Do National Emergencies Affect Pregnancies?
During pregnancy, it is perfectly normal for hormonal fluctuations to cause a range of different emotions in even the healthiest of women.
During national emergencies and times of social unrest, the stress and anxiety caused by external factors beyond our control can exacerbate our already sensitive and often difficult moods.
While dealing with an environment going through upheaval, some pregnant women may experience particularly intense feelings that can affect their behavior, habits, relationships and life in general. Anger, insecurity and sadness are the negative emotions that pregnant women most experience in these times of social unrest — according to a survey published by Activa Research, “Pulso Ciudadano.”
It’s essential for all of us, especially pregnant women caring internally for an unborn child, to be aware of how our mental state subconsciously affects our body, and therefore during times of social upheaval we need to pay extra attention – close attention – to our emotions and how they can alter our natural biological rhythms (appetite, sleep, libido)
Of course we need to stay up-to-date and apprised of current events, but beyond that, we should take care to protect ourselves from potentially harmful anxiety and extreme emotions by avoiding spending too much time overly dwelling on news sources such as television and social media.
The best strategy for protecting ourselves from being absorbed by the stress and negative emotions involves three steps: express our emotions and share them with loved ones; maintain our regular routines and a healthy lifestyle, and listen to our bodies – paying special attention to how excess information can potentially alter our moods and affect our pregnancies.
Coming to grips with our stress, minimizing it as much as possible, avoiding extraneous and unnecessary difficult news, focusing on our general health and maintaining balance in the rest of our lives will help us offset the stress of dealing with challenging circumstances beyond our control, such as social upheaval.
As we grow better able to recognize and clearly identify our emotional states, we can better successfuly avoid anxious-depressive states that only harm our health and that of our unborn child.
If you find that these emotional states are too much to handle by speaking with loved ones or your partner, or work or social feeling alone, or you find yourself overwhelmed and without the tools to cope, do not hesitate to consult a mental health specialist. Trained professionals are here to help.
Whether in times of social upheaval or not — pregnancy is a challenging time marked by fluctuating hormones and intense emotions, when two precious lives are affected by the experience lived in one body. It’s perfectly understandable and responsible to reach out for help during pregnancy in general, but also especially during times of social crisis, when instead of “nesting” we are stressed by unwelcome and unexpected challenges beyond our control.
Head Psychiatrist and Founder, PsiquiatrasOnline.com
