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?