Magnolia Sky © Ashley Jeanne Ross
“You’re so hormonal!!”
When we hear these three words, we can’t help but feel judged, right?We fear we’re a mass of unpredictable, uncontrollable and massively inconvenient hormones.If only we had nice normal balanced hormones – you know, the kind that go about their business without attracting so much attention!!If only …
I’d like to offer a case for our all-too-often under-represented, maligned, misunderstood and scapegoated hormones.In a literal example of blaming the messenger, I propose it’s time to change how we see our hormones.
Are our hormones the problem?
What if I told you that by changing how you see them, you can actually change the way they make you feel? And what if this new way of seeing them could take you from struggling with them to feeling supported and nourished by them? If this can be, here’s a revolutionary idea that’s worth looking into …
Your hormones are an integral part of the perfect design of your body. When we talk about these “chemical messengers” and the important job they do in keeping you alive, we are talking about a networking system that is designed to keep your body, mind and spirit in homeostasis or balance.
As you can see, we’re talking about a system based on relationship, communication, harmony, support and collaboration. Fancy that, true feminine principles!
What our hormones are up to …
Through the physical lens, your hormones connect and coordinating many different functions in your body. They communicate between the different parts of your body in each moment.Your reproductive hormones, for example, are finely attuned to other systems and organs in your body – to your thyroid, heart, bones, adrenal, liver digestion, circulation and nervous system to name a few.When you tend to your hormonal health from various angles, you make way for these other systems to rebalance too.
But your hormones are so much more than physical. Your hormones are deeply connected to your emotions. They are constantly responding to your external environment. They’re tracking if you’re safe, if you’re loved and cared for, if you’re respected, if you’re useful and so much more. If that’s not enough, they are listening closely to your internal environment – what you’re telling ourselves!! They’re responding to whether you’re being kind or harsh to yourself, if you’re think you’re a good or bad person or if you’re tending to your needs.
So you can see how your hormones do more that just interact with your physical body. They network with your emotions, sensitivities, intuition, spirit, creativity, your purpose and your self-respect. These subtle, sensitive, fine-tuned and multidimensional “chemical messengers” are also exceptional communicators. Again we see how your hormones operate on feminine principles.
Hormones in balance
A feminine approach to being with your hormones turns out to be is quite simple.It’s eating well, slowing down, exercising moderately, being around good people, loving yourself all up, contributing your gifts to the world and not relying on someone else to know what you need. This allows your body to self-regulate and to establish natural hormonal balance. When you see hormonal imbalance as the problem (too much estrogen, not enough progesterone), you limit yourself from benefiting from the subtle ways your hormones support you.
Adapted from Ashley’s upcoming book, The Conscious Menopause Survival Guide.
Stay tuned for Part II on April 3, when I’ll talk about ways we can support our hormones when we look at them through this nurturing, supportive and reciprocal way.
There’s still time to join us for our first online Conscious Menopause Circle this coming Thursday March 24 @ 12-1pm PST (or you can watch it by video if you can’t be there at that time). We’ll be talking about: What is Conscious Menopause? Sign up details are here.
Ashley offers Conscious Menopause coaching in San Rafael and via Skype. Join Ashley and women from around the world for the live Conscious Menopause Circles Series online. You can read more on her website ashleyjeanneross.com.