How Can I Recover Emotionally After an Abortion?

October 24, 2024

If you’ve had an abortion, you may be surprised by the difficult emotions that can seemingly surface out of nowhere.

Whether you’re feeling emotions like guilt, shame, regret, anger, or grief after an abortion—it’s all normal and understandable. And you’re not alone.

A report by the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion (TFMHA) found that “it is clear that some women do experience sadness, grief, and feelings of loss following termination of a pregnancy, and some experience clinically significant disorders, including depression and anxiety.”

If you’re having a hard time recovering emotionally after an abortion—whether it’s been days, weeks, or even years since the procedure—it’s critical to know that healing is possible.

Read on to learn strategies to help you work toward emotional recovery—and hope.

Talk About What You’re Feeling

When you keep your emotions bottled up inside, they can start to feel overwhelming. But by talking about what you’re feeling, you give those feelings a release valve—and once out in the open, they become more manageable.

Talking to a trusted friend, mentor, relative, counselor, or support group is one way to let your emotions out. Verbalizing what you’re feeling to another person is a cathartic practice that can be a first step toward healing.

When choosing your trusted individual or group to talk to, it’s important that they are active listeners—which means that they will listen with the intent of understanding rather than trying to give you advice. The goal in talking about your feelings isn’t to necessarily get someone else’s advice—it’s more about allowing you to get your feelings off your chest.

Name the Specific Emotions

You’re likely feeling many emotions all at once, which is why it’s important to name each feeling individually. If you don’t, the feelings can tangle together and become too overwhelming to deal with.

By naming each feeling, you can work through each one specifically, and it will feel less intimidating (imagine the benefit of untangling a single string versus a whole ball of yarn).

Journaling is a great way to name and think through the different emotions you’re feeling. A good place to start is to simply list out each emotion (grief, sadness, regret, etc.), Then, answer the following questions about each emotion:

1. When I think about my abortion experience, why does this emotion surface?
2. While I can’t change the past, what can I do right now to make this feeling less overwhelming in my life?
3. What do I want to feel instead of this emotion? What are things I can do to feel this instead? (For example, would sharing your experience with other women help? What about pursuing a hobby you enjoy?)

We’re Here for You

It’s so important to know that you’re not alone in this. At First Choice Pregnancy Services, we’re here for you.

We understand what you’re going through, and we offer a caring, non-judgmental space for you to talk about what you’re feeling.

Contact us today to learn about all the ways we’re here to help.