February often carries a quiet pressure—keep going, push through, don’t lose momentum. But biologically, this is often when the body is asking for the opposite.
Stress hormones like cortisol are designed to rise and fall in a predictable rhythm. When stress is chronic—busy schedules, emotional load, poor sleep—cortisol can stay elevated or dysregulated, which may impact blood sugar balance, sleep quality, mood, and hormone signaling.
For women especially, this matters. Hormones don’t work in isolation. Cortisol interacts with estrogen, progesterone, thyroid hormones, and insulin. When stress stays high, the body often shifts into a protective mode—less repair, more survival.
This is where self-care gets misunderstood. True self-care isn’t indulgent. It’s regulatory.
Supportive practices that help calm the nervous system include:
- Consistent sleep and wake times
- Gentle movement rather than constant high intensity
- Adequate protein and regular meals
- Creating intentional pauses during the day
Small daily signals of safety help the body shift out of fight-or-flight and back into balance.
Some people also enjoy incorporating supportive tools into their routines. Gentle aromatics like Lavender or Stress Away® are commonly used during moments of rest or evening wind-down—not to “fix” hormones, but to support relaxation and awareness. Daily Hormone Essentials is also provides great support in our fast paces world.
February is a good time to ask a different question:
What would it look like to support my hormones instead of pushing through them?
- “For those wanting more personalized guidance, our Metabolic Reset focuses on nutrition, daily rhythms, and stress support in a sustainable way.”
- “If stress and hormone imbalance feel overwhelming, a 1:1 functional medicine coaching consult can help uncover what your body needs right now.”
References & Further Reading
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5452154/
- https://www.endocrine.org/patient-engagement/endocrine-library/stress-and-your-health
- https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html
