Most women are all about doing everything (hi MOMS!). Doing laundry, scheduling playdates, food shopping, packing snacks and lunches for the kids, giving them baths, cleaning the house, planning time with your partner, you name it…and some do this while following their career path. It’s exhausting!
But what does this have to do with our hormones? Well, our natural rhythms are not meant for us to be on the go all time time and this negatively effects our hormones. Symptoms can include chronic fatigue, low sex drive, intense PMS, acne, mild depression, or any other “random” symptoms we experience without a foundational cause. We can balance our hormones through primary food which is vitally important to bringing back our energy and our happiness.
First, evaluate your mindset. Are you trying to keep up with others and are constantly on the go because of this? This actually drains our energy levels if we tell ourselves we can’t be lazy or productive unless we do it all. This mental weight can often be more exhausting than the actual list of things to do. Our bodies as females are designed to rest more during certain times of the month and to be more productive at other times. I’m sure you can figure out which times are which.
Let’s talk about how to bring our bodies back into balance and start with empowerment. Know you are healthy and can become even healthier with the right approach. Our bodies naturally respond to a positive mindset so get to it!
Get real about rest. This really seems impossible with small children (or any children)! I can totally sympathize with you. Ask your partner to trade off responsibilities so you both have time to rest and regain the ability to positively engage in the day.
Balance your nervous system. Realizing how often we remain in that sympathetic nervous system state, that “fight or flight” vs. the parasympathetic state known as the “rest and digest” is crucial for balance. Our bodies only know stress and can’t differentiate the difference in stressors and this causes chronic stress in the body. Sleep, laughing, meditation, or physical touch from a loved one are all options to be in a state to heal and evolve.
Evaluate the exercise routine you have. Sometimes the harder we work out, the more our stress levels continue to be placed on the body. Gentle exercise (to my fellow yogis) can reverse this. I went from being an avid gym goer 5 days a week and at minimum 1.5 hours a day to a runner, to a now yogi. The transformation has been wonderful and it works for me.
I’ll leave you with the last method to balance your hormones through primary food and this is through community. Who do you surround yourself with, or relate to as your tribe? Community has such a powerful influence on health and developing a supportive tribe has a profound way of balancing our hormones. Think about when we are feeling alone or isolated, what to we resort to? Food. We tend to overeat, indulge in foods that are not optimal for overall health and feel even more depressed without a connection.
So tell me, what is one area you think would have an immediate positive influence on hormone balance?
X ~ Jaclyn
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