Coming Home To Self, Calgary, AB (2026)

03/10/2026

🩸When symptoms are minimized repeatedly, people can begin to doubt their own bodily signals.

Over time this can lead to disconnection from the body’s warning system.🙀

And that has real consequences.

Chronic pain doesn’t just affect one part of life.

👉It can impact:
• Energy levels, the body and nervous system work harder when pain is ongoing
• Cognitive function – chronic pain and inflammation can contribute to brain fog and difficulty concentrating
• Emotional wellbeing – living with unmanaged pain increases stress and mental load
• Relationships – masking pain or fatigue can create misunderstandings with partners, friends, or coworkers
• Daily functioning – many people push through symptoms because they’ve learned they won’t be taken seriously

Over time, people often adapt by:

• Minimizing their own pain
• Ignoring body signals
• Normalizing fatigue and discomfort

⁉️But menstrual pain that interferes with daily life is not something the body is meant to simply tolerate.

This is often the work that happens in therapy with individuals who have experienced medical trauma or chronic illness.

Part of the process is unraveling beliefs shaped by dismissal or misunderstanding.

Learning to reconnect with the body.
Rebuilding trust in internal signals.
Returning to the inner knowing that was there all along.

Because the body in pain is not necessarily working against you.❤️

Often, it is trying to get your attention.

Healing can begin by slowly rebuilding a relationship with the body and the wisdom it carries. 🩸

03/05/2026

🎭 Meet the 3 characters involved in women’s hormonal transitions:

🩸 Menstruation
🔥 Perimenopause
🌙 Menopause

🩸 Did you know?
On average, a woman will experience about 400–450 periods in her lifetime.

Yet most of us are taught very little about what happens after decades of cycling.

🔥 Perimenopause
“Peri” means around.
Perimenopause is the transitional phase leading up to menopause, when the body gradually shifts from having periods to eventually having none.

Many people in the medical system still describe perimenopause as something that begins in the late 40s or early 50s.

But it’s important to know that it can start as early as the 30s or 40s.

And not everyone experiences it the same way.

If we expect everyone’s body to follow the exact same timeline, we may miss the early signs.

Perimenopause can last 4–10 years, and during this time estrogen fluctuates rather than simply declining.

Some early signs people don’t always connect to hormones include:

😴 Sleep changes
💥 Increased irritability
🧠 Brain fog
💧 Dry eyes or dryness
😅 Mood shifts

AND MUCH MORE SYMPTOMS!

You may still have periods, but things start to feel different.

🌙 Menopause
Menopause is officially defined as 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period.

✨ The more we talk about these transitions, the less women feel confused or alone navigating them.

Your body isn’t betraying you.
It’s transitioning.

Perimenopause

03/03/2026

On behalf of endometriosis month! 🎗

I wish I was joking....
But many people say:

“You sign more than you actually understand.”
“You don’t know exactly what will be done until you wake up.”

Unless you ask very specific questions,
you may not be told everything you could experience afterward.

This isn’t about blaming doctors.
The system isn’t designed for long, trauma-informed consent conversations. Appointments are short. Surgery is protocol-driven.

But surgery is still trauma to the body.

It is: • Tissue disruption
• An inflammatory response
• A nervous system stressor
• Often a hormonal shift

The body doesn’t interpret surgery as “routine.”
It interprets it as stress.

Two things can be true: ✨ Surgery can be necessary.
✨ And it is still a physiological trauma.

If you’re having a laparoscopy, consider asking:

🩺 If you find endometriosis, what could change during surgery?
🩺 Will anything be removed without prior discussion?
🩺 What are the risks to my ovaries or fertility?
🩺 How could this impact my cycle long-term?
🩺 What happens if I wait?

Surgeons may not be able to answer every nervous system question — and that’s okay. But it’s important to research and seek support.

Informed consent should feel regulating, not rushed.

Let’s build a system that is more trauma-informed.

🩸 You deserve context before you sign.

02/26/2026

A missing period is not “nothing.” 🩸

If your cycle has stopped for 3 months or more (and you are not pregnant), this meets medical criteria for evaluation.

It’s called secondary amenorrhea.
Amenorrhea = absence of a period.
Secondary = it stopped after previously being regular.
That’s it.

It’s a medical term: NOT you being dramatic.
Your menstrual cycle is considered a vital sign ❤️‍🩹

It reflects: • Hormonal health ⚖️
• Metabolic health 🔄
• Nervous system regulation 🧠
• Overall wellbeing 🌿
When it disappears, your body is communicating something 📣

Possible causes can include:
• PCOS
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Stress-related hypothalamic suppression
• Under-fueling or over-exercise
• Elevated prolactin
• Perimenopause
• Chronic illness

Yes sometimes it is stress.
Yes sometimes lifestyle plays a role.
But that still deserves investigation 🔎
Not dismissal 🚫

Because here’s the deeper harm:
“Let’s wait and see” without testing can delay diagnosis ⏳

Repeated dismissal can create self-doubt 🤍
Self-doubt can turn into self-gaslighting 🫥
And we already know how harmful that can be.

You deserve:
✔ Bloodwork 🧪
✔ Hormone testing 📊
✔ Thyroid screening 🩺
✔ A real conversation 💬
✔ To be taken seriously ✊

Your period disappearing is information 🧭
Your voice shouldn’t disappear with it. 🩸

02/24/2026

⁉️Did you know...Under the Canadian Human Rights Act and provincial human rights codes, a condition can be considered a disability if it significantly impacts daily life or work functioning.⁉️

👉That includes endometriosis.
👉That includes PCOS.
👉And in severe cases ( PMDD too.)
Which means employers HAVE a legal duty to accommodate. ⚖️

And yet…
“It’s just a period.”

When someone asks for a day off because of severe menstrual pain and hears:

“Other women manage.”
“No one else is complaining.”
“We’re counting on you.”
That’s not leadership.
That’s comparison.

🩸 One person’s pain doesn’t cancel another’s.
🩸 Menstrual health is not one-size-fits-all.
🩸 Invisible conditions are still real conditions.
The longer someone pushes through a flare, the longer it can take to recover. For many, powering through pain doesn’t build resilience, it prolongs inflammation, exhaustion, and burnout. 🔥➡️🧯
Did you know… 👇

Countries like Japan and Spain have menstrual leave policies because they recognize that supporting workers during health fluctuations improves long-term productivity and retention. 🌍
Supporting bodies is not weakness.
It’s sustainable leadership.

Menstrual equity is workplace equity. 🏢🩸
We don’t need tougher employees.
We need informed systems.

02/19/2026

🌀Emotions can feel abstract, but it can be helpful to understand them like children inside of us.

When a child is loud, clingy, or acting out, it’s usually not because they want to be difficult it’s because they need attention, safety, or reassurance.🙏

Our emotions work in a similar way.
When we feel tension, worry, anxiety, or a sensation that keeps getting “louder” inside, that’s often our nervous system signaling that something needs care. These feelings don’t disappear simply because we ignore them. In fact, when we push them away, they tend to amplify — showing up more frequently, more intensely, or in different forms (tight chest, racing thoughts, irritability, fatigue).😮‍💨

From a nervous system perspective, emotions are adaptive signals. They are information. When they are unmet, they escalate in an attempt to be noticed.
Avoidance can temporarily reduce discomfort, but it does not resolve the underlying activation. What actually helps regulate emotion is gentle, intentional attention.☀️

The very thing we often fear, turning toward the feeling is what allows it to soften.
Getting acquainted with an emotion means:
Noticing where it lives in the body
Naming it without judgment
Allowing space for it
Offering curiosity instead of criticism
When emotions feel seen and acknowledged, the nervous system receives cues of safety. And safety is what allows intensity to decrease.

They don’t “go away” because we suppress them.
They settle when they are understood.

02/17/2026

👉Why can’t information about our own bodies be given with more time and care?

Many people go into surgery already carrying years of worry and uncertainty/ scared about what doctors might find, or scared they’ll find nothing at all after years of symptoms. It’s no wonder patients often go into surgery already stressed, and wake up still feeling that same stress in their bodies. 😔

From a somatic and nervous system perspective, the state of stress or fear someone enters surgery with can influence how they feel on waking. Anesthesia places the brain into a controlled unconscious state, but it doesn’t automatically resolve the stress response already active in the body. So if someone goes into surgery anxious or scared, they may wake up still feeling emotionally overwhelmed or in survival mode as the body comes back online. 🧠

This isn’t about blaming individual doctors. It’s about recognizing that the system often moves quickly, while patients need time to understand what just happened to their own bodies. 🏥

Because care shouldn’t end when surgery does and understanding your health deserves space, clarity, and support. 💛
🎭 Inspired by real experiences navigating menstrual health care.

02/17/2026

Why can’t information about our own bodies be given with more time and care?

02/11/2026

Let’s face it, we experience grief more often than we realize.🌀

👉Grief isn’t only about death. It can come with chronic illness, a new diagnosis, trauma, changes in identity, or losing the version of ourselves we once knew.

🌀Grief takes space. A lot of space. And when we try to ignore it, it doesn’t disappear, it spills into our relationships, our work, our families, and our sense of self.

👉And grief is exhausting. Carrying it takes energy.

So it matters that we make intentional time for it. When grief feels seen and acknowledged, it softens its grip. It may not fully go away, but our capacity grows around it.
And during the peaks, when grief feels especially heavy, it’s okay to adjust. To slow down. To ask for support. To give yourself permission to move gently.

Grief asks to be met, not rushed.🙏

02/10/2026

Delayed care often means fewer options.

Not because care doesn’t exist, but because time and unmanaged symptoms can narrow what’s available.
When care is delayed, the impact doesn’t stay medical.

👉 Symptoms can worsen
Pain and fatigue may become more debilitating over time.

👉 Care can become more complex
For some people, this includes fertility-related impacts...not because fertility is the only outcome that matters, but because delayed care can limit options later.

👉 Work is affected
Sick days get used up.
Benefits can run out.
Guilt builds around not being a “reliable” employee.

👉 Relationships feel the strain
Plans get canceled to conserve energy.
Intimacy can feel harder with pain, fatigue, or fear of flare-ups.

👉 Daily life requires more planning
Travel can feel risky.
Mental energy goes into constant self-monitoring.

🩸 Menstrual health disorders aren’t contained to one week a month.
When care is delayed, they spill into everyday life.

💛 In March, for Endometriosis Awareness Month, I’ll also be sharing hopeful, practical videos! Things you can do to support yourself, reduce impact, and advocate for your care while waiting to see a specialist.

⚠️ Delayed care has consequences, but support and options still matter.

02/05/2026

Does anyone else feel like birth control gets offered over and over… before anyone actually investigates what’s going on?

In many appointments, birth control becomes the default option because it can reduce bleeding and suppress symptoms, which helps some people.

But sometimes what happens is: Symptoms get quieter…

and the investigation stops there.
And for people living with conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, or other menstrual health concerns, symptom control isn’t the same as getting answers.

Also important to clarify:
👉 Birth control does not cure endometriosis it helps manage symptoms for some people.

👉 Side effects can include mood changes, spotting, or persistent pain for some individuals.

🔴And about fertility:
Hormonal birth control itself doesn’t cause permanent infertility. Most people’s fertility returns after stopping it.
But sometimes birth control can mask symptoms of conditions like endometriosis or PCOS, which means diagnosis and treatment can be delayed — and those untreated conditions can affect fertility over time.

And just to be clear:
✨ This isn’t about judging anyone’s choices.
If birth control helps you, that’s valid.

This series shares real experiences so people feel less alone and more empowered to ask questions and advocate for themselves.

Because repeating your story for years just to be heard is exhausting. YOU ARE NOT ALONE 🙏

02/04/2026

⁉️Did you know...nn average, it takes 6–10 years to get diagnosed with endometriosis.
PCOS diagnosis can also take years and often involves seeing multiple doctors before getting answers.

And many people are only finally diagnosed once symptoms become severe enough to affect work, school, or daily life.

Research also shows that people of color often face even longer delays and more dismissal in getting menstrual health care.

This skit is funny, but it’s based on real experiences of people going in and out of the medical system just to be believed.
If this feels familiar, YOU ARE NOT ALONE 🙏✨️

Thanks for filming and editing Jeff!! Check out his page in the tag!📽📽

Coming Home To Self

03/10/2026

03/05/2026

03/03/2026

02/26/2026

02/24/2026

02/19/2026

02/17/2026

02/17/2026

02/11/2026

02/10/2026

02/05/2026

02/04/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Share

Category