Body

“My PMS turns me into a monster for a solid week. My partner, thankfully, reminds me that it’s all hormonal; that I’m not really this person.”

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Hormones Driving You Whack?

6 Tried and True Techniques to Keep Moodiness at Bay.

B Y

MELISSA-MARIE MARKS

hen asked whether or not mood swings have a signifi cant eff ect on her personal relationships, Fury Gray, a 37-year-old mother of four and a self-identifying member of the LGBTQ+ community, is loud and clear: “Absolutely!”

“I have a really messed up cycle,” Gray says. “My PMS turns me into a monster for a solid week. My partner, thankfully, reminds me that it’s all hormonal; that I’m not really this person.”

Folks in the LGBTQ+ community may be more likely to experience the negative ramifi cations of hormonal imbalances due to the complex interplay between their gender expressions and their relationships with people at work and in other community circles.

Hormones, such as estrogen, testosterone, cortisol (the “stress hormone”), serotonin, and growth hormone, are found in people with ovaries and in people with testes. An imbalance occurs when the body contains too much, or too little, of one or more of these hormones and presents with symptoms such as depression, anxiety, poor sleep, unexplained weight gain or loss, decreased sex drive, and more. W

Studies suggest that the stressors of modern-day life, like working long hours, consuming a nutrient-poor diet, and being exposed to a variety of environmental toxins, may be partly to blame.

So what can we do? The following 6 techniques can help us take our health into our own hands and put our hormones back into balance.

1. Get at least 7 hours of quality sleep per night, and make sure you are experiencing REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, also known as “dream sleep.” 2. Move your body, even if it’s just for 15-30 minutes per day, four times per week. Not a fan of the gym? Consider dancing to your favorite music, walking briskly on the beach, or commuting by bicycle to the library. 3. Meditate, pray, and get a massage to reduce cortisol levels and manage stress. 4. Eat more plants and ditch the dairy to reduce infl ammation. 5. Consider herbs such as passionfl ower, St. John’s Wort, ashwaganda, ginseng, and dandelion, and get your vitamin D levels tested to see if you could benefi t from taking a supplement. 6. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins (which act as endocrine disruptors) by storing food and drinks in glass or stainless steel instead of plastic, staying away from cigarette smoke, using non-toxic “green” household cleaners, drinking fi ltered water, and eating organic whenever possible.

MELISSA-MARIE

MARKS is a freelance writer based in North-Central Florida. She specializes in writing about green business and green technology, renewable energy, conservation and sustainability, and holistic health. Melissa graduated from The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery in 2012 and practiced as a Florida licensed midwife until 2018, when she retired from private practice to focus on her writing career. She spends her leisure time camping with her kids and manifesting a life she loves by utilizing the law of attraction.