When you’re living with hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA), it’s easy to think that the missing period is just a problem because of your nervous system. And once you heal your nervous system... your period should surely come back.
But what if I told you that often times, taking a boat load of ashwaganda isnt going to adress the full picture.
The same combination of under-fueling, excessive exercise, chronic stress, and constantly pushing yourself that contributed to your missing period can also leave your nervous system feeling like it is constantly “on.”
And this is just one major reason why HA recovery can transform so much more for you, than just your menstrual cycle.
Why Your Body May Feel Stuck in Stress Mode
Your body is constantly responding to the environment you create for it.
If you’re exercising intensely, eating inconsistently or not enough, restricting carbohydrates or fats, constantly thinking about food, rarely taking true rest days, and maintaining an exhausting schedule, your body receives a lot of signals that resources are limited and stress is high.
That doesn’t mean you are consciously choosing to stress your body. In fact, many women with HA are simply trying to be “healthy.”
But your physiology doesn’t care whether the stress comes from a workout, an overly restrictive diet, lack of sleep, or psychological stress. Your body responds to the total picture.
And when you’re constantly asking your body to do more without giving it enough fuel or recovery, it can become difficult to truly slow down. SO no wonder your nervous system feels like it can never calm down.
The “Go, Go, Go” Mindset
One of the most overlooked parts of HA recovery is the mindset that often accompanies it. Many women with HA are incredibly independent and productive.
If you're anything like I was in HA, you probably feel like you have to do everything yourself and get as much done as possible in a day.
Work out. Go for the walk. Cook. Meal prep. Clean the house. Get your work done. Stay productive. And somehow do it all without ever needing to stop.
Rest can feel uncomfortable because slowing down forces you to confront an idea or bias that you may not have realized you were carrying:
"If im not productive or constantly moving than I must be lazy and unhealthy."
Yeah I said it..I know you've had these thoughts and its okay!
This is where recovery can become about much more than just food and exercise.
Learning to rest, accept help, eat without earning your food, and allow yourself to have unproductive days can be a profound part of rebuilding a healthier relationship with your body and nervous system.
How Recovery Can Simultanesouly Help Your Nervous System
HA recovery is kind of like a 2 in one special. What if I told you that instead of thinking you need to buy 10 supplements to "heal your nervous system" and cross your fingers it gets your period back... you can just go through period recovery and get the same effect?
PLUS restore your fertility? Count me in..would have saved me alottt of money if I knew this sooner.
Recovery generally involves increasing energy availability, reducing excessive exercise, improving nutrition, and allowing for more rest and recovery.
These changes don’t simply give your reproductive system the resources it needs to resume normal function. They can also reduce some of the physiological stressors that were keeping your body in a heightened state of stress.
Eating consistently and more carbs can help provide a more reliable source of energy and support steadier blood glucose levels.
Reducing excessive exercise decreases one source of physical stress and allows more resources to be directed toward recovery.
And resting more gives your body something it may have been missing for a very long time: the opportunity to simply be.
Over time, these changes can support a shift toward greater parasympathetic activity - the state commonly associated with “rest and digest” which is where we truly heal.
What Might You Notice During Recovery?
Interestingly, some signs of recovery may feel strange at first.
You may suddenly feel tired.
For someone who has spent months or years running on adrenaline and cortsiol and constantly pushing through exhaustion, feeling tired can seem like a bad thing.
But sometimes, allowing yourself to recognize that you’re tired is exactly what your body has been asking for.
You may also notice:
Your shoulders and jaw aren’t constantly tense. Your breathing feels slower and deeper. Your digestion and bowel movements improve. You feel less rushed throughout the day. You aren’t as easily startled. You feel more emotionally connected and can laugh more easily. You feel more present rather than constantly thinking about the next task.
These changes won’t necessarily happen in a predictable order, and they aren’t proof on their own that your nervous system is “healed.” But they can be encouraging signs that your body is experiencing less overall stress and that you’re becoming more comfortable with rest and recovery.
Recovery Gives You Permission to Be a Human Being, Not a Productivity Machine
For many women, the hardest part of HA recovery isn’t understanding that they need to eat more.
It’s learning that they don’t have to earn rest. You don’t have to complete a workout before you can eat. You don’t have to hit 10,000 steps before you’re allowed to sit down. You don’t have to accomplish a million things before you can have a relaxing evening.
And you certainly don’t have to prove your worth through productivity.
Your body needs energy, nourishment, sleep, and recovery simply because you are a women with hormones and a body that needs this bare minimum support.
You Don’t Necessarily Need Another Supplement
When symptoms appear after losing your period -fatigue, digestive changes, anxiety, poor stress tolerance, feeling constantly “wired,” or changes in sleep, it’s tempting to start searching for the next supplement, gadget, or wellness protocol that promises to fix everything.
But sometimes the most powerful intervention is to keep going through reecovery to make it to the finish line. The finish line being getting your period back. ( I think you get it. )
And for many women with HA, addressing the physiological stressors contributing to their missing period can be the most important intervention for their nervous system aswell.
That and having some actual hormonal activity pumping through your blood again :)
Your Period Is Not the Only Thing You’re Recovering
Getting your period back is SO important, but HA recovery can also be an opportunity to rebuild your relationship with your body all together.
You may learn how to rest without guilt. You may learn that food doesn’t need to be feared. You may realize that you don’t have to be productive every second of the day.
And you may rediscover parts of yourself that got buried underneath the constant pressure to do more, exercise more, eat “perfectly,” and accomplish more.
Maybe you’ll laugh more. Maybe you’ll slow down. Maybe you’ll finally feel comfortable sitting on the couch without feeling like you should be doing something else.
And maybe you’ll realize that the version of yourself on the other side of recovery isn’t someone who has “let herself go.” She’s someone who finally feels safe enough to really live.
If you're ready for this to be you, go ahead an book a call with me. Your life on the other side of period recovery, with a relaxed nervous system, is waiting for you.
Rebecca Pinho
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