I used to be an impatient person, especially when I faced a difficult situation and I knew how to make it better, but whatever I was doing wasn’t working. This then got me frustrated and annoyed.

When we feel stuck with something our instinct is to reach out for help and when we are preparing for a big event, we plan on how we can succeed. We explore our supportive resources, learn new skills and practice what we are getting ready for. Sometimes we become blind to our own capabilities and positive beliefs that we already have within us. This can get forgotten about as we become so focused in the opposite direction.

When the big day arrives, we can feel confident knowing that we have prepared for the big occasion and feel ready to be our best.

But suddenly something which was a major part of your event no longer works or is not available to use.

In a fraction of time our thinking can switch from calm, prepared and in control to panic, fear and loss of control. We were too reliant on that ‘thing’ that we thought was the only way of getting through it. When this occurs in some situations, we give up and shrug our shoulders, but other times there is no going back. You must keep going to get to the finish line.

By not being too reliant on these ‘broken tools’ and seeing things clearly for what they truly are can determine your experience and end result.

The tools we learn can have both a very positive and sometimes negative impact on your mind if they are not understood and used correctly.

By having a better understanding of the different tool options you learn and how to discover and utilise the best resources you already had within you, can result in a much calmer and controlled experience of childbirth.

This takes me back to when I was first learning all of the different birth breathing techniques and I was overwhelmed by the numerous techniques on how to use them correctly and at what stages of labour. I thought to myself, could it be doing more harm than good if I used the wrong breathing technique at the wrong time. I felt like I was preparing for an exam which I was set out to fail. I would get so bothered, thinking I cannot remember when it is the right time to use these simple breathing techniques, how am I going to birth my baby with ease, I started falling into that way of thinking, that trap.

I reminded myself to just go with my instinct, listen to my body, do what felt right and what I felt the calmest for me and just use whatever breathing technique that felt good.