Somewhere along my corporate America journey, working with fast-paced financial clients, I normalized discomfort. I convinced myself that this lifestyle came at a cost.
And if everyone felt a certain way, then it must be normal, right? Wrong. I’m learning just how intelligently our bodies communicate with us. Those so-called 'busy life' symptoms?
They’re actually red flags, telling us our body needs attention. The common theme below? Stop downplaying symptoms or, worse, ignoring them. Instead, get curious, notice patterns, and make small but impactful changes.
Gut Health
Omg, I’m so happy that functional medicine has finally caught up with Ayurveda! Modern medicine is finally acknowledging the importance of gut health. Our emotions and physical well-being are deeply connected to our gut, and all that microbiome talk?
Yeah, it stems from this ancient wisdom.
Ayurveda teaches that disease starts in the gut, and by disease, I mean any discomfort. Tuning into gut health can be life-changing—I can vouch for this! Fine-tuning my gut health by choosing foods that feel good and cutting back on ones that don’t has significantly improved my mental well-being, sleep, and even PMS.
Here’s a mindset shift—none of these are 'normal':
irregular poop schedules
overly loose or hard stools
daily farting, belching, or bloating
super smelly poop - yea, we are going there
That’s your gut telling you it’s unhappy. But the good news? Small, intentional changes can bring noticeable improvements. If you’re curious about gut health from an Ayurvedic perspective, I’d love to help—schedule a discovery call. And no, this isn’t a marketing plug—I genuinely believe in the power of these shifts!
PMS
I grew up hearing so many things about PMS:
It sucks.
It’s different for everyone, but always uncomfortable.
You just have to suffer through it for a few days.
Thanks to the lack of scientific focus on women’s health, we’ve been conditioned to normalize discomfort.
But here’s the thing—I’ve noticed how my PMS symptoms shift based on stress, diet, and overall hormonal balance. So, if PMS severity can fluctuate, then surely, we can find ways to reduce or eliminate the symptoms altogether.
While I can’t stop normal hormonal fluctuations, I can reduce extremes. For instance, I used to be super consistent with alternate nostril breathing (a game-changer for hormone balance). I’ve also been researching how food impacts PMS—turns out, cutting back on sugar (even when cravings scream otherwise) can significantly lessen symptoms.
So, don’t just accept PMS as your fate—experiment with small, sustainable habits and give them time (a few months, at least) to work before dismissing them.
Sleep
Sleep patterns shift as we age, but if you’re under 50 and experiencing either excessive sleep or insomnia, your body is asking for help. I’ve struggled with sleep issues over the past two years as a trauma response, and I’ve learned that prioritizing rest is non-negotiable for my health.
High cortisol (aka the stress hormone) can mess with sleep. And let’s be clear—cortisol isn’t our enemy. We need it for alertness, blood pressure regulation, and inflammation management. But when that friend overstays their welcome, sleep suffers. Ideally, cortisol levels naturally decrease at night to help us sleep and rise in the morning to get us moving. But under chronic stress? That rhythm gets thrown off, and suddenly, restful sleep feels like a luxury.
Beyond stress, sleep disturbances can signal nutritional deficiencies—like low magnesium, Vitamin D, selenium, or B12. If sleep has been elusive, consider getting tested.
And if stress is the culprit, I highly recommend somatic-informed practices and Reiki healing (truly life-changing for me). You can book a discovery call to learn more. Now, this is a marketing plug—but an authentic one. 😊
Headaches
Stress headaches, tension headaches, minor aches—I used to pop a pill and move on. Or I’d use essential oils and soldier through. It was so common to hear, “Anyone have Tylenol?” in the breakroom—because headaches were just 'normal.'
Except they aren’t.
Headaches are messengers. They can signal stress, poor posture, muscle tension, or hormonal imbalances. And if I let my wellness routines slip? Boom. The headaches return. Now, instead of masking them, I respect them as signals that my body needs attention.
Final Thoughts
Our bodies aren’t inconveniences—they’re intricate, intelligent systems constantly communicating with us. When something feels 'off,' don’t ignore it. Get curious. Make small shifts. And most importantly, trust that feeling good is possible.
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