comment can help those who feel like it's not useful for them. Continue exploring deeper and one day it will be. I firmly believe it.
January 17, 2024
For you it is time to begin to have a family, something you have wanted to do for many years, but for one reason or another the timing has not been right. But falling pregnant has not been easy, it has been challenging, distressing and devastating.
The years have moved along with no or little change; you have been medically assessed, tried IVF, studied to the minutest degree all forms of helping to conceive from Chinese medicine, acupuncture, diet, phases of the moon and herbal remedies. So far nothing has worked, or if it has the fledgling embryo has failed to develop.
Your mental and emotional health has taken a battering, your loving relationship with your partner has faced serious stress issues and your entire life, in-between your career responsibilities, is focused on falling pregnant. Your bank balance is suffering from the cost of the IVF attempts. The emotional pain is unbearable at times and a brave face is becoming harder to wear.
Lisa Ashworth, a woman who faced all the many issues of trying and failing to fall pregnant for ten, long painful years, finally discovered what she believes makes all the difference – Mindset, a simple and yet complicated component of ensuring that you are always at your positive ultimate, no matter what.
Fertility Mindset and Meltdown is her journey towards motherhood, written in a warm and caring style that reaches out with love and understanding, to share the many things she eventually discovered made the final difference to falling pregnant.
In this book, which is in the nature of a coaching course, diary and hand of friendship, she details how to go about making small but significant changes in the way you live your life, believe in yourself and begin to finally truly take care of yourself, the all-important person who is on a life changing journey.
She looks at the issues of mental and emotional health, your relationship with your partner, stress in your life, taking back control of what is happening and most importantly and significantly, being honest with yourself!
If you are on this emotional rollercoaster ride, Fertility Mindset and Meltdown could be exactly what you are looking for; a breath of fresh air, gentle understanding and a beacon of hope that eventually you will fall pregnant and the baby you so desire will be yours.
The years have moved along with no or little change; you have been medically assessed, tried IVF, studied to the minutest degree all forms of helping to conceive from Chinese medicine, acupuncture, diet, phases of the moon and herbal remedies. So far nothing has worked, or if it has the fledgling embryo has failed to develop.
Your mental and emotional health has taken a battering, your loving relationship with your partner has faced serious stress issues and your entire life, in-between your career responsibilities, is focused on falling pregnant. Your bank balance is suffering from the cost of the IVF attempts. The emotional pain is unbearable at times and a brave face is becoming harder to wear.
Lisa Ashworth, a woman who faced all the many issues of trying and failing to fall pregnant for ten, long painful years, finally discovered what she believes makes all the difference – Mindset, a simple and yet complicated component of ensuring that you are always at your positive ultimate, no matter what.
Fertility Mindset and Meltdown is her journey towards motherhood, written in a warm and caring style that reaches out with love and understanding, to share the many things she eventually discovered made the final difference to falling pregnant.
In this book, which is in the nature of a coaching course, diary and hand of friendship, she details how to go about making small but significant changes in the way you live your life, believe in yourself and begin to finally truly take care of yourself, the all-important person who is on a life changing journey.
She looks at the issues of mental and emotional health, your relationship with your partner, stress in your life, taking back control of what is happening and most importantly and significantly, being honest with yourself!
If you are on this emotional rollercoaster ride, Fertility Mindset and Meltdown could be exactly what you are looking for; a breath of fresh air, gentle understanding and a beacon of hope that eventually you will fall pregnant and the baby you so desire will be yours.
April 7, 2024
I enjoyed immensely reading about the author's journey. Loved the sheer positivity. It is written in a down-to-earth and total authentic manner. You are left in no doubt of the emotional turmoil and the challenges that she endured, along with her husband in the pursuit of parenthood. Like many such issues which affect mindset it is often those who decide to step out from the shadows and talk about the tough subjects that inspire and help others to deal with issues.
This kind of book, this lived experience, I imagine to be much more help to those who need help than a text book.
The author has, in great detail not only explained what actions she took, what she learned along the way but has presented her journey in such as away as to make it easy for others to learn from her and to follow her lead. Especially in the practicality of the exercises she has created.
I can see so many parallels between topics raised by Ashworth that could equally apply to other mental health issues - where secrecy is thought to the the safest practice yet it also stifles positive thought and increases anxiety.
I love some of her quotes "your worst nightmare can become your greatest opportunity". Made a note of it for myself, simply because I think it is true.
The author finishes off her book by praying that her readers will get the same benefit and find their happy ending.
Well, you just can't help feeling that the author is shining a real beacon of hope for them.
Just as she tells her readers that they "deserve it", Ashworth also deserves praise for devoting her time to put together the story of her journey on such a very sensitive and personal subject - and doing so with such adeptness and genuine feeling. Bravo.
This kind of book, this lived experience, I imagine to be much more help to those who need help than a text book.
The author has, in great detail not only explained what actions she took, what she learned along the way but has presented her journey in such as away as to make it easy for others to learn from her and to follow her lead. Especially in the practicality of the exercises she has created.
I can see so many parallels between topics raised by Ashworth that could equally apply to other mental health issues - where secrecy is thought to the the safest practice yet it also stifles positive thought and increases anxiety.
I love some of her quotes "your worst nightmare can become your greatest opportunity". Made a note of it for myself, simply because I think it is true.
The author finishes off her book by praying that her readers will get the same benefit and find their happy ending.
Well, you just can't help feeling that the author is shining a real beacon of hope for them.
Just as she tells her readers that they "deserve it", Ashworth also deserves praise for devoting her time to put together the story of her journey on such a very sensitive and personal subject - and doing so with such adeptness and genuine feeling. Bravo.
February 12, 2024
A heartfelt and practical guide for women struggling to conceive.
Beginning with the author's own story, Fertility: Mindset & Meltdowns gives a raw account of how it feels to live with infertility. Ashworth's descriptions of dreading parties, limiting her lifestyle and questioning her self-worth rang sorely true to me.
The book also includes some CBT-type exercises. I found these illuminating, particularly when it came to visualising myself as a mother after a difficult pregnancy loss.
If you are struggling to conceive, I would recommend this book as a means to ordering your thoughts and rationalising any fears. As with all therapy, you will have to put the work in, but if you take your time over Ashworth's questions, they might just provide you with the answers you need.
Beginning with the author's own story, Fertility: Mindset & Meltdowns gives a raw account of how it feels to live with infertility. Ashworth's descriptions of dreading parties, limiting her lifestyle and questioning her self-worth rang sorely true to me.
The book also includes some CBT-type exercises. I found these illuminating, particularly when it came to visualising myself as a mother after a difficult pregnancy loss.
If you are struggling to conceive, I would recommend this book as a means to ordering your thoughts and rationalising any fears. As with all therapy, you will have to put the work in, but if you take your time over Ashworth's questions, they might just provide you with the answers you need.
January 24, 2024
This book was difficult to read and put my mind in the right head space to review. This book is relevant to my own personal experiences, whilst reading I found the advice the author gave practical especially with putting practices in place to have a different mindset in certain situations for example family gatherings or people who haven't seen you for a while asking intrusive questions. I highly recommend to anyone going through fertility problems as the book was wrote with such honesty and as she has experienced it all herself.
November 9, 2023
We may have a wish to be parents, but the biology of our bodies might be against us. So we seek medical solutions. The ups and downs of this can be mentally debilitating. This book may give you a way through the author’s experiences and mindfulness techniques to find a way to lighten the load. It may not solve all your problems, but it may be one of line if support. Thank you to Cherish Editions, Literally PR and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews