A Kind Reminder To Put Yourself Back On The List

Women are often told to be strong. To multitask. To take care of everyone else first. To hold it together even when they feel like they’re running on fumes. Somewhere between the emails, the caregiving, the emotional labour, the quiet responsibilities, and the expectations we simply absorb, many women begin to treat their own health as something optional. Something that can always wait. Something to get to once everything else is handled.

That quiet postponement comes at a cost.

This year asks for something different. A shift. A pause. A small act of rebellion in the form of self awareness: your health deserves space at the table. Not eventually. Not when you have time. Now.

Because your body is not an inconvenience. It is your home. And it has a way of speaking long before you realise you’ve been ignoring it.

Hormones Have Something To Say

Hormones are not just about fertility or mood swings. They influence sleep, appetite, focus, stress tolerance, energy, skin, digestion, memory, and the quiet pulse of daily life. When something feels “off,” the body rarely whispers for no reason.

Irregular cycles. Crushing fatigue. PMS that feels like a storm cloud. Acne that arrives like an unwelcome guest. Brain fog that makes simple tasks feel strangely heavy. These are not moral failings. They are not weaknesses. They are often messages. Signals that something inside is trying to negotiate a better deal.

And yet, many women are taught to brush it off. To normalise pain. To muscle through. To say, “I’m fine,” even while their bodies file internal complaints.

Listening is an act of respect. Support, when needed, is not indulgent. It is intelligent care.

Nourishment Without Punishment

There is no shortage of noise about how women should eat. Clean. Keto. Intuitive. Plant based. High protein. Low carb. High fibre. Juice. Fast. Track everything. Track nothing. Then feel guilty about both.

The truth is quieter than the headlines. Bodies tend to appreciate consistency, nourishment, and patience. Real, whole foods that stabilise blood sugar. Protein that actually satisfies. Healthy fats that help hormones function. Vegetables that offer colour, fibre, and life. Water that keeps things moving.

Mindful eating is not a trend. It is the simple act of paying attention and removing the edge of self judgment. Food is not a moral category. It is information, relationship, culture, memory and care.

Small choices, repeated often, become a kind of rhythm. And rhythm is good for the nervous system.

Stress Is Not Harmless Background Noise

There is a myth that stress is just part of modern life. Something to endure. Something to joke about because everyone is living slightly overwhelmed. But long term stress changes the way the body behaves. Digestion shifts. Hormones adjust. Sleep fractures. Cravings rise. Anxiety gets louder. Fatigue moves in and refuses to leave.

The nervous system notices everything. Loud schedules. Lingering emotional burdens. The pressure to perform. The quiet griefs that don’t get names.

Caring for stress is not about bubble baths or scented candles, although there is nothing wrong with both. It is about boundaries. Rest that is real, not performative. Fresh air. Slowness. Saying no. Saying yes to yourself without apology. Allowing your mind to unclench.

This is not luxury. It is health.

Your Cycle Is A Vital Sign

The menstrual cycle is not just a monthly nuisance to work around. It is a vital sign, just like pulse or temperature. When periods are extremely painful, irregular, very heavy, or emotionally destabilising, the message is not “just deal with it.”

The message is: something is worth exploring.

Women have been trained for generations to minimise this kind of pain. To joke about it. To shrug it away. But discomfort is a form of communication. And like any conversation, it asks for presence, curiosity, and compassion.

You Don’t Need To Figure It All Out By Yourself

Women’s health is not simple. Bodies carry history, stress, nourishment, relationships, expectations and biology all at once. Healing is rarely linear. Some days feel better. Some days do not. That doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

Support matters. Care that considers the whole person matters. Space to ask questions without being dismissed matters.

You deserve care that treats you as a full human being, not a list of symptoms.

A Promise To Yourself For 2026

So here is a quiet promise worth making:

I will listen to my body.

I will not ignore pain simply because others do.

I will feed myself with kindness.

I will rest without guilt.

I will ask for help when I need it.

I will remember that strength is not the same thing as self neglect.

Women have been conditioned to give. This year is an invitation to receive. To allow your body to be worthy of attention, respect, and steady, gentle care.

Not because something is broken.

But because you matter.