"Never in the history of calm has anyone actually stayed calm by being told to stay calm." - Author unknown
So, what does it mean to stay calm, and why is it important? To answer this, let's start by examining what happens when we are not calm. When we experience excitement due to fear, enjoyment, anxiety, frustration, or anticipation (among other reasons), our body produces cortisol, which is a stress hormone. This hormone plays a crucial role in our fight-or-flight response and provides the energy needed to face challenging or new situations, like public speaking. While a boost in cortisol can be beneficial, excessive cortisol levels can be harmful to our health. Chronic stress in and on the body leads to prolonged elevation of cortisol, which negatively affects various body systems, including those related to vaginal health for individuals who have a vagina.
Are you suggesting my vagina can be stressed? Not exactly. However, stress can impact the health of your vaginal microbiome. Estrogen receptors are present in your vagina, and when your body produces estrogen, it gets converted into glycogen, which serves as a food source for the healthy microbes in your vaginal microbiome. These beneficial bacteria thrive on this food, maintaining their strength and protective functions. If there is any disruption in the conversion of estrogen to glycogen, beneficial microbes may struggle, leading to an increase in harmful microbes that could potentially cause conditions like bacterial vaginosis or yeast infections.
So, what causes this breakdown? Chronic stress is a significant factor. The stress hormone cortisol competes with estrogen, binding to the same receptor sites in your vagina and displacing estrogen. When this occurs, the conversion of estrogen to food is hindered, leaving the good microbes without nourishment and vulnerable to takeover by bad microbes. In this way, chronic stress can indeed affect your vaginal health.
But life is busy, work can be demanding, and children require attention... How can I prioritize myself? I recently had a conversation with a client from Evvy who admitted that stress was likely impacting her in many ways. After reviewing her vaginal microbiome results, she realized she needed to make a change regarding self-care. Have you ever heard that the key is not necessarily what you do, but that you do something? This is the approach I took with her. I met her where she was—she is a mom with a toddler and numerous responsibilities that made self-care feel impossible. I suggested she consider incorporating small acts of self-care throughout her day with her child. She loved the idea of teaching her little one that during busy or overwhelming times, we can give ourselves permission to disconnect, breathe, feel the sunshine, and pause. It’s okay to tap into ourselves to find moments of calm and peace.
What does taking time for self-care do to cortisol levels? When we pause to notice our surroundings, connect with nature by stepping barefoot on the grass, feel the warmth of the sun on our faces, and take deep breaths from the abdomen, we signal our bodies to rest and relax. This engagement of the parasympathetic nervous system helps reduce heart rate, promotes digestion, and most importantly, communicates to the brain via the vagus nerve that everything is okay.
If you have concerns about your vaginal health and would like to test with Evvy, or you are looking to reduce inflammation in and on your body (a big contributor to chronic stress) please visit https://linktr.ee/HealthCoachForYou to order your Evvy test and download your free guide: Lowering Inflammation (pdf). And remember, being calm is a state of mind, not something you can tell someone to do. So next time someone tells you to calm down, STOP - BREATHE - and thank them for the reminder to take care of yourself!
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