Is your body trying to tell you something?
Updated: Sep 3, 2022
Sheena woke up abruptly and panicked, only to see that it was just 5 am. She had one more hour to sleep, but couldn't as her head throbbed with pain. After half an hour of scrolling social media mindlessly she finally left the bed and popped a pill for the pain. Looked back once, and saw Arvind sleeping soundly. Smiling to herself she left the room and decided to prepare breakfast early. "Maybe, I will find some time to myself today", she thought. She was almost done making tea for herself in the end, while the door bell rang.
The newspaper vendor was asking for the monthly coupon. She paused for a moment to think where she has kept them but nothing came to her mind. So she started searching for the usual spots where she kept documents and bills. Finally, when she wasn't able to find anything, she woke up Arvind and asked him. "They are beneath the mattress", he said and asked for his cup of tea. The alarms started ringing at 7 and the kids woke up, Arvind helped them get ready while Sheena was laying down the breakfast table. Anxiously, looking at the clock she kept asking the kids about their time-table for the day, notebooks, water bottle and tiffin. The clock struck 8 and the school buses started honking outside. Arvind took the kids out and she sat down to take a breath. It felt like an achievement. This short span of 3 hours in the morning was the most stressful part of the day for her.
Arvind came back and hugged her, "Do you need anything?" He asked. She wanted to tell him to warm up the tea but she said, "No, just fetch some groceries on your way back from office, I will text you the list. He left, and soon the househelp arrived. She sat down to read the newspaper with her cup of tea which she made in the morning. The househelp asked for the dish soap and Sheena froze, remembering she had asked the other day as well. Handing over some detergent to her, she told her that she would buy it today. She sat down again and started ordering the groceries online, meanwhile Arvind messaged her that he had reached office. The maid left and she said down for her weekly meetings. She grabbed her hair brush, ran it through her hair only to find hundreds of hair strands get stuck in the brush. Disappointed, she just stopped and tied it in a bun. She was working from home 4 days a week. 5 hours passed and she shut down her laptop. The kids are going to be home soon, thinking to herself, she decided to order-in instead of cooking.
After lunch with the kids, they went off to nap while she lay down on the couch for a while, and texted her gynaecologist for an appointment that weekend. She has skipped her periods for 2 time in a row and pregnancy was ruled out. Googling her symptoms, she took screenshots of the holistic ways that she could follow to deal with her hormonal imbalance. She knew in her heart she wouldn't open those screenshots again. Arvind came from office and asked for some tea. Exhausted to the brim now, she just wanted to tell him to make some for both of them. But she pulled herself together and went in the kitchen. "The kids are going to be up soon", she told Arvind. He said," Yes, just let me have tea in peace, I will drop them off to the tuition centre. You need anything? She wanted to say," Yes I need a break! I am stuck in the house, My body hurts in so many places, I take pain killers like supplements and my idea of self-care is limited to drinking a cup of caffeine while the maid comes to work in the morning. But she kept quiet knowing that Arvind won't really be able to give her what she needed, he was also tired and occupied. This was just a typical day in her life and she lived it on repeat, ignoring the signs that her body was giving her.
This was just a fictional story, but I bet most of you would find it relatable.
My main aim is to tell you that you sometimes your body gives you signs that you shouldn't ignore.
Forgetfulness, feeling absentminded.
Body aches, headaches.
Lethargy
Irregular Periods It might indicate a hormonal problem, a issue in the reproductive system and stress is also a triggering factor sometimes.
Hairfall. Falling of upto 100 strands is normal for an adult but anything beyond that might indicate a deficiency, hormonal problem, any other underlying condition or may be a hidden sign of stress.