Heal your PMS and Hormonal Imbalances with a Holistic Approach
Experiencing PMS and hormonal imbalances can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you've tried various remedies with little success. If you’ve tried everything you can think of to ease your PMS, but nothing seems to work, there may be a deeper emotional root cause at play that you haven't considered. From personal experience, I know that cycle syncing methods won’t be effective until you tackle the root causes of your hormonal imbalances and the disruptions in your body and life.
The key to true healing lies in addressing the deeper emotional and energetic root causes. Ways you can do this is by reducing stressors in your life through lifestyle changes, heal emotionally to remove energetic stagnation, and reconnect with your body and align with nature's rhythms. In this blog post, we'll explore how to heal hormonal imbalances using a holistic approach, allowing you to live a more balanced and vibrant life.
Holistic Practices
Incorporating holistic practices into your life supports overall wellness and hormonal balance. A holistic approach considers the whole person – mind, body, and spirit – rather than just focusing on isolated symptoms. By embracing holistic practices, you can address the root causes of these issues, fostering long-term well-being and harmony in your life. Let’s explore some effective holistic strategies to heal hormone imbalances and PMS.
Nourish Your Nervous System
A dysregulated nervous system can cause chaos to your hormones. Here are some ways to bring it back into balance:
Set Healthy Boundaries: It's important to protect your energy and set boundaries that prevent stress from overwhelming you. This might mean saying no to certain commitments, delegating tasks, or simply taking time for yourself without feeling guilty.
Use your voice: Put on your favourite song and let it out. Scream, cry and let out any feelings that might be stuck inside you. This could be frustration, anger or even sadness. Scream into a pillow if you don't feel comfortable or safe to let other people hear you.
Nature Therapy: Spend time in nature. A walk in the park or a hike can work wonders for your nervous system, helping you feel grounded and calm. Or my personal favourite; gardening.
Embrace Mind-Body Practices
Mind-body practices such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises are powerful tools in balancing hormones and alleviating PMS symptoms. These practices help regulate the nervous system, reducing stress and promoting relaxation.
Yoga: Incorporating gentle yoga poses that focus on the pelvic area and lower back can improve blood flow and reduce menstrual discomfort. Poses like Child’s Pose, Reclined Bound Angle Pose, and Cat-Cow can be particularly beneficial.
Meditation: Regular meditation helps calm the mind, reduce anxiety, and lower cortisol levels. Even just a few minutes a day of mindfulness meditation can make a significant difference. Moving Meditation is what cracked the code for me when it comes to dive into my brain and racing thoughts.
Breathwork: Practise deep breathing exercises to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and helps balance hormone levels.
Spiritual Practices: Engage in spiritual practices such as meditation, prayer, or connecting with nature. These can help you feel more aligned and balanced.
Manage Stress Effectively
Chronic stress is a major contributor to hormone imbalances and exacerbated PMS symptoms. Reducing stress can significantly improve your hormonal health.
Gentle Movement: Moving your body, such as walking, swimming, or dancing reduce stress hormones like cortisol and boost the release of endorphins, the body’s natural mood lifters. Aim for activities you enjoy to get dopamine on top of the reduced cortisol.
Prioritise Sleep: Ensure you get enough sleep each night. Create a relaxing bedtime routine and stick to a regular sleep schedule.
Creative Flow: Engage in hobbies and activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Whether it’s painting, gardening, or reading, making time for what you love can significantly reduce stress.
Healthy Boundaries: A way to reduce stress is learning to set healthy boundaries and saying no to things that do not align with you.
Heal Emotional and Energetic Stagnation
Emotional and energetic stagnation can disrupt the flow of energy in the body, affecting hormonal balance. Addressing these blocks can lead to profound healing. This, together with effective stress management has been the biggest ones for me on my healing journey.
Therapy and Counselling: Consider seeing a therapist or counsellor to work through emotional traumas and unresolved issues. Therapies such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) or EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can help process and heal past wounds.
Reiki and Energy Healing: Practices like Reiki can help clear energetic blocks and restore balance. Regular sessions can promote relaxation and emotional healing.
Journaling: Writing about your feelings and experiences can be a powerful way to release emotional blocks. It allows you to process emotions and gain insights into your inner world. Writing down your thoughts and feelings can provide clarity and relief.
Creative Flow: Engage in creative activities such as painting, dancing, or playing music. These can help you express and release pent-up emotions.
Nurture Your Gut Health
A healthy gut is crucial for overall well-being and hormonal balance. Our gut is intimately connected with our hormones and can influence everything from mood to menstrual cycles.
Probiotics: Include probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi in your diet to support gut flora. I love kombucha and water kefir for a refreshing drink during the warmer months.
Fibre-Rich Foods: Foods high in fibre, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, help maintain a healthy digestive system.
Hydration: Drink plenty of water to support digestion and help eliminate toxins from the body. Make sure to include electrolytes to optimise hydration.
Detox from Synthetic Hormones: If possible, consider reducing or eliminating the use of hormonal birth control and other synthetic hormones. Consult with a healthcare provider to explore other alternatives.
Things that have also helped me: drinking bone broth first thing in the morning, supplementing with a high quality collagen, and eliminating ultra processed food.
Connect with Your Intuition
Reconnecting with your intuition and inner wisdom will guide you towards balance.
Mindful Eating: Pay attention to how different foods make you feel. Eat slowly and savour each bite to help tune into your body's signals. This practice helps you tune into your body’s needs.
Nature: Spend time in nature to ground yourself and reconnect with the natural world. Walking in a park, hiking, or simply sitting by a tree will help you feel more centred.
Creative Flow: Engage in creative activities like painting, writing, or dancing to tap into your inner voice and express yourself authentically.
Final Thoughts
Healing hormone imbalances and PMS requires a holistic approach that nurtures the mind, body, and spirit. By embracing mind-body practices, nurturing gut health, regulating your nervous system, addressing emotional stagnation, and reconnecting with your intuition, you can achieve a more balanced and vibrant life.
Remember, the journey to hormonal health is personal and unique. Listen to your body, trust your intuition, and take the steps that resonate with you.
