What if mindset is the missing piece

Why your nervous system can't tell the difference between a work deadline and a bobcat—and what it’s doing to your hormones.

I was listening to a podcast this weekend all about how our thoughts shape our reality.

This isn’t new information; the idea has been around for years. However, I think it can sometimes feel a bit “woo-woo” in the traditional health space. When we have a problem—infertility, heavy periods, or hormone swings that make us feel like anything but ourselves—we tend to reach for tools to fix it. We look to supplements, lab results, doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, and interventions.

Those are all good—essential a lot of the time, in fact. But what if you’re doing all the “right” things and the needle still isn’t moving in the direction you’re hoping for? What if the missing piece is actually your mindset and the stories you’re (perhaps even subconsciously) telling yourself on a daily basis?

From a biological perspective, our body can’t decipher a perceived threat (like a worry, a fear, or an anxious thought) from an actual threat (like the bobcat I found in my backyard when I opened the door to see what all the bird commotion was about—true story, pic below!). If our brain is constantly feeding us negative narratives, our body stays in “panic mode,” whether we feel it or not.

Real threat vs. perceived threat: My body's reaction was the same for both.

When the body produces cortisol in response to stress—whether perceived or real—it deprioritizes other vital functions. Digestion, progesterone production, and thyroid conversion (all CRITICAL to proper hormone production) all take a backseat, leaving us feeling less like ourselves.

The same day I listened to that podcast, I attended my first yoga class in at least a year. Beyond it feeling so good to stretch and move, the experience reminded me why I crave that space. In a world that is so loud right now, it is rare that we are quiet long enough to even realize what’s going on in our own minds.

That is step number one: getting quiet and noticing the stories we’re telling ourselves.

So, what will you do this week to start noticing your mind? What are you telling yourself that is keeping you stuck, keeping you sick, or keeping you from the life you want to live?

I don’t think it has to be a full-blown meditation practice; that word alone can feel intimidating or stressful. But what if you set a two-minute alarm today to just sit? No phone, no notebook, no background noise. Just notice what comes up.

If you feel called to share, let me know in the comments: What story are you telling yourself that could be reframed to protect your nervous system and start creating a different reality?

If you want help figuring out what is going on with your hormones check out my free resources to get started taking back your health today.