Happiness Challenge Lessons

Week 1 is over and we are back!! Back to #moanfree_mondays. I thought it best to repeat the practices for 1 month as they say 21 days to set the habit. If true that means the practices should flow with fluidity and ease that extra week.

So far I can say I am loving it!! It is bringing me more happiness for sure and that others are doing it with me and benefiting is simply fabulous.

FAVOURITE LESSON: Do not overcomplicate your life by thinking so much about what you are meant to be doing, who you are, what life is all about. Choose to focus on being present so you get to experience each precious moment. The past is over and the future is made up of choices/actions we make moment to moment.

Want to join us this week? Check out the challenge here:

Happiness Challenge 🙂

Share with me what you get up to by using the daily hashtags on instagram as I’d love to see 🙂

Here are some of the lessons and benefits from my week 1!

#moanfree_mondays

This day actually brought me much joy.

• Before getting out of bed I sat up and reflected on the many things I was grateful for.
• Then, I posted the happiness challenge and within 20 minutes I moaned twice in my mind as I hit my leg off my shoe rack and the other about a dirty pan. I turned both around with gratitudes. I was there laughing away to myself how it had only been 20 minutes.

Turns out the rest of the day no moans came out of me! 🙂 Moaning came back later in the week when my SIBO flared up. I’ll be working on that this week as moaning does not bring me joy. My hot water bottle, relaxation and nice chats does.

My Relationship with Menopause

Before I alarm you I am not in menopause at age 30 or what would actually be called perimenopause (referring to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years). For most of my life, anytime I thought about perimenopause, which wasn’t that often as it seemed like a lifetime away I would quickly try to think of other things as I felt fear. As someone who has suffered with my period on and off since age 11 I believed that perimenopause symptoms would most likely be a hellish experience for me. 

Then, to my surprise I see a friend, who also suffered with similar struggles, cruise through menopause with just some cramps in her legs.. Wow; I am not destined to be tormented it seems – HALLELUJAH!

With age and wisdom, from taking an interest in my own body (hello 3 periods using just 2 painkillers – winning) I’ve learned we are a lot more in control than we think. We tend to suffer because our body makes changes and we aren’t even taught what is going on, making us powerless. Then, our bodies give us signals, crying out for us to make changes and we are often ‘too busy’ to act or even to attempt listening, thus destined to endure unpleasant symptoms.

Well, it is time we empower ourselves. When I started The Healthy Period Series I had friends asking me to do an event on menopause and that, along with the care I’ve given to my womb and hormones this last year has opened up a whole new perspective.

Getting diagnosed with Dysmennorhea (painful reoccurring periods) and being told having a baby ‘might’ help didn’t leave me feeling so optimistic, but knowing I had once put it into remission and with all this new information from books written by women who actually did change their own narratives I committed to the cause of nurturing my reproductive health.

If I had to make 5 points to guide you in the right direction

The Healthy Period Series – Cycle Syncing

Here are some of the resources from our second event of ‘The Healthy Period Series’, where we got the opportunity to speak with Ali Brady of ‘Earthwise Yoga’, all about cycle syncing, yoga and other methods to consider as a means to support our period health.

TIPS

• Track your cycle all month long – energy, emotions, symptoms, mindset –Use apps, charts & journal.

• Tune in to how your body is actually feeling rather than always pushing on because you have an endless to do list. 

• Be prepared to prioritise yourself and meet the needs of your body – food prep, rest, exercise.

• Accept yourself exactly as you are in the moment.

• Become familiar with what your hormones & uterus are doing in each phase.

THE SEASONS OF YOUR CYCLE – Inspired by cycle syncing, a term coined by Alisa Vitta and worth your consideration.

1. SPRING TIME: Follicular Phase Starts (Pre-ovulation)

Inner masculine energy.

Starts the day your bleed ends. Energy starts to increase.

Priorities & best practices: 1. Start scheduling appointments & any big jobs. 2. Good time to start new habits.

Best forms of movement are classes that require more energy such as

• Vinyasa Yoga
• Hatha Yoga

Or trying a new workouts

• Pilates or Dancing
• Body strength as an online ballet class

When it comes to food: Eat moderate amounts of soy, add sprouts & fermented food, enjoy more healthy fats like avocado, olives & coconut and give preference to steaming & sauteing

Flowers in bloom, springtime at Garnish Island, Cork, Ireland

SUMMER TIME: Ovulation Phase Inner masculine energy. Might feel you could do anything!

The Healthy Period Series – The Basics

Here are some of the resources from our first event of ‘The Healthy Period Series’, where we got the opportunity to speak with Augustina Jekennu of ‘We Live Our Values’, all about some basic habits and actions we can to take to support our period health.

TIPS

• Start Prioritising Rest – Phase before your period and during your period

• Track Your Cycle – For a few months, even a sentence a day. 1. Journal noting how you feel, what your bleed is like (how long, colour), cervical fluid, symptoms, cravings.Use an app to give you a little more insight or support to track but use in support of journaling. Try the free app ‘Flo’ (Tip: Check out ‘secret chats’ in Flo for some chats from people who are having similar experiences)

• Advocate For Yourself – Get checked out by GP if you want to investigate a symptom that is effecting your life. Bring your journal, insist they either provide a check up with blood tests – that you are meeting your nutritional requirements such as iron, vitamin d, b12 and checking out your thyroid, blood pressure. If they don’t provide what you need, insist they give you a referral. A gynecologist is well worth a visit if you are having bad symptoms.

• Practice Speaking Openly – About your symptoms to those around you to give them the opportunity to be supportive. Speaking about our needs can be so helpful when around others during our bleed or before hand when we feel most vulnerable.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Entrepreneurship & Chronic Illness

Doesn’t sound like those 2 things go together, do they?! Well, often a push and pull situation; stepping towards my big dreams followed directly by ‘I give up, this is hopeless’.

I believe it is possible, most certainly! But, it can take longer, and I accept it may be more difficult. Still, it is easy to fall into the trap, feeling there is no way I can do this due to either having flare ups, bouts of exhaustion or hormonal fluctuations that dip me in and out of misery.

A problematic part of chronic illness is talking about it, including in my content. I feel uncertain or unworthy to speak about it fully as it is probably hard for someone who isn’t dealing with a condition to understand how 1 week I can be totally on top of the world; the next I’m flat on my face or to speak more literally under my duvet hiding from the world, stuck in the bathroom or busy trying to tap into my inner queen pulling out all the self care survival hacks. Then, fretting can I even call what is happening to me chronic when others have conditions I couldn’t imagine having to deal with. So grateful for all of you out there surviving and sharing your truths!

Setting Up My First Virtual Event

The Idea

Like all creative endeavours, it starts with an idea, and I certainly, like most people, have a few swirling around my mind at any one time. My ideas usually come from things I desire that don’t exist yet or are based on my own experiences and needs. In this case my idea was manifested from a lifetime of a chronic pain condition called ‘primary dysmenorrhea’, meaning recurrent painful periods with unknown cause or treatment.

When I would research dysmenorrhea online the resources would be extremely limited and even practitioners who specialised in womb health didn’t even include dysmenorrhea in the list of conditions they worked with.

This was enough motivation for me to seek answers through a means I enjoy – events!

Improve Period Pain & PMS

Disclaimer: I am not medically trained. These are resources created by others that helped me on my journey, so I hope they can help you too. If you are unsure about anything please research and contact a qualified practitioner/nutritionist.

When we are learning to improve/heal a part of our body or a particular condition such as dysmenorrhea, vulvodynia or endometriosis; that the doctors say they do not know what is the cause or how to resolve it other than the ‘put a plaster on it’ approach with painkillers, I believe we have to take an approach that incorporates many different elements and give ourselves the time needed to make changes step by step with patience & with love.