5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Nothing Seems to Work | Ep. 123

The thought "I've already tried everything" is likely holding you back from seeing real progress with your hormone and gut health. By examining five foundational questions, you can refresh your perspective and identify what's actually preventing healing rather than continuing to apply band-aid solutions.

Ready to invest in your health? Apply for one-on-one hormone coaching at imhormonal.com/goals. 

Transcript

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Introduction: The "I've Tried Everything" Mindset

Speaker 1 0:01

Hi and thanks for listening to . I'm Hormonal . This is episode number 123 . I'm your host , Bridget Walton , women's hormone coach , and on this mini episode today we're going to be talking a little bit more about this thought that many of you may have , that I've had in the past , where you feel like , dang , I've tried everything . I've tried that already . I've tried everything that I know to try to get my period back on track , to get my hormones back in balance , to get my gut health back in balance , whatever it is for you . But all of this is to say that thought those four words of I've already tried everything it's probably not a thought that is serving you . It's likely a thought that is holding you back from seeing more progress and seeing change that you want to see .

Speaker 1 0:58

In the longer episode , you heard me get really in depth on this . I gave you some suggestions for what you might want to think about , what you might want to consider if you have unpredictable periods , bloating or acne . What we're going to do in this mini episode is run through the five foundational questions that I think are important to come back to again when you feel like you've tried everything and you need to refresh your view . So , regardless of why you're listening if you came here because of your bloating or acne , your periods , your PMS , you're going to get something out of this for sure , because these are some good reminders of hey , how can we take a step back , how can I look at what I've been doing , what has or has not worked , and learn from it and observe what is going to be the next best place to go . So question number one that I want you to think through and if you're listening and you have the opportunity to pause , put some notes in your phone , write something down , then go ahead and do so . If not , maybe you want to come back to this episode a little bit later .

Speaker 1 2:09

But question number one , I want you to think about what

Question 1: Assessing Your Stress Load

Speaker 1 2:13

your stress is like . So what is my stress like ? Am I adding more stress onto my list , onto my whole stress load , by just doing more and more ? And remember that you need to consider things like , yes , your emotional or mental stress , but also things like your intake of processed foods , your blood sugar stability or instability , any chemical or endocrine disruptor exposure , your sugar , your caffeine , your alcohol intake . How much sleep are you getting ? So this is to say there are more types of stress , more stress inputs than just what's going on , how many emails you have , how many texts you need to respond to . There are other sources of stress that can also drive up your cortisol . The reason why this is the first question is because stress will absolutely have a big impact on your digestion as well as on your hormones .

Speaker 1 3:09

So if this is , you know , on a scale from one to 10 , if you're at higher than probably a six , at a six or higher , then really taking a beat to say , okay , how can I take something off my plate ? You know that's going to be the best , or one of the best , places

Question 2: Exploring Root Causes

Speaker 1 3:27

to start . The next question I want you to think about , ask yourself is how can I explore the root cause of what is causing my period or digestive problems ? Right , Sometimes we just get burned out on hacks and that makes sense , because hacks are almost never addressing the underlying issue . Right ? If something sounds too good to be true , it probably is . There's likely not going to be one or two or three supplements out there . It's not going to be just one change to your diet , one change to your exercise routine . You see where I'm going with it . That gives you all of the results that you want . It's taking that step back to say what is the most basic , foundational issue that is causing this cascade of issues or challenges that you want to correct .

Speaker 1 4:27

This is something that I focus on with all of my one-on-one coaching clients , because if you're not addressing the root cause of what's going on , then you're just putting band-aids on the solution and like , we're done with that . We're done with that . We've spent too much time trying to figure out what band-aid is the right fit , so let's move beyond that and focus on the root cause of

Question 3: Effective Lab Testing

Speaker 1 4:51

what's going on . Now this brings me into my question number three , which is what kind of lab testing have you done , if any ? Because are you just really looking at kind of surface level labs ? When you go to the doctor each year and you get those annual labs run , those can be really helpful to say , okay , is something truly out of whack , Love a good starting point like that .

Speaker 1 5:17

But if you're listening to this podcast , if you are serious about getting your hormones and your digestion back on track , then you might need to go a layer deeper and a panel that again helps to figure out , helps to point to that root cause could really serve you . So when we're thinking of gut testing with my one-on-one clients , I use the GI map because that is going to be a stool test that helps us to see exactly what's going on in your digestive system , with your microbiome , everything that's in there , with inflammation , Do you have a sensitivity ? Because it can show what is your body's reaction to gluten . It gives us information about your immune system and more . So really getting that clear picture is so helpful . You can imagine why , Similarly with your hormones , with my one-on-one clients , when we are trying to again get to that root cause what's going on with your period we'll oftentimes use the Dutch test which , in addition to giving a super comprehensive picture of your hormones , can also help to shed some light on inflammation in your body . Also , your stress hormone , cortisol . What's she up to ? There are many more markers , but it's just a good . So third question was just thinking of okay , what lab testing have I

Question 4: Commitment to Interventions

Speaker 1 6:42

done ? Is that helping me get to the root cause ? What have I been able to learn from that ?

Speaker 1 6:47

Question number four take a look back and think about how much time have you committed to each change or each intervention that you have started already , Because you may have implemented something for a month and been really consistent at it , and maybe your body was reacting well . But sometimes a month just isn't long enough to see the changes that you need to see . When you are making adjustments to your diet , to your lifestyle , to your movement , those adjustments need to be sustainable and need to be things that you can continue more or less for the long run . Right , there is a time and place for kind of more like therapeutic changes that are a bit more short run . But if there's something going on , coming back to the root cause , this is all really to say how long did you implement certain things ? And , you know , would it better serve you to revisit one of those interventions , but do so and implement it in a way that really lasts and that works for you .

Question 5: Identity and Mindset Shifts

Speaker 1 7:59

Now the fifth and final question , and stick with me for this one , because I think this is probably the most important , or second most important , after identifying the root cause . Question number five are you identifying as someone who has gut problems ? Are you identifying as someone who will never have a regular period ? Are you identifying really strongly as somebody who has PCOS ? Now , these are just three examples . Perhaps something else popped up in your mind and these are all totally normal , natural , human thoughts , but these can also be thoughts that hold you back because subconsciously , you're doing things , or not doing things , that keep you squarely in that identity , Despite our best efforts . We want to change . We want to change . But if we keep telling ourselves , if we keep saying out loud to our friends , to our siblings , to our partner , to whoever , like you know , I think I'm just going to be like this the rest of my life , then that's really doing your progress a disservice , and I think it can't be emphasized enough how important mindset is to progressing through and seeing these changes that you want and need to restore hormone and digestive balance . So take a beat to think about . Who do I identify as , what characteristics or what kind of features do I really hold on strongly to , and is that something that serves me ? So those are the five foundational questions that I want you to think about If you are ready , or when you are ready , to change things up , when you're ready to invest in a functional lab panel , when you're ready to invest in your health , Girl , let's work together , right ?

Closing: One-on-One Coaching Opportunity

Speaker 1 10:10

If you're ready now , the doors are open to apply for one-on-one hormone coaching , and I'll mention too that , as a part of the rooted method , which is the method that I use with my one-on-one clients we get into this mindset work . We focus on identifying the root cause of your experiences so you can feel better once and for all . So if that sounds , or if that looks or if that feels like you , then you can go over to imhormonalcom slash goals . You'll share a little bit of information with me , We'll talk about your goals , make sure that the coaching package is well suited for you and then get you started on that transformation .

Speaker 1 10:48

If you loved today's episode and got something good out of it , make sure you subscribe so that these episodes show up automatically in your feed , no work needed on your side , let's put it on autopilot . As always , I need to give you my reminder that the information I share with you here is for educational purposes only and it should not be used as a replacement for medical advice or diagnosis . Now , if you are , on the other hand , in the market for some one-on-one support , then I would love for you to take me up on my offer for a free strategy call . You can find these links and more in the show notes . All right , we'll see you on the next one .