I was extremely naïve and I honestly thought it would be easier than it was. It's tough I wont deny it but from my limited experience, here are the key things that I did and learnt. I hope they help you too.
Don't be afraid to feel scared. The more we try to avoid an emotion the bigger it grows. Allow yourself to feel emotions as they arise, noticing how they feel in the body. Spend time exploring the physical sensations in your body, this helps to avoid getting caught up in the head and tangled thoughts. What we allow ourselves to feel dissipates at a much faster rate. You don't need me to tell you how stress impacts IVF, so feel things to encourage them to pass on and let them go.
Tell a few and talk to fewer. I told a handful of people, as I wanted people who I saw regularly to know what I was going through. However I spoke regularly about the weekly experiences with only one close friend, she gave me a lot of support and I wasn't exhausted by telling the story over and over. You need some support but you also need to take care.
Expect a rollercoaster. The highs and lows of awaiting results each step of the way are fairly draining, but if you anticipate this up and down cycle it becomes easier. Mindfulness of breathing meditation helped so much. I often felt as though I didn't want to sit and meditate and couldn't settle but it definitely meant I didn't lose a nights sleep. The settling of my mind each evening calmed my body and thoughts. When the meditation felt chaotic and disturbed I persevered and allowed the feelings to come and go. This meant that my sleep wasn't as disturbed by unacknowledged thoughts and emotions.
Allow yourself to feel excited. At times you genuinely feel very excited, go with it, get the happy hormones going. Sometimes we feel asthough we cant get excited for fear of disappointment. Be with the moment and if you feel encouraged and excited, surf that wave!
Talk to your partner. My husband was more confident about giving it a go than me. It took time for me to get to the same place as him. Be patient and wait until you are both 99% ready. Our bodies are responding to our thoughts constantly, so you need to be united for the best possible outcome.
Practice loving kindness meditation, find a good one online. Just a few minutes reduces cortisol levels and gives the good hormones a chance. Cortisol is not great for the body when going through IVF. This meditation works wonders!
Have a few superstitions. I listened to Cold Play 'Adventure of a life time' every day as a motivator. I also said positive affirmations everyday to myself.
Eat clean! Be mindful of your diet, I got some great advice from Hazel a fitness coach and drank plenty of green shakes, cut the sugar and caffeine and painfully reduced the beers too.
I wish you every success, listen to your body and be kind to yourself x