I checked the clock on the stove. It had only been an hour and a half. Again. I had been changing my super plus tampon this frequently for the past 10 hours. Was I going to have to head to the ER?
Then, just like that, those tingles of anxiety began snaking their way through my body.
Hormone imbalance, specifically estrogen dominance, can wreak a lot of havoc in our bodies. However, the more I talk to other women, I realize many of us suffer silently behind closed doors in the night.
I have written my anxiety story down (you can read that here as part 2), so I’ll call this part three. My story has continued, and God has led me to more significant healing and more understanding of this monster.
Healing is a humbling way to experience God’s goodness. Sometimes God blesses people with immediate one-time healing. But I’ve discovered that, more often than not, the healing comes through obedience. It’s more of a journey with the Lord, and that journey has God’s goodness all over it!
Lately, I’ve seen many threads about anxiety popping up on Facebook. The responses have made me sad. Most of the answers were people throwing scripture at the person asking for help. That’s great when the anxiety is fear-based. But that’s not always the case, and it’s not fair to make blanket statements about just trusting God.
If there’s one thing I want women to understand, it’s this. Anxiety and the problems that come with hormone imbalance isn’t a faith issue. There’s a legitimate malfunction that can be rebalanced. That said, I’d like to share three things I’ve learned from my healing journey. Then I have something to share with you that has tremendously helped me.
First, the endocrine system is fundamental but often overlooked.
The best place to start is to understand the endocrine system. God created it as a cascade of glands and organs, so health and healing filter down through the cascade, as do imbalances. Since our sex hormones are at the bottom of the endocrine system, the best thing we can do is start at the top. Starting at the top will help achieve balance much faster. We need to begin by supporting the hypothalamus with our food choices. Addressing our diet is a crucial step as we work on helping our cycles.
6 Natural Ways to Boost Hypothalamus Function
3 Tiny (But Mighty) Brain Glands That Control Your Hormones
Second, seed cycling is a small thing that can make a huge difference.
My anxiety had pretty much cleared up before I became pregnant with Little Miss through working with my chiropractor. After I finished nursing, though, the estrogen dominance showed up. I hadn’t experienced anything like this with the boys, but my period returned painful and heavy after having Little Miss. God led me to seed cycling, and it made a noticeable difference the first month. I saw the most significant changes when I used the Bliss balls recipe from Traditional cooking school. But just eating the seeds by themselves did help!
Traditional Cooking School’s Bliss Balls recipe
Third, there’s a hormone reset detox program that can supercharge our efforts.
My periods got less heavy and painful with the seed cycling. So that was a step in the right direction. But all of a sudden, I found my stomach bloated and my hips broader again, plus I put on weight in my hips and butt. And I was exhausted plus not sleeping well. It felt like a never-ending saga of trouble!
Articles about syncing life to your cycle started popping up. I had stumbled on this concept before about the best types of food and exercises to do during the different menstrual cycle stages. As I dove deeper into the topic, the information I read made sense.
I haven’t fully implemented cycle syncing into my life yet. But through one of those articles, I discovered a cycle tracking app called MyFLO by Alisa Vitti. And through that, God led me to her article on detoxing and resetting the hormones. The detox program instructions are free for the taking, and it uses everyday food! I went through it and couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
I didn’t get drastic results like some women have reported. I’m anxious to see how my next period is. But I experienced a 180 shift in my appetite, my belly bloat is gone, and I can feel my Pilates workouts working again. My jeans are slowly getting less tight, too. As I continue to support my endocrine system with helpful foods and exercise, I’m sure my body will continue responding well.
The Best Detox for Women by Alisa Vitti
Life is too short to be stick managing symptoms!
As I started researching the hypothalamus and pituitary glands, I realized this reset protocol deeply nourishes the hypothalamus while it works to bring balance to everything else. It’s brilliant, and I am so thankful Alisa created it. One, it’s free. Two, it’s not expensive to implement, and three, it works!
It’s hard to live life well inspired when we’re bogged down with physical, emotional, and mental issues. But we don’t need to suffer silently behind closed doors! God has given us women to walk alongside us and encourage us. Together we can heal and do the things God created us to do!
I didn’t end up in ER that night, but God used that to move me forward in my healing journey. I’m grateful for God’s goodness.
Here’s what helped me that I’d like to share.
After going through the Hormone Reset Detox program, I created a video devotional series to go along with the reset to add the spiritual. The seven verses are the ones God gave me my first time through the program. Each day I send an email with the day’s devotions to help you stay accountable and motivated while encouraging you in the process. The devotions focus on your identity in Christ and the purpose of the trials you are experiencing because of the hormone imbalance.
You can get the information here and start the emails when it is the right time of the month for you. This program needs to be done at a specific time of the month for maximum benefit and that varies from person to person.
Check it out here!
More in the Series:
Part 1- Well, Hello Anxiety
Part 2- If You are Struggling With Overwhelming Anxiety
Part 3- Anxiety does not mean the quality of your faith is poor!
For some additional encouragement, here are some more articles:
Our Scars- The Way to Know the Lord’s Heart
We Can Be Thankful For Our Trials
God’s Love and Our Trials
God’s Providence and Our Trials
God’s Sovereignty and Our Trials
God and Our Trials
Three Blessings of Suffering
