Is Your Body Screaming? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Ignore It
You’ve noticed some bloating, that your periods are heavier, you aren’t sleeping so well and maybe you can see that your mood sends your family into hiding. But you’ve ignored it all because it will get better when you’re less stressed, or it’s just your age so you need to put up with it.
Only the stress never lets up, the symptoms get worse, and your band-aid fixes aren’t fixing anything! You are exhausted, confused, and feel like you’re broken without a hope of recovery.
At this point a lot of women head to the GP, which can be a great place to start. BUT maybe they gave you anti-depressants, something for indigestion, and told you it’s just your age. Perhaps they took you seriously but didn’t really have much to offer except testing that came back ‘normal’. You leave feeling disheartened, frustrated, and crazy. I promise you are NOT crazy!
Start listening!
These symptoms, separately, collectively, or with others, all tell a different story.
Your symptoms are like a fingerprint. They are uniquely yours. Their combination, the way you experience them, and when they turn up are 100% unique to you.
In the beginning you probably used some small thing to silence them: a sleeping tablet occasionally to sleep better, a couple of days off when your period was too heavy, maybe you popped a Quickeeze to help with the bloat. But the symptoms keep coming back on repeat, and the more quick fixes you use, the more you need.
When you ignore your symptoms, they scream louder and louder until you are forced to do something about it! You know the feeling, right? You’ve asked for the dishes to be done or the clothes put in the laundry basket over and over in a calm and reasonable manner. But eventually you totally lose your shit and that’s when the action happens, lol! Of course that’s all anyone remembers… you losing your ever-loving shit! And they’re all surprised and can’t figure out why.
You aren’t crazy, or broken, or beyond saving.
This, my friend, is your poor body. It is repeatedly telling you in small ways there is a problem that needs help, but you’ve ignored it and ignored it. Now you hear it screaming and think it happened suddenly… nope.
What you can do…
You can hear it screaming right now, can’t you? It’s ok. You can still do a quick clean up, but band-aid fixes are the equivalent of sticking the mess in the cupboard. Out of sight does not mean resolved!
Start by writing down your 3 most annoying symptoms and think about how they may be connected.
Next, ask why. You can’t sleep-but why? Bread makes you bloat- but why? You are getting crazy periods- but why? And don’t stop at the first answer! If the answer is stress, ask “what can I do to create stress resilience?” If the answer is “I need to avoid certain foods,” then ask why, because avoidance is only a band-aid. If you know your hormones are out, ask WHY. Just because it is your age does not mean it has to be hellish.
Then, address the core issues. These are simpler than you think: diet, lifestyle, and rest. Get the food right. Set some good routines and habits. Build in stress resilience by taking time to fill your cup. And give yourself the time to rest and sleep.
Finally, if you are sinking, make the appointment. Talk to a professional to get the help you need and cut through all the online and marketing crap we are bombarded with daily. If you come to see me, I can cut to the core of the issue and target exactly what we need to which costs less in the long run in both time and money. There is no trial and error.
It is so easy to just keep going and ignore the minor stuff because that’s the way we have been conditioned.
Push through, don’t complain, it will pass, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” “that’s just part of being a woman” etc, etc. I’m sure you can add to that list of worn-out phrases designed to shut us down and keep us slogging away.
In fact, we’re complimented for our strength, our ability to do multiple things, and hold it all together no matter how tough things get… but none of that is doing us any favours in the long run!
That advice, or well-meaning support, is rubbish.
You can get help. Thrive, not just survive. By addressing the right things, and moving away from sticking yourself together with band-aids, and the odd bit of gaffa tape, you can actually reclaim your health.
Ready to stop patching yourself up with band-aids and actually feel better? Book an appointment and let’s cut through the white noise together.
Looking for more?
Check out my other blogs on stress and resilience here:
5 Ways to Sabotage Your Energy