Hi Nas
So good to hear that your cancer is stable and your humour is largely in tact.
The other stuff, I don't know, I'm an inveterate hippy who's always been quite a moody cow - which makes me feel like a bit of a failure. You mentioned rage then tears, and yes, that's what I find the hardest, losing my rag and then experiencing crushing shame. Not on HRT. Not on ADs.
Anyway, bearing in mind what someone above says about interactions, this is my current list:
J'Adore by Dior - every day, because it creates a kind of personal aura.
Herbal tincture from herbalist - contains valerian, ashwagandha and some other stuff.
A high protein and at least 5 a day vegan (ish) gluten free (ish) diet - basically, after keeping a food diary, it became clear I wasn't getting enough protein or eating enough fruit and vegetables. I do use shortcuts like Fuel breakfast drink, high protein smoothie mixes, lots of slow oats, Nairns oatcakes, and also cook with the help of Mindful Chef boxes.
Lots of purple food - grapes, beetroot, blueberries, blackberries, etc. This could just be my justification for red wine.
Tisserand roll on essential oils.
2 x Kalms night if I feel rattled before I go to bed.
But, for me, the five biggies are:
Weekly therapy - for the last 5 years and ongoing.
Regular massage (once every three months or so) with a woman who's specifically trained in massage for fertility and pregnancy - because she understands the roll of hormones and for the life of me I can't find a menopause massage person with her level of qualification.
Regular gym, sauna, steam and swimming at my local council leisure centre - couple of times a week.
My allotment and any other chance I get to walk barefoot in nature and lie in a hammock - shepherd's huts and caravans in the middle of nowhere.
Riding my motorbike.
All of the above looks like a pretty charmed life, and a I wasn't doing any of it a few years ago when I first arrived on this board. It's taken me a long time to build wellbeing into my busy schedule step by step (work full time as a teacher) ...
Most of my crippling anxiety and rage (two sides of the same coin psychologically and physiologically speaking) comes from dealing with death. My son has been severely disabled since birth (he's in his 30s now). He has a life threatening and life limiting condition and we've spent a lot of time in hospital, literally a cumulative total of years in intensive care. It's like my whole adult life has been characterised by the fear of death. It's taken me ages to figure out how to focus on living. So yeah, my wellbeing list looks really extensive, but it needs to be.
