My journey with hormonal imbalance and infertility
by Mimmi Palmgren (guest post)
I know I am not alone in the journey I have been on, and am still on. Even if you can feel incredibly alone. I hope that those of you who read and recognize yourself can feel a little less alone, knowing that we are an incredible number of women who struggle with hormonal imbalances and infertility. But also with the knowledge that it doesn't have to be that way.
My name is Mimmi and I work today as a holistic health and lifestyle therapist and yoga teacher, where I coach women in health. I chose to train in holistic health partly because I am very interested in health but also because I have been dealing with several health challenges for a long time and received no help. I have struggled with hormonal imbalances after coming off birth control, IBS issues, brain fog, lack of energy, mood swings, irritability, anxiety, worry, infertility, etc. The list can be made long of all the symptoms that came, one by one. I knew somewhere that the way I was living was not sustainable and that I needed to make changes. The symptoms were basically just friendly signals from my body that it needed help - but which I ignored for far too long.
The education in health gave me the knowledge I needed. I changed my diet and started eating anti-inflammatory, which means I cut out gluten, sugar and dairy, processed and fried food. I needed to give my body a chance to recover. Fill up withnutrition, vegetables and antioxidants to give it energy and love. Changing my diet was a big challenge for me and I have faced a lot of resistance and comments from those around me. But today I am so grateful for that journey, I know today that I am giving my body the right building blocks, I am constantly replenishing with nutrition and that gives me energy and strength. Food really is our medicine. Unfortunately, the food in society today is not what makes us feel good, there is a lot that burdens our bodies and makes us sick, therefore it is difficult to change and eat differently - but it is possible, and the body will thank you.
Diet was a big part of my healing journey, but the root problem was my stress.
For a long time I had lived with anxiety and worry, a fear of missing things - which meant that I was everywhere. I never prioritized myself and my needs. I was striving for validation and to be liked, because I couldn't give it to myself. Before my education, I worked as a sociologist and had a high-stress job, where I never had a chance to recover.
So my next key was to eliminate stress and make room for recovery, mental training and self-love. This has been the biggest journey for me, a huge personal development and inner journey. We don't live sustainably, we run from one thing to another, have to live up to unreasonable ideals, put everyone else before ourselves and strive to reach happiness in all the wrong places. Happiness is within us, you will never reach it outside of yourself, no matter how much you struggle and no matter what you strive for. You have to start with yourself. Create a safe and loving foundation, where you accept and love yourself for who you are, where you prioritize yourself and your health and where you value recovery. All healing journeys start with yourself and lowering stress - as long as you are stressed, the body will prioritize it before all other needs in your body - because that is how the body works. It's just trying to protect you!
I feel much better today, I have no problems with my stomach, I have a much more positive attitude towards life and myself, I have energy and have regained my inspiration and creativity. My skin feels great and I've gotten rid of my anxiety and worry.
My hormonal imbalance and infertility then
It remains, I have come a long way on my journey andam so so grateful for all the progress, but the journey is not over. My solution and healing is on a deeper level, which is not so strange considering how I lived and treated my body in the past. I have the knowledge and work daily with trust and patience to one day be fully recovered and be able to get pregnant. Becoming a mother is my great driving force on this journey.
I think it's important to highlight that just because you make certain dietary changes, rearrange your training or reduce stress, it doesn't mean for everyone that the problem is solved. We are all different individuals with different needs and conditions, for some there are easier solutions and for others it takes longer. It may seem unfair - but I see it as we are given the challenges in life that we need - there are lessons to learn that make us develop and move forward. I have turned my life upside down, I am living my dream with my own business and would never want to be without this journey, no matter how tough it has been.
So to those of you struggling with ill health, hormonal imbalances or infertility - you are not alone, you are on the right path, don't give up.
Give yourself and your body all the love you can through diet, recovery, movement and positive thoughts and it will thank you one day - when it's ready!
With love,
Mimi
Instagram @holisticbymimmi
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