Life is flipping FULL ON! With work, family and home commitments we rarely get a chance to come up for air. So when our hormones, period or moods are, hmmmm, challenging, we usually just put up with it and muddle on. We think it’s just part of being a woman, getting older or the stress of life.
But imagine if you could have easier periods, better moods and loads more energy? Heaven forbid, your libido could even sky rocket!
There’s an expression “the way we spend our days, is the way we spend our life”. So here’s some really simple daily habits you can experiment with to see if they sort your hormones AND make your life oh-so-much-easier and get your va-va-voom back!
1. Visual prompts make habits stick
We all have grand ambitions about who we want to be and the daily habits we want to have, but actually making a habit stick is so so much harder. This year I used a A4 year wall chart pinned to my bathroom mirror to create two habits and I was impressed how much it helped me. I got a TICK everyday I meditated (see below for more on this!) And a CROSS when I successfully avoided processed sugar. Sugar is most people’s arch nemesis, it tastes soooo good but for me it wrecks havoc with my sleep and I know it zaps us all of Vit C, zinc and magnesium which we need for good immunity. The guilt of not seeing the daily TICK or CROSS propelled me to keep to those habits.
2. Find a way to empty your stress bucket every day
Did you know we are suppose to be in our parasympathetic, rest and digest mode 80% of the day? Yep, that much! If like me, it’s more like 20% of the day, it’s even more important to carve out time every day to rest and unwind. Now, I’m not talking about unwinding by devouring a Netflix drama boxset of an evening (although that’s fun too).
What resonates and works for each person is different so here are a few ideas you can try – my fav is to lie down and close your eyes for 10 mins listening to relaxing music, set an alarm on your phone to take 10 deep slow breathes a few times a day, abdominal massage, EFT/tapping, time in nature, journalling, yoga or meditation.
What I personally love is Transcendental Meditation (TM) which I learnt when I was 25 to help manage chronic pain caused by a car accident. It was a daily habit for years, squeezed beautifully into my day during my commute to or from work. Then I had kids and for many years I didn’t meditate regularly. Looking back I think it was one of the reasons I experienced episodes of PMDD. During the pandemic I made a promise to myself that I would TM every day and on the whole I have. That regular practice means that when I do miss a day or two here or there, I really notice it. I don’t have as much patience or inner calm, I am more easily rattled. I am generally not as nice as I can be. So TM has to be part of my life as I want to be my best version, for myself, my clients, and my family and friends.
3. Don’t be be a skeptic – we need to protect ourselves from blue light
At the start of 2020 I was fascinated to learn the science on why blue light from electronics damage our hormones and how blue blocking glasses can help. Then lockdown happened and my whole family became practically glued to screens for work or school. Aghhhhh! I invested in blue blocking glasses for daytime by Bon Charge and the evening by Swanwick and can really feel the difference when I don’t use them. I also try (and often fail) to turn off all screens by 8pm as this has a big impact on sleep quality and in turn our hormones.
4. Having a gratitude practice can keep you sane
Us humans are hard wired to focus on the negative and right now there are plenty of things to choose from! We need to train ourselves to look for positives as it keeps us calm and increases our happiness and boosts our hormones. Once we look for the good in our life, we could start seeing the great. Creating a habit to either note in your head or perhaps in a journal things you are grateful for can make you a happiness detective as you seek to notice the highlights – birdsong, enjoying a meal, a pleasant interaction with a stranger. Try it and feel your happiness grow.
5. Scheduling fun is the way to a happier life
The words scheduling and fun don’t sit that well together. Aren’t they opposites? Fun should be spontaneous and free, whereas scheduling can makes us think rigid and boring. I noticed over the years that my life had got a lot more serious and there simply wasn’t as much fun as there used to be. Having small kids, moving countries and frankly just being an adult can reduce the fun factor. So I’ve scheduled more fun into my life and trust me it’s brilliant. For me, fun is watching a slap stick comedy movie or a stand up comic, dancing like a loon in my kitchen or jumping on a trampoline. Making sure I make time for fun things has brought so much joy into my life and I highly recommend you try it out too.
If you want to discover even more ways to bring healthy habits into your life and improve your hormones, you’ll love my 6-week course Embrace Your Cyclical Power where you are be part of an awesome group cheering each other on. Find out more here.
