I can guarantee that at least once in your life, you’ve suspected that hormones were interfering with your day-to-day life.
Hormones were always a mystery to me, and being aware that they are the chemical messengers largely responsible for our well-being.
Estrogen levels in a woman’s body can really affect her emotional wellbeing. Playing a major part in anxiety and depression. Vice versa, stress affects hormones.
No one actually educates you about it. From birth control to our menstrual cycles, women are prone to hormonal imbalance. And figuring that out might just save you some mental stress.
So here are some things you need to know about the connection between anxiety and other factors.
- Anxiety and hormonal imbalance are tied together
Either it could be anxiety affecting your hormones or your hormones affecting your anxiety. It’s hard to tell where one stops and other begins.
"Anxiety can cause a stress response cascade that stimulates our adrenal glands to produce more stress hormones, such as cortisol," physician and OB/GYN, Dr. LaKeischa McMillan.
When you’re stressed for a prolonged period of time, it can show up as anxiety, stress, or feeling out of control.
- Physical Signs of hormonal imbalance
Hormonal imbalance can cause irregular or painful periods, weight gain or loss, low energy. It can affect your focus, motivation and also your mood.
Checking up with your health-care provider is advised. It’ll help you pinpoint what’s going on inside and the levels of your hormones.
- Major life transitions
If you’ve recently gone through a major life transition, it’s likely that your hormones are affected.
Three of your sex hormones are affected estrogen, progesterone and testosterones are declining.
Menopause, pregnancy, post-partum are examples of life transitions. But it can be anything that has added to your stress.
- Taking hormones
Birth control can be a culprit. For a while, I wasn’t sure why I was having terrible mood swings. Truth be told, I was thinking it’s just me.
And then I got off the birth control and I became a lot more reasonable. So don’t underestimate its affects.
Getting advise and explaining your symptoms with your doctor will help you find solutions and coping mechanism.
- Your menstrual cycle
This is a no-brainer. You should be aware of how your menstrual cycle can affect your mental wellbeing.
A week before my period, I get moody and anxious. Having increased anxiety in particular phases of your menstrual cycle is common.
Tracking your menstrual cycle and figuring out days when you feel your anxiety is at its highest will help you make a correlation. It’ll help you become more aware and deal with your stress better.
- Your skin
Your skin is a mirror of what’s going on inside.
If you notice more breakouts on your face, neck, or back. This can be related to the inflammatory nature of stress hormones.
Psoriasis and Eczema are two skin issues that may show up two week to a month after the flare up.
If you suspect that you may have hormonal imbalance, see a doctor and get it balanced so you can live a better life.
