She's back!!

Y'all, I ain't never been this excited to get my period. According to the Cleveland Clinic, "Stress can cause light, late or nonexistent periods — which may eventually create a hormonal imbalance" and baby the way my five o'clock shadow has been increasing over the past few months is a clear indicator that my hormones are imbalanced. I haven't experienced a period in nearly four months. I could feel my body tensing up from chronic stress. The last time I was this stressed out my entire neurological system shutdown and I couldn't walk for nearly 28 days.

Stress will kill you and your body keeps count along the way. You literally get little signs like migraines, chronic back pain, irritability, increase or decrease in appetite and weight. You are legit imbalanced. The wild thing about this is when you read about how to reduce stress getting to the source of the stress and eliminating it isn't the top coping strategy.

Exactly!

The article highlights the following ways to "prevent stress from delaying your period"

Managing your stress helps regulate your cortisol levels, which can get your periods back on track. Try these stress relief tips, to start:

• Move your body. Exercise is a proven way to reduce cortisol and lower stress.

• Prioritize sleep. Sleep deprivation can increase cortisol production, so work on getting enough good, high-quality sleep.

• Eat a balanced diet. Eating a variety of healthy, nutritious foods helps regulate your hormones. Certain foods are even associated with stress relief.

• Embrace relaxation techniques. Practicing breathwork and meditation can help you cope with the stress of everyday life.

• Focus on feel-good hormones. Taking proactive steps to boost your “happy hormones” can lower stress and combat cortisol creep.

• Take time for self-care. Establishing a self-care routine helps alleviate stress and anxiety and promotes overall well-being.

It is not until the article shifts the focus to how stress can wreak havoc on your overall health that It associates stress with depression, anxiety, immune dysregulation and a higher risk of chronic illness. That's when it links to the following stress reducing coping strategies.

What are some common coping strategies?

Some common coping mechanisms may challenge you to:

• Lower your expectations.

• Ask others to help or assist you.

• Take responsibility for the situation.

• Engage in problem solving.

• Maintain emotionally supportive relationships.

• Maintain emotional composure or, alternatively, expressing distressing emotions.

• Challenge previously held beliefs that are no longer adaptive.

• Directly attempt to change the source of stress.

• Distance yourself from the source of stress.

• View the problem through a religious perspective.

All I want to to know is why is "distancing yourself from the source of stress not at the top of the list? Like, if you know what is stressing you out, why would you first lower your expectations, then ask others to help or assist you, followed by taking responsibility for the situation, and engaging in problem solving.

Here's the thing! Something tells me that these coping strategies are only for women and it wreaks of something I can't quite pinpoint yet.

I am going to keep researching and get back with y'all because now I am going down a rabbit hole.

Anywho, today I found joy in celebrating a truly amazing friend's birthday long distance and getting my period back which means my cortisol levels are dropping almost instantly. I hope you found joy today too, but if you didn't, I hope you didn't steal anybody else's!

I love you and I know you don't know me but I really do because you are worthy of being loved.

Love,

MichelleRena