April 10th, 2019

Spring is here and we are all finally starting to come out of our winter burrows. I know this winter was certainly a tough one for me. It was dark, cold, and I faced new challenges at work and in my personal life.

I also really worked on coming to terms with some of my negative personality quirks. In times of stress I would buy random things from Amazon and too much food to try and fill a void. My last Amazon order was in January and since then I have been spending my money on things that will fill the void permanently.

Lately it has been therapy. I was feeling very angry and cynical of the world. As someone who grew up with the nickname “Smiley Riley” this was a very difficult, identity crisis type of time. But I was recommended an amazing woman and we have made great headway and I am feeling much more like myself.

I also have been doing research into the female brain and female hormones, specifically how to nourish and move my body so I can support my brain and support my hormones.

One of the greatest and most influential changes has been the real kick-in-the pants about sugar. Sugar, although it gives your brain a quick serotonin boost, once that boost runs out the effects are scary.

For one, sugar increases estrogen. Too much estrogen in the body can lead to estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is a major risk factor in ovarian and breast cancer. With multiple women in my family who have been diagnosed with estrogen-dependent breast cancer, I need to take this consequence more seriously.

Estrogen dominance also means an imbalance in other hormones. These imbalances can lead to things like major mood swings, acne, nail weakness and low energy.

Not to mention high sugar diets put your body into a constant state of inflammation. Inflammation is just another precursor to cancer so I definitely don't want that.

Lastly, many women and men report that high sugar diets leave them feeling depressed. Especially if you consume a lot of sugar at night. There was a time when I would pick up sweets on my way home from work and have them before bed. The fact that I was constantly waking up feeling so down in the dumps, unmotivated, and anxious makes perfect sense.

So as of recently I have had more to think about before I decide to “treat myself” to a sweet.

Although… it really doesn't feel like a treat when there's so many negative effects to follow.

So here I am, coming out of my own cave with less inflammation, a clearer mind and sense of self, and so much to look forward to this spring.

It feels good to be back

X. Riley