Feeling Rage-y? Read this.
Rage is a symptom I see women coming in with as one of their biggest frustrations in relation to their hormones. There are a LOT of things that can play a role (B12, iron, vit D deficiencies, poor sleep, PMS, low blood sugar…) but a big one that we don’t always acknowledge is the mental load and the pace of life.
While the pace of life might feel fun, and you may thrive on busyness, it can have a toll especially if you’re juggling a lot of things and making a lot of decisions. The rush out the door in the morning, the “What am I going to make for dinner” panic, and remembering to fill out that form, can all cause cortisol surges and can be draining.
We use the same part of our brain to remember things, plan things out, make decisions, have willpower, and to stay calm. Sometimes we're doing these things all day long. On a day where you've made many decisions or have had to rush around, it’s harder to stay calm!
So, what do we do about this? Life is busy and we’re juggling a lot of things!
Start by asking yourself some questions:
Are there ways you can automate things?
Can we minimize decisions by having the same breakfast every day, and meal plan for dinners?
Do we have recurring bill payments we could set to auto-pay?
Can we pre-book appointments with notifications?
Can we set a laundry day, and try to do it once a week…?
If you live with a partner, are there ways you can share the mental load of things more effectively?
It’s great if they’re helpful, but if you need to remind them to do the laundry, book the summer camp, and mow the lawn you’re still holding the mental load which is taking up your brain space and making it harder for you to stay calm!
Now the big question: Are you doing too many things?
Your body/brain need rest too! Especially if you have kids in many activities, that may be something you need to evaluate. Can you just slow down a little bit? Move around your kitchen a little bit slower. And do one thing at a time? Wash the dishes without multi-tasking with an audiobook.
Many of my patients say, “Well, I’ve always done all of these things and it was fine until now…” The thing about this is that the mental load and pace of life take a toll overtime, you can THRIVE for periods of time in high intensity, but when the pace never slows you’ll feel it eventually!
Times of hormone transition are also where you’ll feel its impact more; during pregnancy, postpartum, premenstrually, perimenopause, and menopause!
This is something I talk about EVERY day in my office, as I said at the start there are MANY things that can play a role, but this is a valuable part to consider.
Be gentle with yourself!
In Health,
Dr. Janine