Do you feel stressed and tired pretty much every day?
Are you lonely and disconnected from your relationships with others and even yourself? Have you intentionally not interacted with people or your favorite activities just because you didn’t have the energy to care and engage?
I was like this for many years.
And do you know that I finally figured out the cause was hormone imbalance due to chronic stress and PTSD that I suffered as a result of losing my young son in a tragic accident years before.
But I only figured it out after years of suffering, clinical depression, infertility, becoming disconnected from the people and activities that I loved…and I’m sorry to say, only after my divorce.
But, my significant losses and health issues allowed me to make a transformative discovery.
Do YOU Need More Oxytocin in Your Life? (take my free quiz!)
I now recognize that chronic stress triggered something called the cortisol-oxytocin disconnect and it made me unconsciously walk away from things and people I loved. Simply put, I walked away because cortisol – our body’s stress hormone – had WON.
The effects of chronic stress can literally empty our tanks and throw us way off balance. Make no mistake, two of the most important hormones in your body – cortisol and oxytocin – can battle and if we don’t get them balanced, will wreaking havoc on your life!
If you are familiar with the power of the hormone oxytocin, take my free oxytocin quiz to see what levels of oxytocin you are currently enjoying…it's free and easy to bump up your levels and enjoy a more loving and healthier life!
How Stress Affects Oxytocin Levels
If you aren’t familiar with how cortisol and oxytocin work, let me explain
Your body’s stress hormone cortisol – one of your life-saving hormones – is an immediate responder in times of danger and stress.It’s our body’s natural anti-inflammatory hormone (which is a good thing, it protects us as long as it is only needed short-term!). However, often times, this hormone stays on too long, like when we are just under constant stress from our hectic lives.
Too many of us these days are “corti-holics”. Constant cortisol then becomes a huge problem and can actually damage our body and knock our bodies “out of balance.”
Stress leads to rapid aging, inflammation and disease…and your walking away from those you love
Your body’s stress hormone cortisol – one of your life-saving hormones – is an immediate responder in times of danger and stress. It’s our body’s natural anti-inflammatory hormone (which is a good thing, it protects us as long as it is only needed short-term!). However, often times, this hormone stays on too long, like when we are just under constant stress from our hectic lives.
Chronic high cortisol can lead to illness, loneliness, depression, adrenal dysfunction and burnout. It can also eventually cause such burnout that you then end up with chronically low levels of cortisol which translates into inflammation taking over. And that, my friend, translates into rapid aging and disease. Yuck! It also becomes easier to disconnect, detach, walk away and not look back.
These symptoms are also a sign of low oxytocin.
Oxytocin is the powerful hormone of love, bonding and connection. It’s the hormone we release in abundance during childbirth that overflows as we look into the eyes of our newborn. It is also released in abundance with orgasm, laughter, play, hugging and giving. It’s the twinkle in your eyes and the smile on your face! Yes! The peace, love and anti-aging hormone!
Well, no surprise. Oxytocin and cortisol have a love-hate relationship. It’s our biology. Oxytocin and cortisol oppose each other. They are the two kids on a seesaw. Essentially, when one goes up, the other is forced to go down.
The key is balancing the two: Oxytocin and Cortisol
Most of us need more oxytocin to counter our stress! Do you?
What’s the level of oxytocin in your life? Take my oxytocin (super hormone) quiz to find out.
And to create more oxytocin in your life: hug, laugh, play, look into someone’s eyes and smile, orgasm, give gratitude and thanks, get and play with a pet, stay in the present, control the stress we can and manage our thoughts around the stress we can’t control.
And if you feel something more is going on…your sexual health is not how you want it to be…
Many women come to me and say they are doing all that they can to live an “oxytocin-full” life, but that their relationships are still not as intimate and loving as they’d like…or that things “hurt down there”…or they wonder if they or their spouse should take hormones…or the list goes on! If you have questions, know that you can always connect with ME and ask…
Another suggestion? Watch this webinar and see if any of this resonates with YOU… I hope it it does you will consider taking the next step and joining me for my Sexual CPR program; it has helped thousands of women (and those that love them!)…
And don’t forget to always, Pause. Breathe. Smile… Connect!
