How do I know if my hormones are out of balance?

Most women are experiencing symptoms from hormone imbalance and because our hormones help regulate almost every function our of wellbeing, hormone imbalance can affect every part of us and many areas of our lives.

Symptoms include but not limited to

• low energy
• Poor complexion
• Breakouts
• Difficulty sleeping
• Lack of motivation
• Painful periods
• Toxic relationships
• Feeling uninspired if you feel like your light has been dimmed
• Trouble maintaining healthy weight
• Headaches or migraines
• Poor appetite or strange cravings
• Digestion issues

Supporting your hormones begins by supporting your body and honoring your needs-even and especially your basic needs.

How to support hormone balance outside of living in alignment with the four phases of my cycle?

First, hydration. Simple but not small, keeping your body hydrated helps your body carry out important functions that support systems like hormone production, release and detoxification. Water moves nutrients essential to hormone production through the body and water helps cleanse your body of hormone disruptors.

Second, Get some sunlight.

Our circadian rhythm depends on different wavelengths of light that trigger different biological processes throughout the day, including hormone stimulation. You want to step outside a few times a day to benefit from the range of different types of light. We evolved over thousands of years outdoors and only recently have deprived ourselves of sunlight by living, working, and so on indoors.

Your circadian rhythm regulates most of your bodily functions including hormone balance with the rhythms of the sun.

Third, avoid hormone disruptors.

Nourish your mind and body by eating whole, plant-based foods and avoiding stress, both physical and emotional stress. Introducing toxins into our bodies by way of high sugar, processed foods and un naturally raised, high quantities of animal products slows down and disrupts the hormones in our bodies. These toxins can stimulate a excess amount of hormones or prohibit the production of hormones causing an imbalance or unstable hormone levels.

While we can’t always avoid stress, we can do our best to live in alignment with the life we want to live and we can exercise stress coping practices that prevents the affect of stressful triggers on our physiologic systems.

Fourth, Sleep.

Set yourself up for good rest by going full circle and doing as described above, eating your last meal earlier, minimizing late night screen time or staying off screens all together after sunset.

Quality sleep sets you up for the next day and the following nights rest. Our sleep is also a cycle. A Sleep Cycle. We need nightly rituals to initiate this cycle. While we sleep our brain waves change and our sleep deepens unlocking new levels of healing and hormone function with each phase of the sleep cycle.

Exposing ourselves to florescent lighting or screens from our devices can disrupt our circadian rhythm as well as our sleep cycle, both of which support healthy hormone production.

Prioritize your sleep.

Ok I know its easier said than done, especially if you have a demanding work life or one or more little humans depending on you, sometimes through the night.

Lastly but just as important-understanding our female menstrual cycle.

Women are cyclical. We evolve each month like the moon, going through our phases like the four seasons of the year-winter, spring, summer, and fall. Our hormones change from week to week depending on what phase of our cycle we are in.

Our phases effect everything from our metabolism, energy and mood to our physical coordination and mental clarity! It’s wild, Instead of “pushing through” my cycle and living in resistance to my natural rhythms, I live in alignment with my cycle, adapting to each phase.

It might sound like a lot of work, but nope, its simple and it will simplify your life while supporting your physical and mental well being, increasing your productivity, and validating your times of rest.

By syncing up with your cycle you can unlock the secrets to the magic that is your cycle superpower, and of course, help balance your hormones

What Are the Phases of My Menstrual Cycle?

The 4 phases of our cycles

Winter/Menstruation: inward reflection, dreaming low energy, alone time + self care

Spring/Follicular: planting seeds of dreams, emergence from nest, balanced week, light movement

Summer/Ovulation: making dreams come true through action, high energy, glowing skin, social time, intense movement, productive week

Fall/Luteal: growing + gleening lessons from realized dreams, finishing projects, taking inventory, light movement, intimate social settings, preparing for winter

Learning about the phases of my cycle changed my life-forever. Once I understood even a little bit of what each phase is like, I was able to adapt to each phase in live more in tune with my body.

I was inspired to write this post because, hormone balance doesn’t have to be a luxury, it doesn’t have to be expensive, or out of reach.

Hormone balance actually starts with a return to the basics, our cycle as women, our lifestyle, our hydration, our sleep, and our circadian rhythm.

All in all, hormone balance is a larger topic that I’m excited to share more on soon. But there are things that you can today, right now actually, to support your cycle and your hormones, and hopefully, if you invested the time to read this post through, which if you are still reading this bless you for putting up with my delivery.

If you want to discover more about your cycle, I have created a cycle calendar for you. and If you did take the time to read this entire article, then you deserve a gift. So click here to download your free (but very valuable) cycle calendar to explore & guide you through this next cycle.