How to Cope with Your Feelings About Roe v. Wade Being Dismantled

by Shaina Feingold | Jul 25, 2022 | Pregnancy Loss Counseling

For many people, women especially, the overturning of Roe v. Wade has been an emotional tsunami. They are feeling sad, scared, worried, angry, and overwhelmed, as well as many others.

Maybe you are someone who has experienced an abortion or perhaps you are looking to become pregnant and worry about what you will do if your pregnancy goes south and you have to decide if an abortion is your best way forward.

This is a topic that brings about an array of emotions and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by them. That’s what this short guide is for: helping you figure out how to cope with all the emotions you are experiencing regarding the overturning of Roe V. Wade.

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Recognize Your Emotions

You might need to sit down for a moment and figure out exactly what it is you’re feeling. That’s okay, emotions are rarely clear-cut for the best of us. But it’s important to do so, because how do you cope with an emotion when you don’t even know what it is? You can begin to take steps to deal with your emotions, but only after recognizing them and acknowledging their presence. What’s important here is that you don’t judge yourself for whatever emotion you might be experiencing. Your emotions, whatever they may be, don’t define who you are. Make sure to keep in mind that your feelings are valid, no matter how conflicting or strong they may be.

Take a Moment to Breathe

It’s easy to get overwhelmed. With everyone’s reactions to Roe v. Wade being dismantled and your own emotions on the matter, it can be difficult to stay afloat. It’s important that you take time for yourself, and make time to breathe.

Meditation can be helpful, but you don’t need to know how to meditate or know fancy breathing exercises to breathe. If you do know them, then great. But if you don’t, just make sure to stop whatever you’re doing and focus on taking a deep breath in and long, slow breath out. You can also just pay attention to how you inhale and how you exhale.

Whatever else you need to focus on, it can wait. Just make sure to take some time to focus on your breathing, and make sure it’s slow and steady.

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Set Boundaries

Roe v. Wade can be quite an inflammatory topic of conversation, both online and in the real world. This is why it’s important to set boundaries. Depending on your comfort level, you might want to stay off social media for a while, or maybe avoid talking to certain friends or family members about it. That’s perfectly okay. Some people find it difficult to see this topic from another persons point of view, especially someone who is greatly affected by the decision. Additionally, f you need to take a step back from it all, that’s perfectly understandable. So, don’t be afraid to set boundaries, even with the people closest to you.

Talk Things Through

If you’re lucky enough to have friends or family members you know you can talk to about this, then, by all means, reach out to them. For a lot of people, talking about what bothers them to someone willing to listen is invaluable. Having a safe space to speak about your emotions can help you process them better than keeping it all in and pretending they don’t exist.

But if you find that you need more help, that’s also perfectly okay. A lot of people reach out to professional help in times of crisis and there’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes it’s the only way to find a safe space to talk about what bothers us. More importantly, it can sometimes be the only way to find a non-judgemental person to really listen to us.

So, if you find yourself needing more help, then reach out to me and make an appointment. Together, we can work through your emotions and help you feel a little more at peace.

You can also learn more about how Mindful Reflections can support you by checking out our Pregnany Loss Counseling Page.

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