The Fix
I really feel like I haven't had a good, sound night's sleep since Saturday and it is beginning to weigh on me. My eyes feel like sandpaper, my mood is flat and irritable, and I feel all I can eek out is the lowest-maintenance activities. I only want to wear super comfy clothes, I only want to exert a tiny bit of effort in everything I do, and I don't feel like interacting with the public, which is impossible since I work in sales. Ha. I am noticing this every month mid-cycle (ovulation) and I do strongly believe that my hormones are interfering with my 'best life', whatever that is! Ah to be a middle-aged woman! Being the person I am, I naturally try to quell my irritability and cover it with a gentle smile so people don't know how ugly my thoughts are (snarky thoughts in my brain) but I am genuinely not feeling good or happy in the time between ovulation and the 'main event'.
I did a little research on what hormones are at play during the 4 phases of the cycle and I do notice how low estrogen makes me feel so worn out and stabby. I am turning 47 at the end of the year and so far there's no real signs of true menopause, so I do think this will be something that drags on for years. UGH. So with that in mind, I am on a mission to go through this as gracefully as I can.
One thing most articles said to do is boost estrogen naturally by eating foods rich in phytoestrogens. Flax seeds, nuts, fruits, soy and red wine are good sources. The other thing they all said is to cut back or altogether avoid caffeine. Humbug! This is still a major crutch for me because I do feel like it helps and I believe I would be absolutely zombified without it. That's not based on evidence, just opinion; I'm scared to see myself without caffeine! Ha ha. I know it has been a goal for a long time and I have gone soft on myself and am back to drinking two large mugs of coffee every morning again. It's still a work in progress. I did notice myself feeling fine this morning before I had the coffee. Yes, tired, but not zombie tired. So some of that is all in my head, and I need to revisit the idea of getting off it at some point.
As for eating estrogen-boosting foods, that shouldn't be a problem at all; it may even convince me to create some new recipes in my tired old food cycles I go through.
Another thing I have been thinking about, especially as it pertains to my stabby mood which seems to be the majority of the time lately, is how I can make my free time (time away from work) feel more rejuvenating and uplifting. When I think about my current nighttime 'routine' it consists of a few tasks and then vegging out on my phone for the most part, sometimes watching a little of The Office with my husband before bed, but most of the time, just being on my phone until bed time. I do enjoy it, but I often find myself thinking that there's never enough of that, the 'checking out' and it honestly isn't as restful and rejuvenating as I think it should be. So I have roughed out a little schedule for nighttime, having set time for meditation and breathing exercises and there's always room in there for some gentle stretching too. I saved time for free time to do whatever I want, reading, phone, genealogy, practice German, etc. Then I made a half hour of time to release the stresses I feel like I am carrying through my day. It is a time to journal about what challenges I am facing emotionally, what is triggering the emotions and find a way to either work through them or let them go so I am not carrying one day's problems or stress into my sleep and into the next day, where they will continue to compile. I think this will be a period of personal growth if I stick to that part of it. I hope it makes me less irritable. And finally, as I do inconsistently, when I am in my bed before falling asleep ( a very small window of time for me) I will give gratitude for all the blessings I have. Just planning it out makes me feel better, calmer, happier, so I imagine the act of doing these things will make me feel better mentally. I am also going to aim at getting to bed at 9:30 instead of 10pm to help compensate for getting up earlier to do yoga.
Yoga is going good, by the way. Today was a 40 minute session and it was a lot of fantastic stretches that helped my tired body feel more awake and alive. I'm still stiff but it is getting better. I am fortunate that some of me is pretty flexible and the tight areas are coming along.
So tonight will be the first night I try the schedule to see how it goes. I will be journaling either on paper or maybe on a private blog, but may post some highlights here if I happen to have any aha moments along the way. I do think the journaling will also help me with my goal of being more positive as well by uncovering triggers and thinking through what I can do to handle myself better the next time a trigger is hit.
I do think these two new plans of boosting estrogens and having a rejuvenating nightly ritual will be great additions to the yoga as a way to take care of myself physically and mentally. I am learning to be kinder to myself. I have worked hard my whole life, I have taken care of people to my own detriment sometimes, now It's my turn!
I did a little research on what hormones are at play during the 4 phases of the cycle and I do notice how low estrogen makes me feel so worn out and stabby. I am turning 47 at the end of the year and so far there's no real signs of true menopause, so I do think this will be something that drags on for years. UGH. So with that in mind, I am on a mission to go through this as gracefully as I can.
One thing most articles said to do is boost estrogen naturally by eating foods rich in phytoestrogens. Flax seeds, nuts, fruits, soy and red wine are good sources. The other thing they all said is to cut back or altogether avoid caffeine. Humbug! This is still a major crutch for me because I do feel like it helps and I believe I would be absolutely zombified without it. That's not based on evidence, just opinion; I'm scared to see myself without caffeine! Ha ha. I know it has been a goal for a long time and I have gone soft on myself and am back to drinking two large mugs of coffee every morning again. It's still a work in progress. I did notice myself feeling fine this morning before I had the coffee. Yes, tired, but not zombie tired. So some of that is all in my head, and I need to revisit the idea of getting off it at some point.
As for eating estrogen-boosting foods, that shouldn't be a problem at all; it may even convince me to create some new recipes in my tired old food cycles I go through.
Another thing I have been thinking about, especially as it pertains to my stabby mood which seems to be the majority of the time lately, is how I can make my free time (time away from work) feel more rejuvenating and uplifting. When I think about my current nighttime 'routine' it consists of a few tasks and then vegging out on my phone for the most part, sometimes watching a little of The Office with my husband before bed, but most of the time, just being on my phone until bed time. I do enjoy it, but I often find myself thinking that there's never enough of that, the 'checking out' and it honestly isn't as restful and rejuvenating as I think it should be. So I have roughed out a little schedule for nighttime, having set time for meditation and breathing exercises and there's always room in there for some gentle stretching too. I saved time for free time to do whatever I want, reading, phone, genealogy, practice German, etc. Then I made a half hour of time to release the stresses I feel like I am carrying through my day. It is a time to journal about what challenges I am facing emotionally, what is triggering the emotions and find a way to either work through them or let them go so I am not carrying one day's problems or stress into my sleep and into the next day, where they will continue to compile. I think this will be a period of personal growth if I stick to that part of it. I hope it makes me less irritable. And finally, as I do inconsistently, when I am in my bed before falling asleep ( a very small window of time for me) I will give gratitude for all the blessings I have. Just planning it out makes me feel better, calmer, happier, so I imagine the act of doing these things will make me feel better mentally. I am also going to aim at getting to bed at 9:30 instead of 10pm to help compensate for getting up earlier to do yoga.
Yoga is going good, by the way. Today was a 40 minute session and it was a lot of fantastic stretches that helped my tired body feel more awake and alive. I'm still stiff but it is getting better. I am fortunate that some of me is pretty flexible and the tight areas are coming along.
So tonight will be the first night I try the schedule to see how it goes. I will be journaling either on paper or maybe on a private blog, but may post some highlights here if I happen to have any aha moments along the way. I do think the journaling will also help me with my goal of being more positive as well by uncovering triggers and thinking through what I can do to handle myself better the next time a trigger is hit.
I do think these two new plans of boosting estrogens and having a rejuvenating nightly ritual will be great additions to the yoga as a way to take care of myself physically and mentally. I am learning to be kinder to myself. I have worked hard my whole life, I have taken care of people to my own detriment sometimes, now It's my turn!
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