3 Steps To a PMS-Free Summer
Let's talk about the big elephant in the room: Our Hormones.
When it came to summer time, I wanted to just be able to enjoy my kids without being overwhelmed. I wanted to not feel frustrated and snappy at them. I wanted to be present with them. I wanted to be able to deal with my oldest daughter's special needs, behavioral challenges without totally blowing a gasket.
If this resonates with you, I want you to know that you're not alone. I want to come in as a friend, as a Mom, as a Practitioner, and share with you some ways that we can prepare for our summer being PMS free.
If you’ve read my last post, Preparing for a Peace-filled Summer (as a special needs Mom), I talked about the first step to preparing for a peace-filled Summer begins with looking at your goals.
When I get on the phone with women and I ask them why it really matters to them to have strategy for moving forward with their hormones, this is what they tell me:
“I'm tired of planning my vacations around my cycle”;
“I'm tired of not having the energy to go on hikes with my family, or go camping with them, or take them on vacation”;
“I'm tired of the overwhelm”;
“I want to be able to let my children have a childhood and I feel like I can't because my hormones get in the way”;
I have been there.
I have lived that life and I'm learning now how to manage my symptoms and my root causes differently, so that I can still have PMS-free summer. So, let's go back to the idea of reverse engineering the problem:
Understanding our symptoms
What do our symptoms actually mean?
A common myth we need to bust is that experiencing mood swings and irritability 7-10 days leading up to your cycle is normal. “Everybody in the family has PMS”. “PMS is just part of having a cycle.”
That's not normal. It's common. But it's not normal. And the reason why I know it’s not normal is because when we address the root causes - the reasons for having those symptoms in the first place - the symptoms go away, which tells me that those are symptoms.
These symptoms are actually the body's way of saying:
“Hey! I'd like some healing please!”
“Hey, this isn't actually feeling very great and I need you to pay attention to this.”
So, the number one thing that we need to do is identify our root causes. I have a great, complimentary assessment sheet here that you can fill out and return to me on Instagram or Facebook that will help you to see - ‘What are my symptoms actually telling me?”
It’s not just that you have low progesterone.
It’s not just that you’re exhausted because you have low iron.
It's not just that you're fatigued because you're a Mom and your kids are up all night long (which, that is REAL! My youngest didn't sleep until she was 5 so I get it!).
However, if we want to have that big goal, which is to enjoy our children and not be maxed out, feel overwhelmed, not be under this chronic state of stress and irritability, then we have to understand why it's happening in the first place. So make sure to grab that checklist! Fill it out and send it to me. If you want feedback, I have tons of resources and a download as well that would be super helpful for you.
Actionable Steps
Summer is very rarely a time for us to tackle a 21-page protocol. The reason I use the example of a 21-page protocol is because when I first started working with a Naturopath to heal my hormones, that is what he gave me! I don't know about you, but I did not have the capacity to do a 21-page protocol when I was not feeling well, my hormones were a hot mess, and I felt like a dumpster fire.
What we need to do with symptoms is build in very, very simple, actionable steps that you can do on a daily basis that take less than 10 minutes. We don't heal our hormones by just taking buttloads of supplements. We implement simple, actionable steps that you can take in five to ten minutes a day. And then, once we're implementing those on a daily basis, it just becomes our ‘normal’ and that is how we heal our hormones.
Prioritize the right things
A lot of times, we feel like we will feel better if the laundry is done; if the dishes are done; if the counter is wiped down; and if our schedule is perfectly structured. We try to fix our internal environment by fixing our external environment.
The reality is - we will feel better when our nervous system is not in a constant state of fight or flight and when our microbiome is balanced.
That is the truth.
When your nervous system is in balance; when you’re getting quality sleep; when you nourish your body; when you’re making pockets of time for rest; THEN you can handle the laundry and the dishes.
So, I'm going to give you three really quick, simple actionable steps that you can take to start making headway in your mood swings, your irritability, and your anxiety.
When you wake up in the morning, drink a glass of water
I know that this sounds so simple, but I cannot tell you how many clients have seen a significant shift in their mood swings, their anxiety, and their irritability simply by being hydrated. Before you grab your cup of coffee, or tea, or whatever it is that you drink, just chug a glass of water.
2. Eat something within an hour of waking up
I cannot overstate this enough - how many women are fatigued, irritable and anxious, because they're not getting enough of the calories, protein, or nutrients that they need to support their brain, their nervous system, and their gut. I am not super particular about what you eat, especially if your goal is going from eating nothing to eating something. Don't be super picky about it. If you like specifics, then you can aim for something that is rich in protein, in antioxidants (like berries), and some meat. For me personally, if you can do eggs, then do some eggs. I find that if I start my day with something that's high in sugar or high in carbs, I tend to crave that throughout the day, so I try to avoid that as much as possible.
3. Make sure that you are eating regular meals throughout the day
For those of you that have ever followed the craze of intermittent fasting, or keto, or anything within that realm - listen up! If you are raising young children, those methods are not a great idea for your cortisol, for your mood, etc - to space your meals out more than three hours. Spacing meals out longer than that tends to create a cortisol, blood sugar, dumpster fire.
So if you can, make sure to set a timer on your phone every 3 hours to eat something. My alarm literally says, “eat something” every three hours.
That’s it! Those are the strategies. Make sure to grab the free ‘PMS Free summer guide’ here, and take it to heart.
