Ever since my very first cycle in middle school, I remember being told that painful and irregular menstrual cycles were ‘just the way it is’. I had long and heavy bleeds, with short breaks in between each one, and my mood was all over the place. I often felt tired, had always struggled with my weight, and had irregular hair growth alongside acne. These symptoms ruled my life. I felt uncomfortable in most clothes, I would avoid social and physical activity, and I became a target for bullying. To cope in the best way I knew how, I took to emotional binge eating and anorexia, took ibuprofen regularly, and people-pleased to try and fit in. None of it felt ‘normal’ to me.

I insisted on seeing the doctor who recommended taking the birth control pill. I didn’t receive much information about it, but I jumped on it, desperate for a solution. After trying a few different kinds, I landed on one that appeared to regulate my cycle, decreased cramping during my bleed, and that allowed me to drop some pounds, which I then took for the next 14 years. What I didn’t seem to pay much attention to during that time was the range in my moods from anxiety to depression, the regular headaches and migraines, and how much stimulation I needed from caffeine, activities, screens, and projects. Although as a high-achiever, I powered through.

As I got older, greater stresses and responsibilities came my way. From deep into university studies, to challenging relationships and incidents, to working many long hours as a nurse in the hospital, and picking up my life to move across the country, my body became overburdened. I spent all this time going to great lengths to care for others and to work hard towards my goals that I wasn’t spending much time and effort taking care of me during these difficult chapters. However, I actually recognized this relation in my patients before I recognized it in myself. I saw how stress, trauma and mental health were underlying many of the illnesses people presented with and we would give medications to calm the symptoms down, but that didn’t cure the problem, and in fact, caused further distress on the body. I realized these symptoms we notice and feel are our body’s way of communicating with us that something is wrong. As I further began experiencing hair loss and hyperthyroid symptoms, I decided to stop taking birth control to see where my hormones were at baseline and heal these imbalances from the bottom-up.

At this point in time, my body really began screaming at me. As though I was going through peri-menopause at the age of 30, I lost my regular cycle, I experienced hot flashes, my whole body itched, I developed a lot of acne, aged prematurely, gained back all the weight I previously lost and then some, and mentally I experienced everything from severe ADHD and panic attacks to suicidal ideations. I was referred to specialists who couldn’t make sense of my inconsistent test results, I saw a naturopath who only offered costly treatments, and I was put on a 2-year waitlist for mental health support. It was evident to me I needed to go outside of the healthcare system and take my health into my own hands.

With a lot of trial and error of natural health information I had acquired over the years, reducing my stress load, creating work-life balance, regulating my nervous system, and getting back to basics, the symptoms began to subside. I wanted to take my healing deeper, in which I began enrolling in holistic health courses and certifications to expand my knowledge and apply what I was learning on my own health journey. I now have a greater understanding of how the way we live our lives and the patterns we find ourselves in impacts our health. My health has vastly improved where my mood and cycles are regulated, I have lost weight and regained my energy to live a happy and fulfilling life in a body that I feel great and confident in!

If you are someone who struggles with hormone and mood irregularities and is trapped in a cycle of burnout, then click the button below to get your free starter kit & connect with me. Let's restore balance!