We’re all at home, with extra time to spend with our families. Two months ago, I would have thought this was the dream! Three additional hours a day to do what I want since I’m not commuting. Time to be in my house and focus on my kids. Time to get all of the spring cleaning and organizing done! And what have I done so far? I snack a lot. I drink too much beer. I’ve spent time catching up on all of the TV shows that we haven’t had time to watch. I know I’m not sleeping enough. About three nights a week, I fall asleep in my son’s bed while reading to him. The energy that I thought I had to put into writing this blog? Just about gone. I can’t be the only one feeling this way!
In the past month, I’ve been struggling with symptoms that I thought were gone. I’ve realized that feeling crappy is NOT normal. I think people, women especially, assume that bad moods and lack of focus are normal. Not sleeping well is a badge of honor. For about 10 years, I would have agreed. Then I had my first baby, and my hormones totally shifted! I felt amazing without trying. Is this what it’s like for the average person? After my second baby, my hormones shifted back to my “normal,” and I’ve been self-experimenting to figure out how to recreate the energy that I had for about three years between my kids. What I’ve realized? What you eat and how much you move matters.
I want women to talk about how they’re feeling more. To realize that you aren’t the only one just feeling kind of ‘bleh’ some days. Here are some of the symptoms that have come back in the past month that used to plague me just about daily. If you can relate, I hope we can work on fixing this together!
- Blood sugar issues – I get shaky shortly after a meal. I wake up starving, and if I don’t eat first thing in the morning, I am the definition of hangry. I feel like I might pass out if I don’t eat.
- Dizziness – I feel this electrical pulse in my head, and the next thing you know, it feels like the world is flying around me! It’s a bizarre feeling, and after seeing multiple doctors for years, I was diagnosed with POTS – postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. The general idea of POTS is my heartbeat increases too much upon standing, and I get these dizzy spells. However, I went over 3 years without a single one. And now they are back!
- Mood swings – Hangry is a real thing! If I haven’t eaten, all of a sudden, everything feels out of control. I can’t control my rage if I’m angry, or tears if I’m sad. I can logically see that I’m overreacting, but something within me is driving me to some powerful emotions.
- Waking up in the middle of the night – For a long time, I actually thought that no one could fall asleep immediately and sleep well through the night. Doesn’t everyone wake up around 3AM with sudden worries about what is going to happen in the day ahead? Nope. For those three years, when I felt great, I fell asleep when I went to bed and woke up only in the morning. And I woke up with energy, not a tired feeling.
- Acne – Mine was terrible in high school and went away 99% while I was feeling good. It’s back! And here I thought being in my 30’s was what saved me. Nope, it’s something out of whack with my hormones.
It’s really frustrating when doctors don’t take your complaints seriously. Those symptoms I described are not “true” health issues. I’ve seen at least 5 different doctors trying to get an answer to how I was feeling. But most just dismissed me. Now that I KNOW I can feel good because I did for three years, I’m on a mission to understand how to recreate it for the long term – for me and anyone else having these symptoms. We can get our hormones in balance with food and exercise.