Signs and Symptoms You Need More Self Care

Click below to watch the video where I share 4 signs that you need more self-care in your life! Or continue reading below! 

Hi, Iʼm Jenn J - I’m a women’s hormone health coach and family nutritionist. My practice is built on empowering women living with uncomfortable and debilitating hormonal symptoms like painful periods, mood swings, PMS, weight issues, and low energy to reclaim their lives and put their period problems to rest while helping the whole family eat healthier! 

It’s no secret here on my channels that I’m an overachiever, people-pleasing, Type-A person.  Well as I shared in my last video “The Importance of Taking Time Out to Be By Yourself & the 5 Things I Did That Took Me From Burnt Out to on Fire!”, I quickly ran myself into the ground by committing to too much, not respecting my boundaries, saying YES too often, not saying NO often enough, having an endless list that I’d push to finish, and just overworking myself.

Cognitively, I actually function very well like this But physically, emotionally, and health-wise, we’re not supposed to work this way. This can be both a genetically wired stress response or a learned behaviour as a response to stress/trauma. I’m just wired that way. To always be ‘on’.

But here’s why this is actually a really dangerous way to live:

Our adrenal glands and HPA axis are responsible for regulating cortisol in our body. When we have a continuous excess of it, our glands have difficulty producing enough to allow us to keep going, and we can actually experience what’s known as adrenal fatigue.  When this happens, we can experience anything from physical & mental fatigue to weight gain, food cravings, disruptions to our menstrual cycles like increased pain and irregular cycles, blood pressure dysregulation, and even nutritional deficiencies and insulin regulation disruption.

So we really want and need to be mindful of the signals that our bodies are sending out. Check-in with yourself! 

If you’re experiencing any (or all) of these 4 signs, you may want to review your self-care commitments and find areas in your life where you can better support yourself.

You’re Irritable Often

When you’re in need of more self-care, it’s a lot easier to be upset or disgruntled. This is because the toll of going without what you need is beginning to weigh on you, and the resentment that you feel has begun to slowly carve itself into other areas in life. Being mindful of what is actually bothering you will help you to focus on correcting the problem. This can be especially true of long-term romantic relationships. 

I found that I was actually highly emotionally reactive. I’m happy that I’ve learned now how to respond appropriately instead. 

You’re Late Often

The tendency to be late can be caused by two main things, which are: the need to squeeze more into an unreasonably short time, or the need to procrastinate because you never feel as if you rest completely. One example of this can be seen in the habit of waking up with less time to get ready and trying to complete projects that required more time to plan. If you are the kind of person who listens to the alarm more than once, then you could be doing serious damage to your restfulness because you are waking up every few minutes instead of sleeping without interruption. 

You Have Panic Attacks 

Stress can build up in the body and cause it to have strange symptoms. If unchecked they can manifest into more serious conditions over time. Panic attacks are often the result of stress carried for long periods without relief or any sort of outlet. 

You Struggle to Relax  

How good at relaxing are you? If you have trouble relaxing, it could mean that you need to spend more time relaxing. It can also mean that you have a lot of open projects going on that don't seem to have an end. Try to designate a day when you take actual time to not have to do anything. Make it your time to sit without having to worry about completing anything. 

Which of these 4 signals really felt like you? Being irritable? Being late often? Having panic attacks? Or struggling to relax?

The Importance of Taking Time Out to Be By Yourself & the 5 Things I Did That Took Me From Burnt Out to on Fire!

Click below to watch the video or continue reading below to learn about the importance of taking time out to be by yourself and the 5 things I did that took me from burnt out to on fire!

Hi, I am Jenn J - I’m a women’s hormone health coach and family nutritionist. My practice is built on empowering women living with uncomfortable and debilitating hormonal symptoms like painful periods, mood swings, PMS, weight issues, and low energy to reclaim their lives and put their period problems to rest while helping the whole family eat healthier! 

Today we’re going to be talking about why it’s so important to actually take time out to be by yourself.  Especially as a woman, mom, and entrepreneur.

Just a few years ago, I was a totally different person because I was literally operating at a high level 100% of the time.  Fast-paced, overworking, non-stop, on the go.  Truthfully, it’s both a blessing and a curse to be able to function like that. I can get tons done in a short amount of time, I can work all day and well into the night, I can take on huge tasks, multitask, and still remember all of the important (and mundane) things in life.  

Does this sound like you?

But it all came at a cost for me…One that I didn’t even know I was making! It was like I had a pocket full of change, and that pocket had a small hole in it.  The busier that I was, the more I took on, the more time I spent with or for others, and the more change fell out of my pocket.

When the pocket was empty, I crashed.  I was dirt broken, and what I mean by that was my health plummeted. My physical health changed: I started gaining weight, my menstrual pains were at an all-time high, my food cravings were insatiable, and I could kill a bear with just a look when my mood swings kicked in.

My mental health crashed and burned: I was anxious, short-tempered, moody, aggressive, sarcastic, resentful, and racey.

And honestly, my emotional health went with it…I was getting depressed and detached. Unable to enjoy the things in my life that I used to, unable to find peace, and disappointed with myself and my behaviours.

When I learned how to take time out for myself, it was almost like I had sewn up the hole in my pocket and was steadily adding more change back into it…I was refilling. I became richer.  And not financially (although, yes, that happened, too). But I was happier, healthier, lighter, friendly, grateful, and overall a better person.

Taking time out for yourself is one of the most important aspects of self-care. You need to find time in your day to relax, unwind, and recharge before anything else. Even if you’re busy with work or family life, giving yourself time to relax can help you fulfill your responsibilities more efficiently and without stress.

Whether you work in an office all day or are at home taking care of kids, it’s important to find at least 15 minutes to give yourself some breathing space. At work, you can wait for a lunch break to sneak into your car or a quiet space outside. At home, wait for your partner or kids to calm down before focusing on yourself. Once you have a few minutes without excessive distractions, you can then utilize the following tips to make the most of your time.

Focus on Your Breathing

When alone, focus on your breath and posture to completely relax. Inhale slowly and deeply, and then exhale completely to feel at ease. This will help to calm your mind and body very quickly, and it can give you a lot of energy later in the day.

A Short Activity

Even if you’re pressed for time, you can find ways to get in a quick exercise to stay healthy and calm your nerves. Choose to walk to the store instead of driving, or quietly jog in place if you can’t go outside. Stretch your body, shake out your limbs, and get your blood flowing so you can stay loose and calm throughout the day.

Read Something Special

Keep a small book of poetry or prose nearby so you can dip into it when given the time. A well-written poem can liven your spirits and give you the perfect boost throughout an otherwise monotonous day. If you prefer, you can also choose something like a crossword puzzle or sudoku. 

Buy Yourself Something Nice

You don’t have to buy yourself something expensive, but treat yourself to something nice every now and then to boost your mood. It could be dark chocolate or a cute keychain. You could even buy yourself a beautiful postcard to pin on a wall at home. Give yourself gifts and treat yourself with love to always have the best mood possible.

Practice Positive Thinking

It’s easy to fall into the trap of negative thinking throughout the day, but it’s extremely important to break that trap before it becomes self-fulfilling. Instead of worrying about errands, chores, or work, think about how nice it will be to complete your tasks. You’ll have to complete them anyway, so it’s better to think of the positives instead of the dull negatives. Instead of worrying about how long a project will take, try to imagine how pleasant it will be to complete it.

There you have it! 5 ways I went from burnt out in my life to on fire!

1. Focus on your breathing
2. A short activity
3. Reading something special
4. Some retail therapy
5. Practice positive thinking

How Stress Affects Your Periods

Today we’re going to be talking about the effects that stress has on our hormone health, particularly our menstrual cycles and symptoms. Click below to watch the video or just continue reading!

My name is Jenn J - I’m a women’s hormone health coach and family nutritionist. My practice is built on empowering women living with uncomfortable and debilitating hormonal symptoms like painful periods, mood swings, PMS, weight issues, and low energy to reclaim their lives and put their period problems to rest while helping the whole family eat healthier! 

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how would you rate your everyday stress levels? Have you noticed a pattern in the levels of your stress and the frequency or intensity of your menstrual symptoms? Maybe your PMS seems a little much these days, your periods have become so irregular that you don’t know what to do, or you just can’t seem to stop eating.

Believe it or not, there’s a strong connection between our body’s stress response and the health of our menstrual cycle!

In fact, I learned this the hard way when I let my Type-A, workaholic personality get the best of me at a time when my hormones were already having trouble regulating.  I started experiencing rapid weight gain, extreme fatigue, irregular periods, and extremely painful periods, and my PMS mood swings could easily knock out anyone in the room with a look. 

The thing is, I know I’m not alone. I see this all of the time in my nutrition practice: women who are too burnt out to function but somehow keep going every day, anxious and snappy, and their periods have become a real source of problems for them. But learning how to take time out for yourself is so important! You can learn more about that by reading my last blog: The Importance of Taking Time Out to Be By Yourself & the 5 Things I Did That Took Me From Burnt Out to on Fire!

So let’s talk about how stress and our menstrual cycles really work together!

The first thing to note is that there are 4 categories of stress:

• Perceived stress (things like relationships, work, burnout, overscheduling, family, finances, emergencies, etc)
• Glycemic Dysregulation (typically related to diet choices, though can also be genetic in nature)
• Inflammatory Stress (allergies, autoimmune, digestive issues, etc)
• Circadian stress (sleep issues, poor sleep hygiene, shift work, etc)

And the interesting thing about all 4 of them, is that biologically, our body responds relatively the same way:

-we have a release of cortisol from our adrenal glands that are supposed to help us react to our stressors

-this release doesn’t differentiate between the sources of stress

For example, our body responds the same way being chased by a bear as it does when you can’t find your car keys and you’re late for work. - no difference between life & death situations vs mundane everyday stressors

And if we don’t intentionally recover and de-escalate from that cortisol release, then it continues to hormonally build up in our body.

Secondly, when our adrenals continuously pump out cortisol, they can actually burn out and not be able to keep up.  So we tend to see our body draw on nutrient stores and reserves to keep up.

We’ll also see secondary survival organs begin to shut down or work less efficiently, things like digestion, sleep cycles, and our menstrual cycles.

Why would we need to ovulate and create another human being if our body is perceiving our environment to be unsafe?

Now, even though each organ and system in our body has its own functions, many of them rely on the success of other systems in the body. So we really can’t have some organ systems without others. 

This means that this combination of adrenal burnout, nutrient reserve draws, and organ deficiencies all contribute to our menstrual cycle dysregulation and increased hormonal balances. We tend to see more symptoms like irregular periods, painful periods from a build of inflammation, anxious behaviours and heightened PMS, insatiable hunger from nutrient deficiencies – and way more!

This is why self-care and stress management is such a crucial part of helping to manage symptoms of a hormonal imbalance and our menstrual cycle! The thing is, most of us really struggle in this department because we’re just so busy, or we think we’re doing enough ‘self-care’ but we’re missing some of the key components that really help us de-escalate heightened cortisol.  

Being intentional every day that you’re lowering all types of stressors can really be helpful in you noticing small improvements in your cycle month over month as your body begins to rebuild nutrient stores and learn healthier coping mechanisms.

If you're interested in learning more about adding self-care to your routine and how to do it with ease, check out these related blog articles:

• Signs and Symptoms You Need More Self Care
• Developing a Positive Mindset for Self-Care
• How to Handle Negativity the Healthy Way
• 15 Ideas to Better Sleep