Question of the day

Here's an interesting situation I pose for you today about how to approach a personal matter with your superior at work.

A little backstory, however. I got the call today from the doctor's office. I will be going to see a fertility specialist soon, based on the doctor's referral and a discussion we are scheduled to have tomorrow.

I've been doing a bit of reading about infertility, and have suspected for quite a long time that my stress levels may be affecting my ability to get pregnant.

I changed jobs late last year. Unfortunately, I went from one very stressful situation to another. Granted I (only recently) maintain close to a 40 hour work week in this job, but from the time I enter the building to the time I escape it's highly stressful, with constant (proverbial) fire drills, a manager who works part time, is notorious for micromanagement, who also agrees to timelines and deadlines that are unreasonable more than I'd like to mention.

I REALLY don't want to confide in her about my fertility issues. But I also feel like I need to put it out there that I have a LEGITIMATE. MEDICAL. REASON. for needing FAR less stress in my work day, and being effective in that pursuit.

A couple of really helpful tips from one of the excerpts from a book i'm beginning to read states:

1. Try to reduce stress during treatment. Taking a walk, going to a movie, reducing work, and getting a massage are examples.
2. Be stingy with your personal time. Demands from family and friends as well as household chores can wait. Instead try to spend quality time with your partner. Share activities that in the past have been fun for the two of you.

So the question I pose to all of you -- how would you approach it?


As a side note - I resisted the urge for ice cream, and the urge to eat after I was full with dinner. These are small wins for me in a time when i'm feeling very upset and stressed. Hooray for me!