FAMILY

Say “Yes” To You

Balance Yourself

What if what needs to be balanced isn’t your hormones but your life? Experts share why we need to adapt the way we live to experience true hormone harmony

Every thought, emotion and action we take affects our hormone levels. These factors impact how our hormones release into the bloodstream and act on the body.

“Good nutrition and appropriate treatments are important ingredients for hormonal balance. However, [if you don’t pursue] whole-person wellness, the improvement may only be short-lived,” explains Wendy Dumaresq, a natural fertility management counsellor and founder of Natural Woman Network.

“We’re also mind, emotions and soul. Living in a way that puts these [elements] out of harmony can disturb our hormone balance, energy levels and happiness,” adds Wendy.

What does harmonious living look like?

Life is a combination of two opposing forces known as yin and yang in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Yin is the feminine energy: it’s about being grounded and feeling calm. The opposite, yang, the masculine energy, is stimulating, goal-oriented, and can be the cause of stress. The goal is to achieve harmony between these two forces for a balanced life.

“Check in with yourself, and if what you’re doing or thinking doesn’t feel right, seek to understand where the disharmony is coming from. Then, work with your understanding to bring about the desired change,” says Wendy.

First, understand the stress

“Stress is a normal response to a trigger that our body considers potentially life-threatening, also called the fight-or-flight response, and that is related to yang,” explains Sam Beau Patrick, natural hormone expert and author of Chill Out of Burn Out.

“[Stress] leads to a waterfall of hormones being released, and once in the bloodstream, they target organs to amplify their awakened state so that we make rapid decisions, like whether to fight or flee,” adds Sam.

“Similarly, when we’re stressed by non-life threatening situations, such as psychological reasons as a result of our thoughts, our body also secretes these hormones,” she says.

According to Sam, there are many hormones involved, but the most crucial ones are adrenaline, testosterone and cortisol. She adds, “Adrenaline gets our hearts beating quicker, our blood pressure to rise, our body releases insulin and glucose, and makes us feel awake, and if we don’t switch this off, we feel anxious.”

“Testosterone is the hormone that drives competitiveness, aggression and modern diseases like PCOS, while cortisol is a valuable hormone that plays a role in cholesterol production, inflammation. But when the cortisol level goes up, we release insulin, and too much cortisol, resulting in abdominal fat, and finally, burnout.”

Research studies linking stress to female hormones found that daily stress can disrupt menstrual cycles among women with no known reproductive disorders; high stress during the ovulatory window negatively affects conception chances by up to 40 per cent during that month.

Resolve by slowing down

You can slow down once you understand that much of the stress response is under your control.

“Tuning in to your thoughts, by asking ‘How stressed do I feel?’ is enlightening; further challenge yourself by asking ‘Can I control this outcome, and do I need to get involved?’ help identify when your thoughts are taking control,” Sam says. “Then, take a deep breath, relax and reassure yourself.”

Resolve by connecting with your authentic self

“Take time to get clear on who you want to be and what matters most to you in your life and create a pathway that moves you towards that selfharmony,” suggests Dr Samantha Clarke, clinical psychologist and founder of Mind Body Resilience.

For instance, consider how you want to be as a parent; make a list of these values. Identify five in each area and set goals on how to achieve them.

Furthermore, to uncover what you truly want out of life, Anna Block, health and wellness coach and founder of the Gutsy Girl Wellness Coaching Program says to ask yourself, “What do I enjoy?” and “What am I good at?”

“When you make a plan to focus on and develop these strengths, it can result in a greater sense of achievement, self-confidence, true happiness and a meaningful connection with your genuine self.”

“The key to fulfilling this is to remember what choices in the past truly nurtured you, but also to experiment with new behaviours, even if it means stepping outside your comfort zone to keep your life fresh,” says Dr Clarke. “If you’re ever going to achieve harmony in both your hormones and your life, it’s essential to begin saying yes to you.”

FAST FACTS

Our emotional well-being affects our hormones.

Tune in to the messages your body is sending you.

Reduce stress by slowing down and challenging negative thinking.

Get clear on what really matters to you.

Put yourself first when you need to.

TEXT: BAUERSYNDICATION.COM.AU / PHOTOS: PEXELS, ENVATO