As the end of the year approaches, it is important for us to close off the semester strong, while still taking care of ourselves by prioritizing our mental and physical health. I’ve recently come across some medical studies and mental health articles that further elaborate on the importance of knowing when to cool down and listen to your body’s exhaustion ques.
Dr. Marquita Igham, an endocrinologist, provides some scientific explanations as to why we should all know when to rest, so that our bodies can fully recover and function optimally. Some of the examples and suggestions provided by Dr. Igham is paying attention to the following symptoms: where you might feel extra fatigued, loss in appetite and overall energy decrease. Dr. Igham states that all of these symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that you need a break and a rest. Dr. Igham also argues for the fact that one should take a breather or an extended break before their bodies are completely exhausted. By the time your body signals you with some of the symptoms mentioned, it basically means that you’re overdue for recovery and relaxation time.
Another aspect in Dr. Igham studies that I found interesting was how our bodies respond and adapt to new exhaustion ques and hormones, and more specifically, the ability to honor your body’s needs is generally overlooked primarily by women. Unfortunately, we are the ones who need to be extra attentive to our hormonal cycles and shifts. Within endocrine polling researchers, women were shown to be overlooking their exhaustion ques more than men due to the fact that we ‘blame it’ on our periods, when in fact, the general energy decrease we all face during pre, post, or during our menstrual cycles might not even be related to our periods, but rather to our body’s overall exhaustion.
Therefore, in order for us to identify where our energy decrease levels are coming from, Dr. Igham suggests that if you feel fatigued more than normal and more specifically, a week after your menstrual cycle is over, you should probably take a rest and increase your iron intake during those times. And since we are approaching the holiday season and the end of another year, I believe we should aim to honor and prioritize our bodies so that we can enjoy our breaks the best we can, while at the same time, attempting to incorporate a new health measurement for the new year.