What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)?
PCOS effects 1:10 females in the UK according to the NHS. The syndrome is not fully understood and the exact cause is unknown. Suffers have hormonal imbalances that cause a range of symptoms. A PCOS diagnosis is based normally on symptoms ranging from irregular periods that can make getting pregnant difficult to weight issues, acne, excessive body hair, depression and anxiety to name a few. A blood test to measure hormone levels and maybe an ultra sound is sometimes done to.
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is known to be delaying something that you know must be done. This may be because it is unpleasant.
What does procrastination have to do with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?
Procrastination over daily decisions can affect our emotional health; this is very unhelpful and, in some circumstances, harmful. Procrastinating over simple daily things such as What to eat – the piece of fruit over the chocolate bar, wine or water, 5 more minutes in bed, whether to go for a walk or do some exercise. If daily, can really ware us down and cause us to feel stressed. This in turn is emotionally draining and can have a dramatic effect on all our bodies systems.
Basic symptoms of stress:
- Feelings of overwhelm
- Tiredness
- Getting angry and irritated more than normal
- Headaches
- Aching body – in general neck, head, shoulders
- Emotional eating or not eating
- Sleep disturbance – hard to go to sleep/ tossing and turning sleep/ waking up during the night or very early
- Unsettled tummy / digestion issues.
Fight and Flight Response
We may get some of or a combination of these symptoms if we are regularly allowing procrastination to take over our lives it can turn into anxious feelings of guilt for instance; ’Oh I really shouldn’t have eaten that chocolate, drunk that wine, I really should have done that walk, if only I had done…’ This causes our bodies to end up almost constantly releasing adrenaline and cortisol and in turn we end up in almost constant Fight and Flight response. This is also known as the acute stress response. This is when our bodies produce a physiological response to something we perceive to be mentally or physically terrifying. Click here to read more about Fight and Flight .
Being in nearly constant fight and flight mode is what contributes in the long term to our bodies systems (heart, lungs, muscles, brain, digestive system, nervous system etc…) feeling like they are under constant pressure and in turn this effects the balance of our hormones.
PCOS is a hormonal condition. This upset to our bodily systems and the resulting effect to our hormone balance adds to increasing our risks of illness making it harder for our bodies to heal and function properly. Think of PCOS symptoms such as weight issues, acne, irregular periods to name a few. Also in the case of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome these daily added emotional stresses add to making us more likely to emotionally eat foods rich in carbs and sugar, less likely to feel like exercising, effect how we are breathing (erratically from our chests and through our mouths more than our noses) and increase our risks of depression and general bad mood.
What we can do about it!!
This is my favourite part, there are many different things I have tried over the years to decrease my procrastination and increase my productivity and decision making such as planning, setting alarms, take action in the adverts of your TV program to name a few. The best one by far I have found personally is Mel Robbins 54321 method. It has been an absolute game changer for me. Believe me when I say I am grateful for a kindle to read books on these days as the amount of books I have read on life coaching, depression, anxiety, living happier, nutrition and health science in general, I can’t count and the number of qualifications I have in health sciences is mounting up too! If you want to read more about my research obsession on health go to Victoria Gamon.
Mel Robbins method is really simple;
- As soon as you get an instinct/ urge to do something….
- Say 5.4.3.2.1 (the counting helps to stop your brain questioning, worrying, thoughts taking over, excuses being made!)
- Take action! – Simple as that!
Mel defines an instinct as any urge, impulse, pull, or knowing that you should or should not do something because you can feel it in your heart and gut.
An instinct is not buying everybody in the bar a round of shots. An instinct is not a rash, irreversible decision. It’s not destructive, illegal, or harmful behaviour.
Examples in daily life;
I want to get up at 6pm in the morning…
- Alarm goes off – could be mechanical or your own body clock (depends on you, personally I have an amazing body clock)
- You hear it or see the clock says 6am – you say to yourself 5.4.3.2.1!
- You immediately get out of bed without any thought…yes you heard me just do it!!
I tell you it is amazing so simple to use but ground breaking in the difference this technique will make to your emotional health and in turn physical health. You can use it for anything…
Should I eat the apple or chocolate…?
5.4.3.2.1..pick the apple up and move on!!
Should I go for a walk…?
5.4.3.2.1…hat and coat on…out the door.
I can’t plead with you enough to give it a try…more than just once! It might be tough to start with but it will get easier, it all comes down to how much you want to change your life for the better. It is another tool in your PCOS tool box to help you combat emotional stress. Give it a go and let me know how you get on. I can’t wait to hear. For anyone who wants to know more about Mel’s 5.4.3.2.1 click here for her Youtube video .