Handling Your Hormones

Watching a video on Tik Tok of a Princess of Wales greeting people I suddenly I felt emotional. I am an emotional person which I have learnt to embrace and often a cry especially when it is my cycle and so a little cry always helps with my monthly hormones and feeling extra tired, sleep is not too bad now, but I would find I had to stay still not to bleed, but now as I have gotten older it is less heavy and if you are heavy then speak to the doctor. They can give some great advice and now it is less now it has sort of corrected it self but still get other feelings and that is feeling sad, reacting to things differently because of my mood changing and extra hungry.

Your body and emotions are always evolving and it can be a song, a picture or a memory but to handle my feelings having a good cry has a greater impact on my wellbeing. Let it out and journal too. I journal everyday and would not be a good day if I didn't. It really helps with my hormones as it helps face my feelings when I feel low and no day is the same. 

I have had a good week so in my life personally is good but I just get really heavily emotional each month and it used to drive me mad but it is part of being a female. Its my body reacting to my change each month and the good thing I am no longer turning to, is bad food all of the time and not depriving myself either, but being wiser in my choices. What you eat can react to your feelings when your in your monthly period and it can be hard for our partners or spouses because they often don't know what to do. Why your being short tempered and sweating a lot. I find my body heat goes up and the constant need of the toilet can effect how you feel so if you need get extra rest do it. Listen your body and often my body will turn to carbs, so will have pasta, potatoes and like a slice of toast. 

Watching something that makes me laugh and speak to someone professional about it. When I was struggling with life I got help and it was the best thing I did, but I still get bad days or days where I am not so happy, but why I journaling, getting rest or go for walk if I feel able to, slow walking . Walking to me is the a great source of therapy, I wrote this blog for my life coaching programme: https://everyonecanbuildacastle.com/2026/06/19/what-you-have-and-do-each-day-can-be-therapy/  and when I was in a mental health hospital they did a morning walk each week. 

I like to have a nice bath and using a nice bubble bath or a shower gel and just making your emotions reduce and still feeling good within yourself. I love music. I never go a day without listening to some good tunes and having a playlists to listen to and binge on. like Podcasts and enjoying currently watching the World Cup. I feel we often don't want to talk about it but for me chatting to a teacher at school when I first started to have my monthly cycle talk me through it and getting my health checked each year and any changes to share with your doctor or nurse as it may be minor but just to check and I want to hospital and I was examined but it was okay, but good that I got checked out. 

I hope you find this helpful. I do have a Youtube channel where I share part of my life too and please if you like to share then please do, use the comments section below. Here is the link to my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Carriechalloner

Many thank for reading,

Carrie X 

Building A Relationship with your body image

Self image can really play with our minds. I see stars from reality shows have face lifts and extreme work done and it scares me because of the future generation. 

There was a time where I was thinking of changing my breasts and getting them lifted but that is what bras are for and I worry. I remember sex and the city where Samantha goes to get her boobs changed and she finds our that she has breast cancer. That may never be the case but it does worry me and also I like them. 

They may be saggy but they're alright and I am petite but again I wouldn't be me and I feel that we were given our bodies for a reason. I am not saying it is not right to get a nip n tuck, it just feels me with fear especially when it goes wrong and people not being medically trained to do a procedure to change someone's look. I'd like to have a facial and get my hair done but that all I want and will do. I personally would stay well clear and I've had an operation. I have a hole in my heart and feel that I have to take good care of my shell and bones. 

I see Katie Price and her daughter Princess looks just like her when she didn't have her lips and face done. It makes me feel like I want to say "Your perfect and no more" but people do have to decide for themselves and would she listen to me? Probably not and it can be proved that it can become addictive. 

I like to look after my Skin and so will by creams. I like to moisturise as I can get dry skin and been prescribed foot cream as I tried different ones but not made a difference and I do have nice feet so want to look after them and listen to your body.

There was a time I'd purposely not look in the mirror. I hated fitting rooms and it would really get me down. I hated being me and why I developed an eater disorder. There is so many people with big lips and I hate to say but they can look like a duck or a Goldfish a lot of the time and you don't need face lifts to look good. 

I think it is good to want to tone as I am working towards that, but I don't want to be too toned but look after my physique and changing my style as I'd like to be more feminine and I look at Pinterest a lot for looks but on what suits me and I feel good in wearing.

Nutrition I am getting conscious of and did at one time eat a lot of chocolate but not so much and I feel good for that. I like a fizzy drink and do consume alcohol but at a balanced level and what my body can have and not binge drinking anymore, but enjoy the taste. I used to be the one who'd be paralytic. I like a coffee or tea instead and when I do have an alcoholic drink it will be at the weekends. 

I have build a tolerance against my inner critic and even writing a book about it. 

Please check out my X Account where I post all my blogs and my Pinterest:

https://x.com/typical86285

https://uk.pinterest.com/carriechallonerholmes

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

 

Feeling Ugly and losing your identity

I feel better these days about how I look and my reflection. I still catch myself when I begin to be critical about myself, but I no longer avoid looking at myself and I accept myself. I will make sure I look after myself, by looking after my skin, my teeth and eat healthy. 

You can be your own worse enemy when you put yourself down and would never say it to anyone else and when becoming a parent you can lose your identity, however much you love your kids. 

It is good to do things just for you at times and that is putting on some make up, going for a alone walk with a coffee, meet up with friends, but just you and just time where you feel better and be able to chat about your insecurities and forget about them, for an hour or two.

It is good to see yourself. The the worst thing is to avoid. For me it was, "Do I want to feel like this for the rest of my life?" I had enough, so I spent time challenging myself. I started to make an effort each day and that helped to build my confidence. 

The first thing was, "What makes me happy?" and "What do I want to change?"

Learning a new skill. I have done courses in Mental Health, Counselling and did football coaching courses and just spent time building my skills and knowledge and did a creative writing course and now doing a BBC Maestro course and I really enjoy learning. 

When you are on your Menstrual Cycle you can feel a little sluggish and out of sorts. Along with Menopause and if you are going through puberty. I found the changes of my body as I went through my teenage years, a shock to me and felt really insecure. I was very conscious of my weight, my teeth and would compare myself. 

Now I have stopped and I do feel better and that is regaining my identity now. I did a lot of self conditioning, like changed my habits. I will look after my body, I now paid of my debts, I read each day and go out a lot and explore and that has helped so well and make the most of my days and keep on growing and focus on what is important to me. This has been a huge turning point. 

So you don't have to feel low about yourself and build a better routine that helps with how you feel, like skincare, reading and Fearne Briton for example, enjoys organising her book shelves and I love doing a bit of tidying and make nice lunches. Mix your days up and do a bit of dancing. My son and I have been watching Strictly now it is back and been dancing. 

Increasing your endorphins can help in so many ways. So give yourself a break and doing different habits and changes can really help you to feel good inside and on the out. 

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

 

Focusing On Our Body Shape

We are all different shape and sizes. It can get us down. I was always giving myself a hard time. I would focus on everything that was wrong with me. I wanted shape but didn't feel I had the shape that a woman was supposed to have and felt like I didn't belong in the Pretty category. I was the ugly duckling. 

After I completed Parkrun

I then at secondary school was told by a girl in my class saying I had a good figure. This was back in Secondary school where we'd dress in a shared changing room. I was unfit, had what is known as puppy fat and suffered with dry skin. I found it hard to tan when on holiday having such fare skin and would burn. 

Since seeing Nigella Lawson who was is fair skinned and curvy made me feel a, and lot better and since then Pamela Anderson who now wears no make up, because it is up to you to decide. I would get upset when I was challenged when it came to me not looking my age, as I looked so young, but then a friend said to me "I know you don't like it now, but when you get to my age" which she was ten years older than me and in her 30's she said "You'll see it as a complement" and she was right. 

There has been controversial subject about should they have ladies who are what some people would consider, were large, modelling clothes and having large size clothes. There was a debate about Dove Advert, which pictured different size women, to help people have body confidence. For me it is about inspiring and being healthy. I am not super skinny or large, but do pay attention to what I consume that has a negative effect. Like seeing people starving themselves to be a different size. I had an eating disorder and then had type 2 diabetes years later and it was my worst fear. That has changed and changed my medication as I have had psychosis, really bad bouts of depression and terrible anxiety, and now feel good. 

I watched Trinny and Suzanna, Gok Wan and Louise Pentland on Youtube and that our bodies are amazing machines that help us to walk, talk, eat, think and see. Not everyone has that and meeting people in disabled homes as one of my Uncles had a stroke, they never allowed themselves to be down. I made friends with girl named Sally and we wrote to each other. We lost touch but she was amazing. 

She wasn't skinny or overweight or was miserable. She was full of light, with the most nicest handwriting I had ever seen and she was full of life.

Now so many who would have been once overlooked and seen as odd are now in TV shows, comedians and successful athletes. Chris McCausland won strictly not because he is a certain shape but because he was good and blue everyone away watching him dance.

Be proud of who you are. If you want to lose weight then fine, but don't allow your insecurities stop you from living and that our bodies are shells that help us to live and I began to set myself challenges, find clothes that suited me and walk and exercise to keep me healthy and watch my blood sugar. That is the utmost importance and not my body shape. 

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X  

Worried About Not Being Good Enough

Do you ever feel that you are out of your depth? You continuously criticise yourself and worried about what other people think of you. You need to live by your own means and not someone else's life as people have different things going on in their life and beating yourself up needs to stop. 

As soon as I feel down I take myself away to a different environment or have a bath and do my skincare.

A picture from yesterday doing some writing in a local coffee shop.

I enjoy walking and going on walks up London or locally and have a coffee and do some writing and instantly makes me feel better. 

Going through my days I like to plan, set goals and this morning made pancakes for a change, with a cup of tea, working on my book and do a bit of reading, then did a walk on the treadmill. This was before my son set off to school and just doing things like  that helps me to forget about myself and that I am grateful for having hands, feet and got clothes to wear. 

Having a declutter can help you to feel better. I have been sorting out my bedroom in Epsom and seeing the results makes me concentrate on what is around me that makes me feel good, about not just by my body image, but things that give me joy like having a bed of my own, I will have closet I can hang my clothes on and wearing favourite clothing. 

Listen to feel good music. When I feel down all my life, have played music to help and create playlists and it gives me so much joy. It is good to have songs that say how you feel but make sense, along with writing down thoughts and restore my self belief. 

Reading certain books. I loved Bridget Jones and felt I could have been her, always wanting to lose weight and look for love in our lives, gets her heartbroken, but she realises that she made the wrong choice in terms of romance and then changes her job, realises someone she despises at first likes her, just as he she is and films like Dirty Dancing and that an ordinary girl attracts someone totally opposite to her and teaches her to dance, with a happy ever, ending.

So when having a down day about yourself then decluttering, journaling, reading and watching feel good films can change your thoughts about yourself, along with food. What will make you feel good and not guilty and can still be a comfort to eat. 

We put so much on our plates that we judge ourselves and so appreciate yourself and leave by your own means.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

 

How your period can affect your confidence

I was not ready when my period came at the age of 9 and changed the way I felt about my body. Watching and listening to a podcast on Youtube: Fearn Cotton Happy Place (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFf9BKDLsec) they were talking about it and I am glad woman are sharing because I read a book about it but I was not prepared and did sex education at school, but still was a shock and took a me a long time to adjust to this change in my body and felt embarrassed and it can make you feel groggy, bloated and just want to rest.

                                             

A lot girls can have painful periods and be super heavy and it was frowned upon, taking time off school because of it and I would begrudge fellow pupils myself, like "Well I have still gone to school" and gone home because of it, but going on how I feel now, it should be taken more seriously and should be allowed to take time off. Employees too. 

It made me afraid of wearing certain clothing as I would leak, so not wearing white and would be a lot heavier on some days, meaning having to wear three or four pads at a time and cause a lot of paranoia, and stress. 

The one thing I found hard was PE day and getting changed in front of each other, because for me I need that privacy and compassion, because your hormones are developing and feel extra stressed and agitated.

I couldn't get used to it. I feared it. Now I used to it, it's still not nice but no longer feel bad about my body. It is your body getting ready for adulthood and I do think there should be therapy available knowing what I know now and not suffering, thinking they are exaggerating as there are woman who can have real problems each month and for few years back, they would be super heavy, clotting and last a lot longer and was not able to walk without bleeding heavily and was afraid of moving. 

I was offered the coil but a bit fearful of it. There was any other options to take but began to change my diet and not sure if it was due to medication I was taken for my mental health, as I was having terrible anxiety. However they seem to be okay now and not lasting so long and under control.

It can effect your appetite and put on a bit of weight on. I am not scaremongering but being honest. I have been affected a lot by my menstrual cycle in terms of confidence and appearance and thinking I am the only one who found it so hard, but now I know it not just me who has had a hard time but celebrities are sharing and your not a freak with having to wear dark clothing all the time, not able to exercise because of heavy bleeding and not knowing what to do. It affected my energy and health and when unwell, I became anaemic and the doctor couldn't believe how long my period would last for and why the were so heavy and there wasn't much help available. 

Teaching about it I think is key. When I was at school mainly primary you had a school nurse, but once I reached my final year there that had all changed. I would bring them back, because it is knowing who to talk to about it and getting the right support and provide towels and tampons in schools. 

If you have had problems too with your periods and you want to share then please do. We need to help each other and young girls to help get the right support, as it can make you feel isolated and afraid of your body. We should be proud of our bodies and what it can do. It can mend it self and be okay, it was not knowing the full extent of what can happen when you begin period that affected me a lot.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X