Holiday Health

Dear adoring fans aka other women struggling with painful periods,

This can be a tricky time of the year for many reasons. To begin with the elephant in the room: STRESS

We are all affected by stressful situations in some form or another around the holidays. Whether it be from external circumstances like travel, family pressure (too many potential problems to name) or internal ideas of perfectionism, we as women can all relate to feeling stressed out right about…NOW.

This stress can cause us to tense up all over, to breathe quickly and in shallow spurts, to over/under eat and to attempt to act like we’re holding it all together. My first bit of advice to you, is to cry it out. Get yourself to a safe space, turn on some sad music or a sappy YouTube video and let the ugly cry begin! You deserve to RELEASE! This is proven to allow our brain and our bodies to loosen our grip on life and begin to relax.

After that, you should focus on some deep breathing. Really allow yourself to stay in that safe space for 10-15 minutes and allow yourself to focus only on your breathing. Gently and lovingly guide your mind back to your breath or a steady sound as it is bound to wander. Give yourself a break. You are a ROCKSTAR and you have earned this time of silence. If you can’t do it for you then give these moments of silence for those still sick & suffering from perfectionism. Hopefully this thought will even make you smile as you become the watchful observer of your life instead of the stressed out victim.

In addition to stress, the holidays are also typically a time of flare up due to the amount/types of food we consume. I understand that traditions are fun, and you may not want to hurt anyone’s feelings by not tasting the 12th pie or peanut brittle of the gathering, but kindly framing the statement regarding your health is typically enough so people don’t keep pushing the envelope. Gluten can be hard for many women to digest. I suggest attempting to avoid it or cutting back significantly on your intake of processed gluten (and processed food in general) Instead try to find organic ingredients to cook with and make your family favorites with a lot of love and a lot less triggering chemicals. Pesticides have been linked to many illnesses and women with endometriosis find that organic foods are digested much more easily than nonorganic.

I also highly suggest drinking filtered water and avoiding alcohol as much as possible. The chlorine and flouride can exacerbate symptoms of endometriosis and alchohol is a nearly guaranteed trigger for illness and pain related to endometriosis sufferers. Be mindful and treat your body with the love and respect it deserves this season and everyday.