Hormones | Blissfulbritt

This post will be focusing on female hormones, if that ain’t your cup of tea check back next week.

Those who have been following my blog for a while know I had a long, frustrating run with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea. When I was deep in the struggles of this issue I spent hours online looking for articles to help guide me, as well as articles to help bring me comfort knowing I was not alone. I’ve shared parts of this story before, so I will spare you the reiterations, but in layman’s terms I lost my period for nearly six years.

My journey to “recovery” was a long one, but after endless research and self advocacy I discovered the “why” behind my missing cycle. I was exercising too much, eating too little, and putting myself through too much stress. A triple cocktail towards chaos. It wasn’t until I finally committed to eating more and moving less, becoming my version of the Michelin Man, that my cycle returned.

Admittedly gaining a lot of weight was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but it was imperative for my success in getting my cycle back.

Badda boom, badda bing – I’m back in business and have had regular cycles for over a year now. Things must be smooth as butter right? I wish I could say yes, but the answer up until a few months ago was a firm no. While I was stoked I no longer had to worry about osteoporosis in middle age (a potential outcome for long term amenorrhea sufferers), I now had the pleasure of lugging around unbelievably debilitating PMS symptoms each and every month.

I had never struggled with PMS in my youth, I’d get a cramp here or there, but the mood swings, the swelling, the pain, the fatigue, THE MOOD SWINGS…these were all new. I could have blamed this on getting older, but I knew it was more than that. I knew my cattywampus hormones over the last decade needed some help getting back in balance, so I did what anyone who avoids pharmaceuticals does. I scoured the internet for natural solutions to an unnatural problem.

What I discovered was nothing short of life changing, and I don’t say that lightly.

I want to note I think there is a time and place for pharmaceuticals, and some cases of mental health related struggles are dire enough for this type of intervention, but I personally seek natural sources first.

While searching for natural ways to get my mood swings under control I stumbled upon Happy Healthy Hippie. I alluded to my success with their Go With The Flow blend in a previous post, but I am so incredibly passionate about this product I had to share more about it. I’m honored to work with HHH in bringing light to this product, because I feel like I have my life back after starting these. I know there are so many other women out there who feel hopeless with regard to their hormones.

I am here to tell you it does not have to be that way.

I started taking this herbal blend in January and gave myself a full month before making any judgements. I was immediately convinced when day one of my luteal phase came around in February, aka hell week, and I felt no significant changes in my mood. Not only is my mood more stable during my luteal phases, but my overall disposition throughout the last few months has been much lighter. Granted, there are other factors contributing to my mood boost, but the main kick in the butt has been these herbs.

I truly thought my dark mind moments were how life was going to be for me. I was buckling up to accept and embrace the week from hell each month, but I am so thankful I discovered this product. I was initially wary, but figured I had nothing to loose. This is just a blend of natural herbs, what was the worst that could happen? The reviews I read online were all the convincing I needed to try this for myself. Women who were suffering from PMDD symptoms, menopause, and women like me who needed help finding balance.

The proof is in the pudding (me, I am the pudding). I am a customer for life with this brand.

Happy Healthy Hippie offers a wide range of products, and while I have only personally tried Go With The Flow, I am equally intrigued by Be Grounded, a fast-acting relief from stress and anxiety. If this works as well as Go With The Flow, I imagine those who suffer from intrusive, anxiety ridden thoughts might find great relief from this product.

If you are like me and want a more natural approach to some of the challenges our fast paced lives throw our way, I highly encourage you to check out Happy Healthy Hippie products.

After all, what do you have to loose other than residual stress and overwhelm?

Despite the fact I do not follow a Catholic faith, I decided to partake in Lent this year. I was raised Catholic, but I have moved towards more of a relaxed Christian faith that I am happy with. Still, I have participated in Lenten fasts in the past, but this year was different. This year I genuinely wanted to give up something to challenge myself on more of a mental and spiritual level, rather than a physical one.

This year, I have given up social media.

My blog has never been a space where I can escape from reality, so my presence here is “allowed” and encouraged. Instead I have given up Instagram and Facebook, one of which I can easily get lost on for hours looking at photos from strangers I will never meet. Initially I thought this would be difficult. I thought my addiction to the mindless escape of scrolling on Instagram would be a painful missing piece of my mental distraction repitour, but what I have found has been the complete opposite.

Rather than curling up in a corner scratching at my face for the next fix, I am more present on here. I am more present with myself, I am writing more, and I feel calmer. My eating habits have been more balanced, my mood has been stable, and my sleep has been better. I’ve spent more time reflecting on deep thoughts as well as superficial “fun” thoughts.

Thoughts that have inspired this post. Thoughts of random things I am enjoying lately. Let’s dive in, shall we?

I am enjoying wearing a Garmin watch without the obsession.

I will forever have a soul tie to my OG Garmin Forerunner 110, but he is no longer with us. I bought that watch in 2011, and we made it through many, many runs together. What I loved most about the 110 was the fact that it didn’t have any bells and whistles. No calorie counts, no step counts, no heart rate counts, it was just a watch that turned into a GPS when you asked it to.

I have avoided a new Garmin because of the bells and whistles. As someone who struggled with an exercise addiction and disordered eating it can be hard to separate from that extra data. If the day of movement wasn’t perfect it was bad news. So I stopped wearing anything, I stopped tracking movement, and I did the unthinkable – I intentionally gained weight and spent many days inactive. I truly believe this temporary hiatus helped me to have a more balanced approach to exercise.

I now use a Forerunner 45, one of the more basic watches with just the right amount of bells and whistles. RIP to Gary my Forerunner 110 shown below.

I am enjoying new work skillz.

I finally know how to change my own bike tire/tube. I’ll never forget the time I got a flat tire years ago. It was my rear tire aka the “entering Mordor tire” with regard to taking it on and off. I was successful in getting the tire off, took it into REI to fix, and everything was going great. Until I couldn’t get the tire back on.

I accepted my failures and asked one of my neighbors for his help, a neighbor I had never spoken to in my life. I knew he rode bikes so I figured it was worth it to ask. He was most helpful, and as a thank you I baked him (and his family) cookies and gave them a pound of coffee (back when free coffee was up to my neck.) I left it on their porch and never heard anything.

I hope his wife didn’t think I was hitting on him. Awkward.

I am enjoying spending money.

Hear me out on this one…I am one of the most frugal people you will ever virtually meet. I hoard my money like I am preparing for some kind of apocalypse, and it’s honestly a bit ridiculous at times. I rarely if ever buy myself something, and it takes me a long time to justify a purchase unless I “need” it. Although “need” is such a relative term.

I refuse to fall prey to consumerism, but I have been spending more money on myself lately. Buying nicer hiking gear, buying an extra pair of shoes, the aforementioned Garmin, etc.

I will never forget something a small southern man I used to work with in Germany told me. We were talking about my frugality one day, and I was telling him about all the ways I tried to cut costs while traveling (like using a hostel pillowcase for a towel, perks of short hair), and he looked at me and said: “you cannot take your money to the grave.”

Ever since then I’ve been more mindful about letting myself live a little. I can’t take it to the grave.

I am enjoying my obsession with “Happy Healthy Hippie – Go With The Flow Hormone Balance.“

If you have been around these parts for a while, you will know I have a bit of a “crunchy granola” approach to most things in my life. I avoid pharmaceuticals, I rarely wash my hair, I spent an entire summer without wearing deodorant, I try to eat mostly whole foods, and shaving my legs is an afterthought to…everything.

When my menstrual cycle returned after being gone for five years, I knew something was still off. My hormones were ALL OVER the place. Being the professional obsessor that I am, I spent far too much time on the Google trying to find out what was going on, until one day I decided I had to do something because my PMS symptoms were taking over my life. I know that sounds dramatic, but I am completely serious.

No this post is not sponsored, however it SHOULD be. This blend is literally just a mix of herbs so I knew I had nothing to loose. And let me tell you…I have lost nothing and GAINED some of my sanity back.

I am enjoying winter hiking.

I never imagined I would be someone who enjoyed hiking in the winter months. As someone who struggles with Raynaud’s I tend to avoid being outside in cold temps for long periods of time. Not only have I enjoyed winter hiking, my extremities have not fallen off like I anticipated they would.

My hiking pals and I took a trip to the Hoh Rainforest last week, a place I hadn’t visited since I was 17. The last time I took a trip to the Hoh was for a team building weekend with my dad and a group of others who were all planning a trip to Mexico for a mission trip. All I remember from 17 year old Brittany’s experience was hating the five mile hike to our camp site, hundreds of thousands of black slugs, and being stuck with people I didn’t mesh with.

Ultimately the mission trip was amazing, and it was all worth while.

Now that I am an adult, and I enjoy hiking, five miles in (and five miles out) is no big thing. We hiked (or rather walked, this area is very flat) to “Five Mile Island” where we enjoyed some snacks and views before heading back. Lush green trees, mossy rocks, waterfalls, ferns large enough to engulf an elk, and rivers rushing loud enough to lull any white noise lover to sleep.

Worth the three hour drive, five hour walk, and three hour drive back.

Life without social media feels good. I am reading more, I am listening to amazing music, I am daydreaming about people and places and adventures to come. When Lent comes to an end I plan to be more intentional with my time spent online. Life feels good right now, and I am enjoying this whole “one day at a time thing.”

After all, today is all we have.

Q: Have you ever taken a significant break from social media?