I have been having a lot of anxiety with mikvah preparations, specifically with the bath. Before I had my daughter, I used to go to the mikvah on either a motzei shabbos or on a Sunday night. I would just do most of my preparations at the mikvah, including the bath, which made things a bit easier for me. After I had my daughter, my cycle changed and I now almost always wind up going to the mikvah on a Friday night. This is pretty difficult for me because I no longer have the luxury of doing my preparations at the mikvah. I feel very pressured to get all my preparations done on time at home - especially the bath, which I do for 30 minutes while my daughter is in school, so that I have the house to myself while bathing (that makes things a bit easier).

But I still have so much anxiety when I know I need to take my bath and get everything done before sunset and not have the luxury of doing anything at the mikvah. This is a lot of pressure for me. Is there anything I can do to make this a better/easier experience? Also, does the bath have to be 30 minutes, or can it be less? I was told by a few people that the bath can be 20 minutes. Thank you in advance for your response.