Recovery Story: Making HA Recovery A Joyful Experience
Recovery—it's often portrayed as a destination, a finish line to cross once you get your bleed and after enduring a long and painfully uncomfortable journey. We often focus so much on the destination, aka the bleed, that we forget to live our lives in the process. After all, most of life's magic happens along the way, not at the destination.
Today, we're diving into the heart of recovery with one of our HA Society members and past Restore Your Fertility clients.
Meet Lisa:
Lisa, is a courageous soul on a quest to finally reclaim her health and vitality after YEARS of struggle with hypothalamic amenorrhea. In her own words, she shares the raw and unfiltered truth of her journey through recovery so far:
I have been so stressed in this seat for such a long time and just thought, "When does this freakin' period come?" But I've started trying to be a little more chill with everything. Reflected a lot on my life since I was 15 and how badly I treated my body. Since it has been going on for such a long time and in combination with my job, it is no wonder that this journey takes longer for me than some others.
It's now the little things every day that I see as progress, from having warts under my feet that haven't healed in 8 years suddenly starting to disappear. I have lots of small hairs on top of my head as hair cells come to life. Since about 3 weeks ago, my sleep took a complete turn. First time in years that I sleep 7-8 hours a night and never get up to pee in the night (which I've done for as long as I can remember). I've gone from forgetting what CM looks like to something I have every day = can't happen without hormones. I have breakouts on my face every other day. I've gotten a libido and have gone from being dry like a desert down there to never being dry. Even the whole inside of my vagina feels completely different. All the tissue is much softer down there and not as rough and hard as it felt before. Almost feels like added tissue in there.
I am always very happy and energetic at work (I have been told by both my boss and colleagues that I have gone from being closed to being the one who is almost laughing and joking the most, takes initiatives, makes others feel included, etc.). I am a high performer and have been trusted to lead parts of the work. Just 8 months ago I was called in for a call and got a lot of criticism for having a bad work ethic and spreading negative energy at work. So yeah, a huge improvement on many levels!
I don't have any disordered thoughts at all, I eat everything even though there is a lot of focus on getting the right kind of food in right now of course. But from weighing exactly everything I put in me, counting calories, driving long detours to get to stores with 0% fat products and avoiding all social events with food included, is a crazy journey for me. Just a year ago, I would rather starve for an entire work day than buy a hamburger on the run between 2 errands.
I've started to cry a lot, to movies, podcasts, books, which I haven't done in years, which feels good. I feel compassion, joy and sorrow for other people than just my closest family. I deal with stress in a completely different way. I don't get nearly as nervous about things and I haven't had any feelings of anxiety at all in 1.5 months, and nowhere near having any of the panic attacks that I could have regularly before. I haven't had to take anti-anxiety or sleeping pills either in about 1.5 months, which I otherwise took 2-3 days a week. My resting heart rate has become higher = was too low before.
I never get cold, at this point last year I was sleeping in pajamas, the elements on maximum heat and double duvets. Now I sleep without clothes with the element off and the fan on. And overall I am just more present when I am with my family. Yes, that sums up most of the positive things. Of course there is a huge downside and a lot I struggle with. But when you look at it this way, it's a huge improvement I've made since the spring of 2023 when I started to come to grips with my situation. 🙏🏻”
It’s not just about the bleed…
Lisa's journey serves as a powerful reminder that recovery is not just about reaching a specific goal, such as getting her period back. It's about embracing the small victories, finding gratitude in the everyday moments, and reclaiming the joy and vitality that were once lost. So let's shift our focus from making it all about getting your period back (which is important), to getting our lives back in the process.
To anyone out there struggling on their own journey of recovery, know this: we understand that it's tough—it's supposed to be, as that's how growth works. While it can be painful and uncomfortable at times, when you put things into perspective, consider how much life you are gaining in the process. Just as you learned from Lisa’s story, you didn’t let yourself go; you finally let yourself be…and guess what…you didn’t die, instead life got a 1000x better. Who would’ve thought?
Ready to make big recovery moves?
If you're on your own recovery journey, remember that you're not alone. Our community is here to support you every step of the way, offering various ways to work with us where you'll find support, guidance, and a community of like-minded individuals walking alongside you.
You can join our 10wk group coaching program, The Restore Your Fertility. Or perhaps your vibe is more 1:1 coaching. And for those who aren’t ready for coaching, consider becoming a member of The HA Society—a supportive community where hundreds of women just like you are facing their fears and reclaiming their lives.
If you would like to connect withLisa, you can find her inside The HA Society.
