June 11, 2018

How to Pull Yourself Out of a Funk

Have you ever been in a major “funk”? Another way to think about it would be like you’re down in the dumps, feeling the blues, or just not feeling like yourself for an extended period of time. It’s perfectly normal to experience a funk, but our culture of social media has created a world where we’re only supposed to show the best parts of ourselves. The “highlight reel”, if you will.

I’ve personally been in a funk for several months. I tend to feel the blues during the winter months due to the lack of sunshine and my aversion to the cold, but this year it only slightly improved with the added sunshine of Spring. Before I recognized what was going on, I generally felt discombobulated and unsure about my path. Like things just weren’t quite clicking into place. I gave myself space to sit in the funk for a while, before naturally recognizing it was time to pull myself out of it.

Now that I’ve gone through this process of pulling myself out of a funk, I’m able to see what’s really going on: I’m experiencing a time of great transformation in my life. What an amazing unlock!!! Instead of continuing to sit in an unsettling space, I have the gift of a fresh lens to look through. With a deeper understanding of myself, I’m able to show myself grace, and navigate life in ways that work for me.

Throughout this phase, I’ve focused on the following 5 choices to pull myself out of it:

1. Analyze and discover

Become present with yourself and ask yourself questions to discover what’s at the core of this funk. Is this a temporary state, or has it been feeling this way for a while? Could digging into this funk create a growth opportunity, or is it time to walk away? Do you have power to create change in this scenario, or is this a toxic environment?

Maybe something feels off with a relationship in your life, or you aren’t growing at work like you expected. Maybe you haven’t had the desire to work out recently, or things just generally feel bleh. You may not know the root cause at first, but asking yourself questions could help you get there.

A way I like to become present with myself is to journal, stream of consciousness style, for a set amount of time. Many times I’m surprised by what comes up for me when I take a few minutes out of my day to listen into my inner voice and let my thoughts flow without judgment. Another option could be to take a break for yourself. Get away for a weekend, or even take a long hike by yourself. Take some time to be in nature and let your brain breathe for a bit. Whatever you decide to do, be sure to ask yourself the hard questions, and don’t judge yourself for what comes up.

Many times I’m surprised by what comes up for me when I take a few minutes out of my day to listen into my inner voice and let my thoughts flow without judgment.

2. Talk to your people

You know that person, or group of friends, who keeps you honest in your life? It might be time to bring them into the fold and fill them in on some of the things you’re discovering and thinking about. They might have a great perspective to share with you! As a HUGE introvert, that list of people for me is quite short. But when I need advice, I know who to go to.

I tend to find a lot of value from hearing an outsider’s perspective when I’m uncertain, so I also regularly see a therapist/life coach! She talks me through how to move forward in areas of my life, and challenges the heck out of me. She also points me back to myself, and encourages me to trust my intuition.

3. Remove yourself or create boundaries

When things, people, or environments cause you to feel like a lesser version of yourself, it may be time to either remove yourself, or create some healthy boundaries. Many times we carry heavy things because we feel like we have to, or it’s the “nice” thing to do. But here’s the thing… if you’re kind to yourself and others, you shouldn’t need to carry such heavy loads. If you are vocalizing what you need, but continue to run into the same walls over and over, it may be time to reevaluate if things are working for you.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting to run away from every hard moment in life. But there’s no need to unnecessarily keep yourself in a frustrating scenario. Sometimes it could even take a simple adjustment to your day to day to lighten up your load.

If you are vocalizing what you need, but continue to run into the same walls over and over, it may be time to reevaluate if things are working for you.

4. Focus on, and surround yourself with, the good

There’s too much good in this world to get stuck in negativity that only feeds into a downward spiral. Once you’ve created healthy boundaries, take some time to focus on the good things you have in your life. Even if everything feels hard or weird, there’s always something to be grateful for.

I can tend to get stuck in ruts and lose sight of the joys of life, and I’ve come to learn I’m a more balanced person when I surround myself with positivity and lightness. Here are a few things that work for me:

It may sound silly, but something I like to do is follow puppy accounts that I can quickly access in a low moment. Those little fluff balls never let me down!
I read articles that lift me up, and follow people/groups on social media who inspire me. I recently read this article for 12 Easy Ways to Practice Self Care at Work from Glitter Guide, for example.
I create opportunities to laugh at myself! Recently I ran out of gas as I was about to leave my house to run errands. I definitely could have gotten super frustrated, but in that moment I chose to laugh at myself instead. What responsible adult runs out of gas 50 feet from their house?!

5. Take care of yourself

Self care is a trendy subject right now, and sometimes even has a negative connotation. But just because you take care of yourself, doesn’t make you vain or self absorbed! Sometimes taking care of yourself could be as simple as listening to a podcast on your way to work, because you know it inspires you before starting your day. Or declining a social invitation when you recognize you need a night to yourself. Self care doesn’t have to be bougie, or grandiose; but no judgment if a good old fashioned “treat yo self” day is in order!

I take the best care of myself when I’m being active, eating well, spending time with people I love, and maintaining rituals that feed my soul. Many of my rituals are made possible through the products I have listed on my products page – taking supplements to support what my body is asking for, naturally taking care of my skin, reading books that fill me up, etc.

This has been my process of working through a “funk” in my life. How do you handle when things aren’t clicking into place, or are feeling off?

xx Chelsea

June 4, 2018

Daily Rituals: Commuting to Work

Recently I’ve been focusing on creating “rituals” throughout my day, instead of having “routines”. To give some context, lately I’ve been feeling like I’m stuck in a rut, and decided it was time to shake things up a bit. I recognized that if I’m fulfilling a routine, I’m not fully present with myself; rather, I’m typically just checking something off the list, auto pilot style. If I’m performing a ritual, on the other hand, I’m more likely to be mindful and intentional, and therefore feel more grounded and connected. I made a little list in my brain of some of the times throughout my day where I’ve created a routine, and one by one started to transform them into rituals. One of the first ones I decided to focus on, was my commute routine.

If I’m performing a ritual, on the other hand, I’m more likely to be mindful and intentional, and therefore feel more grounded and connected.

If you’re like me, one of the things you do most days of the week is commute to work. Previously, in the morning I would hop in my car, turn on whatever was cued up on my Spotify, then take the same route to work day after day, mindlessly. After work, I would decompress without music, and just sit through traffic. I wasn’t feeling inspired when I walked into work, and felt drained and stressed coming home.

I realized there were several opportunities to up level my commute experience! In January I got my motorcycle license and began scooting to work, and have absolutely loved how fun and thrilling it is. But, there was still something missing, especially as warmer Spring weather began to roll in. After tuning into the following three opportunities, I decided to bike or walk to work as many days as possible last month.

At first I was super nervous to bike to work because I was afraid I wouldn’t know what I was doing. Luckily, my boyfriend is more experienced riding on city streets (and has a LOT of patience with me), so he rode with me on the way to work. Ever since getting over that fear, it’s been absolutely amazing, and I’ll tell you why:

Opportunity #1 – To Get Inspired

It’s super important to me that when I get to work I’m ready to dive in for the day and get sh** done. It’s also equally important to me that I don’t take myself too, too seriously. (It’s just work, after all!) For both of those to be true, it’s necessary for me to feel inspired.

Let me tell you… just listening to whatever shuffled music during my commute wasn’t doing me any favors in the inspiration department. I realized it’d been a while since I’d listened to a podcast, or called someone during my commute, so I decided to incorporate those things into my walk or bike.

Podcasts

I’m majorly into self development, and I love reading books and listening to podcasts focusing on that subject. I had two podcasts on repeat last month – Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert, and The RobCast.

Elizabeth Gilbert is the same author I referenced in my very first blog post a few weeks back. After publishing ‘Big Magic‘, she decided she wasn’t done with subject, so she started a podcast. It’s amazing, I highly recommend it! The RobCast is hosted by another favorite author of mine, Rob Bell. He’s a spiritual leader and has the most amazing perspective on things. If you check either of them out, let me know what you think!

Listening to podcasts on my way to work gave me a positive and inspired frame of mind coming into work. I was less likely to take things so seriously on days that I listened to a podcast!

Catching up with one of your champions

I’m a big believer in having champions in your life. People who know you through and through, and support and challenge you. One of those people in my life is my Mom. On days when I knew my Mom had some free time, I started to give her a ring on the way to work or back home. Not only do I shave off 10 minutes from my walk when I’m on the phone with my Mom, but I walk into work feeling encouraged and lighter. Call someone who makes you laugh, gives great advice, or lightens tense things up for you!

Opportunity #2 – To Break a Sweat

I’m a big believer in being active. I’m a happier and more fulfilled person when I break a sweat or do something active most days of the week. I loved how walking or biking into work could give me an extra opportunity to be active throughout the week! Plus, I loved another opportunity to wear my Outdoor Voices gear 😉 (Which, if you haven’t tried Outdoor Voices, I can’t recommend it enough! You can get $20 off your first purchase of $100 or more through this link.

Releasing endorphins

This last month has been HARD in several areas of my life, but on days that I walked or biked into work, it made a huge difference for my level of joy and contentment. Those extra endorphins pumping through my veins went a long way!

Meeting fitness goals

On days I walked or rode my bike into work, I was much more likely to meet my fitness goals for the day. When I arrived home I felt a sense of accomplishment, and worried less about having a glass of wine with a friend that evening, for example.

Opportunity #3 – To Be Environmentally Conscious

I’m very fortunate that my office is less than 2 miles from my house, so my car ride to work wasn’t adding a ton of pollution to the air. But, I felt like even if I rode my bike or scooter, or walked to work 1-2 days out of the week it would still make a difference! It also feels good that I’m not adding one more car to Austin traffic.

Even if you aren’t able to bike or walk to work, are there ways you can bring rituals into your daily commute?

Are you an extrovert craving more time with others? Maybe you could look into starting a carpool. Do you love to read, but don’t have the time? Maybe try out an audiobook. Are you addicted to your morning coffee? Invest in a great coffee cup and sip on that elixir of life slowly on the way into work. There are countless ways to create your own rituals that work for you!

May 29, 2018

That Girl Chelsea Does New Orleans

Last weekend my boyfriend and I adventured to New Orleans aka ‘The Big Easy’ for a little getaway for our one year anniversary. Traveling is important for my self care routine, as I get a lot of inspiration from visiting new places and having new experiences. Therefore, I try to go on a trip about 3-4 times per year. I like to balance out my trips with small weekend getaways and longer, more expensive treks (like to Europe, for example.)

Our trip to New Orleans was a super easy long weekend, and was therefore fairly inexpensive. Before embarking on our trip we got LOTS of tips from friends on where to go (thanks y’all!), and formed a basic idea of how we wanted each day to flow. Once we were there, we kept things pretty casual during our visit letting our “itinerary” flow freely.

So, without further ado, here were my Top 5 Favorite Things about New Orleans:

1. Street Jazz and all the Live Music

I live in Austin, TX, which has been coined the “Live Music Capitol of the World”. I’ve lived here for about a decade now, and although I felt this term fit well when I first moved here, I can’t say I fully agree with it these days. (I know… so sacrilegious of me!) I miss the days where you could casually walk by a bar and be drawn in by live music, then leave with a new favorite local band to follow. These days it seems all bands are well known, and the shows have all been sold out for months!

With that said, New Orleans totally spoke to my soul as a live music destination. It felt like an older time the way that pop up jazz bands and individual crooners lined the streets. I also really loved all the music we ventured to listen to in bars on Frenchman Street and Bacchanal Wine. I got the vibe that the musicians were really in it for the music – many performers we saw were truly engaged with the crowd they were playing to, and had a joyful aura to them. It was inspiring! We even heard an acoustic duo rendition of “Say You’ll be There” by the Spice Girls. Yassssssss.

2. Magical, Mystical Vibes

New Orleans has deep roots in all things magic. I’m a very spiritual person, and love learning about all things spiritual, so this aspect of the city was really cool to experience. Everywhere you turned around there was some sort of voodoo reference, particularly in the French Market and Jackson Square area. We even got little voodoo dolls that we plan to use as ornaments for our Christmas tree next year!

Tarot Cards and a Palm Reading

I had my tarot cards and palm read by a psychic right in front of St. Louis Cathedral. She said that I’m very gifted with words and should start a blog to inspire others (what the whattt?) Among lots of other things she also said I’ll have a big life change soon. It was a pretty interesting experience, and I’m glad I did it!

Aura Readings

While we were hanging out one evening I noticed that Aura Aura was in town and having a pop up in the Ace Hotel. I snagged both of us a spot to have our auras read, which was such a cool experience!! My reading was very similar to one I had done last year by Mood x Moss in Austin, which I thought was pretty interesting. Here were a few things I learned: My aura colors bleed all the way to the edges of the page, which means I have a strong aura. Above my head I have a mix of violet and magenta – this means I’m unconventional, inspiring, free spirited, and a non-conformist. I have a white halo right above my head, which typically means a spiritual connection. On my right side there’s red, which can indicate leadership, action, passion, and adventure. Then the new addition from last time was strong yellow on my left side – yellow can mean joyful, open minded, and bright.

3. History

Everywhere you turned around the history was so evident and important in New Orleans. I’m a physical learner (I want to experience it for myself!), so learning history in school was very boring for me, as it’s typically reading from a book or listening to a teacher. Because of my learning style, I loved all the interactive experiences there were to offer in NOLA! If we were to ever go back, I would definitely sign up for a few walking tours.

WWII Museum

One of our favorite parts of the trip was experiencing the WWII Museum. It’s VERY well done and HUGE. We were there for about 4 hours and easily could have stayed longer if we didn’t have a dinner reservation to get to. Also, we saw an actress from Bring It On (the gymnast girl, Missy, who joins the squad), so that was exciting and random haha

Cemeteries

The cemeteries are SO wild. I knew the tombs were built above ground because the city is below sea level, but I had no idea how elaborate and huge some of them would be. Entire families could be found within one tomb together, so some of them were like 15 feet tall. We stopped by the Lafayette Cemetery #1 as it was closest to our airbnb, plus it’s the oldest cemetery within city limits. It’s only one city block in size, but holds the remains of over 7,000 people because of the tall family vaults. We made a game out of finding the oldest deceased person there – Lafayette Cemetery was created in 1833, and the oldest one we could find was 1836. It was a spooky experience, and I would highly recommend it.

Our Airbnb

Even our Airbnb in the Lower Garden District was historical – it was in the oldest standing synagogue in the city! The original synagogue had been broken out into a few small apartments, and they used original parts of the synagogue for design elements. For example – the ceiling of our bedroom had joists that were made from the old mezzanine seating. Check it out here if you’re looking for a place to stay for your trip! I love staying at Airbnb’s when I travel because I think you get a better feel for what it’s like to live in the city. If you’ve never used Airbnb, you can use this link to get $20 off your first trip!

THE ARCHITECTURE

Omg the architecture. It was seriously so beautiful. There were lots of Colonial and Victorian style abodes to be found on St. Charles, then adorable Creole cottages in the Bywater area. We were just ooh-ing and ahh-ing the whole time at the homes. Lastly, the St. Louis Cathedral near Jackson Square was drool worthy, so beautiful!!

4. Ease of Transportation

Street Cars

It was so incredibly easy to get anywhere – we took a street car into the French Quarter area one morning. Although it was hot, hot, hot; it was a cool experience and there was even an app we downloaded to buy our fare for the day.

Bicycle Rentals

It seemed like on almost every corner you could find a bicycle rental. We found Blue Bikes super easy to use and affordable – we rode bikes around about 6 miles or so one day just so we could see the city from a slower pace. FYI though – the locals are NOT bicycle friendly. We got yelled at by a lady in her car, even though we were riding in the bike lane. Oy vey.

Uber/Lyft

We used Lyft a handful of times if we knew we’d be drinking a little more heavily (hellooooo Bourbon Street!). One of our drivers was a woman who had lived in the area for a while, and she was really interesting to talk to about the city.

Driving our own car

Although you could totally get away without having a car, it was nice that we had ours. We used it to drive to further places from our Airbnb, like the Bywater area, and Jacques Imos on our first night. It was pretty easy to find parallel parking in those areas, and even the French Quarter!

5. Food, Wine & Cocktails

Last, but certainly not least, we had a great time trying out new food. Neither Estefan nor I are huge on Cajun food, but we had a bucket list of things we had to try. We ended up having crawfish etoufee, red beans and rice, boudin balls, beignets, muffulettas, and shrimp. Here was a list of our favorite restaurants, plus what we ate and drank at each spot:

Peche

You absolutely must go here, and definitely make a reservation ahead of time. It completely slipped my mind to make reservations, but we were able to snag a 9pm reservation on a Saturday night nonetheless. The cocktails were hands down my favorite in the whole city, and the fish was to die for. For cocktails, I had the Gintilly Shakedown and a classic French 75. We started with the Smoked Tuna Dip, then we each got our own meal AND a side here (yes, we were v full). I had the Baked Drum with Mushroom Broth, which was insanely delicious, and Estefan had the Grilled Skirt Steak. The Cauliflower, Rice and Fontina Gratin we had on the side was out of this world.

Sylvain

Another must go dinner spot. I loved the vibes here – it felt sort of tucked away and hidden, even though it’s smack dab in the middle of all the action. I had the Ikebana for a cocktail (omg, yummm), and then switched to a classic Cabernet Sauvignon for dinner. We started with the Chicken Liver Crostini – it had strawberries on top and was so. dang. good. Then I had the Pork Milanese for dinner, and Estefan had the Braised Beef Cheeks.

Cochon Butcher

Cochon Butcher and Cochon are sister restaurants right next door to each other, with Cochon Butcher being the more chill version. We had been riding bikes around, so we opted for the more casual side. I had a glass of rose, then we split brussels sprouts and a cheese plate to start, plus the Cochon Muffaletta. I really liked the environment, but I’m honestly not big on sandwiches or olives, so I had a tougher time with the menu. Everything we had was delish though!

Cafe du Monde

Your trip to NOLA wouldn’t be complete without a stop by Cafe du Monde. If you plan to dine in, just skip the line and walk in and find a table (there’s no purpose to the line, people just love to form lines). Soon someone will greet you and take your order. Most likely you’ll need to wipe the table down yourself because that place is a dang mad house! We each got a water, a frozen cafe au lait, and a beignet; and they were TO DIE FOR. In my opinion Cafe du Monde is totally worth the hype. If you haven’t had a beignet before, they’re similar to funnel cake, but even softer and meltier, and with WAY more powdered sugar on top. Yum!

Bacchanal Wine

One of the last places we ventured to was Bacchanal Wine in the Bywater area. There was a pretty long line when we arrived around 7:30pm, but most people got spooked by the line and peaced out. We probably waited like 15-20 minutes to enter. Once you enter, you stand in another line to grab a glass or bottle of wine or beer, then seat yourself. The place was packed, but we were able to snag a couple of chairs together. They have live music happening basically all the time, so we sipped our drinks and enjoyed a really great jazz band. It was sort of like heaven – I highly recommend this place if you’re okay with hustling a bit to get in and find a spot.

So there you have it – my Top 5 Favorite Things about New Orleans! If you’re curious how we organized our days, I’ve included our itinerary below…

Our Itinerary

Friday

8 hour drive from Austin (time flies with good company, music and podcasts!)
Stopped by Chimes for lunch in Baton Rouge
Checked into Airbnb. It was POURING down rain, so we chilled and settled in for a bit
Drinks at Maple Leaf Bar, then dinner at Jacques Imos

Saturday

Took street car into the French Quarter, and had breakfast at Cafe du Monde
Shopped for gifts at the French Market (so fun!)
Checked out Pepper Palace, but neither of us were in the mood to try any hot sauce
Walked around Jackson Square and checked out the St. Louis Cathedral, this was where I had my palm and tarot card readings!
Rented bikes and had Cochon Butcher for a late lunch
Rode the bikes back to the Garden District and checked out the mansions on St. Charles
Went back to our Airbnb to spruce up before dinner at Peche
Did the touristy thing and had a blast at Bourbon Street

Sunday

Brunch at Elizabeth’s in Bywater
Drove to the WWII Museum in the Central Business District
Headed back to the Garden District and walked around Magazine Street for a bit of shopping
Went back to our Airbnb to spruce up, then headed to our aura readings at the Ace Hotel
Dinner at Sylvain
Wine and live jazz at Bacchanal Wine
Walked around Frenchman Street for more live music and bars (this is where we were told more of the locals hang out)

Monday

Checked out of Airbnb
Brunch at Atchafalaya
Stopped by the Lafayette Cemetery #1
Popped into District Donuts for a sugary snack on the drive home
Stopped by my home town in Houston for dinner
Home sweet home!

Have you been to New Orleans, or is that where you call home? What are some of your favorite things about The Big Easy?

xx Chelsea

May 22, 2018

Saying Bye to Hormonal Birth Control: Part 2

Today I’ll be chatting about how quitting hormonal birth control has been going for me over the last two months – how my new forms of non-hormonal birth control have been going, hormonal changes I’ve experienced, and what has been helpful for me throughout the process. Spoiler alert: I’m so happy I made this decision for myself!!

First, if you weren’t able to read Part 1, I highly recommend reading that first! I go over why I initially got on birth control, and research I did that convinced it was time to say bye bye to the pill. To those of you who reached out to me after reading my last post: thank you!!! It was so cool and inspirational for me to hear your stories about your journey, or to hear how it was inspirational for you to read as you consider quitting hormonal birth control. Starting these sorts of conversations is literally why I’m here, so let’s keep them coming!

If you’re up to speed, then let’s get to it…

I took the last pill in my pack in mid-March, so I’ve now been off hormonal birth control for a little over 2 months. I really didn’t know what to expect, after having read about lots of different people’s experiences and researching potential side effects. The one thing I decided to focus on was to be present and kind to myself through it all, giving myself time and space, and listening in to what my body was telling me I needed.

Non-hormonal birth control, hooray!

Daysy to the rescue

A huge win for me has been using Daysy. Daysy, the fertility tracker I spoke about in my last post, works by reading your basal body temperature each morning, which is your temperature when you’re fully at rest. You’re supposed to take your temperature very first thing in the morning, after at least three hours of uninterrupted rest. To use Daysy, you just take the cap off, press the button to turn it on, press it again to begin the reading, put it under your tongue, let it do its thing for about 30 seconds, then it quietly beeps when it’s done. It’s important to take your temperature before you even sit up, take a drink of water, or stand up. If you fully wake up, or are in motion, you’ve already thrown your resting temperature off.

Getting used to using Daysy was a laughable struggle for me at first. I was so paranoid I was going to wake up in the morning and stand up, or drink water before doing the reading. I kid you not, I woke up about 10 times per night for the first few weeks thinking it was time to wake up and take my temperature. If you’re considering using this approach, don’t worry, I highly doubt you’re as ridiculous as me haha

BUT, once I got the hang of it, I started to really like it. It forces me to pause for just a minute before grabbing my phone to check social media, or jumping out of bed to start my day. I’ve started to try to use the 30 seconds it takes to do the reading to just simply relax. I’ve noticed now that sometimes I even fall back to sleep in that 30 seconds!

I had done a bit of research on Daysy but couldn’t find anything around when to expect for it to begin giving me readings. (Daysy has to have a good amount of data from you before it can begin to confidently tell you if you’re fertile or not.) I began using Daysy the very next morning after ending my last birth control pack, and for 26 days I was super diligent. But all I got were yellow readings (meaning it isn’t quite sure what to tell you yet, and you should use an alternate form of birth control if you want to prevent pregnancy). I knew it wouldn’t be immediate, but I really wanted to know when to expect for it to begin working!

Quick overview of the color display options and their meanings:

Red – you fertile, girl
Yellow – mmmm, hard to say. be careful and use an alternate form of birth control
Green – you’re good to go, you are not fertile

I was beginning to become impatient, but then when I started my period on day 27 – BAM! I got my first green reading. On the second month of using Daysy I only got 4 yellow readings, but then had 15 red readings, because it hasn’t yet figured out when I ovulate. This month I’m projected to have 13 red days. Basically, as you continue using it day after day, it gets more and more accurate about assessing when you’re fertile or not.

So, overall, Daysy has been a huge win for me. I can’t recommend it enough!

Me with my Daysy!

not to get all 9th grade health class on you…

… but those red days mean ya gotta find an alternate form of birth control if you aren’t tryna get pregnant. To be completely honest, the thought of using condoms was not ideal to me. Condoms (and tampons! More on that in another post…) have all sorts of harmful ingredients that aren’t ideal for your body. But, as a necessary precaution for my fertile days, I did some research and discovered Sustain – their condoms are nitrosomine free (a carcinogen in most condoms… what?!), and their latex is sourced by fair trade. They also happen to cost less than normal condoms you find at the drug store, so it’s a win win. Okay, enough about that (sorry if you’re reading, Dad!), and onto various changes I experienced once I quit the pill…

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

I read all sorts of stuff about how your hormones could be out of whack after getting off the pill, causing all sorts of problems – cycle regulation issues, crazy PMS and mood swings, skin breakouts, etc. Here’s what I experienced:

hello cycles, nice to feel you again

Hormonal birth control regulates your cycle and suppresses your natural hormones, so you shouldn’t ovulate and your cycles are regulated. For me, it was always super strange that I no longer could “feel” my body. On day 16 after quitting the pill, (counting my period days,) I felt that old feeling of ovulation come back. My boyfriend and I were walking Banjo around the neighborhood and I yelled out in surprise, I could feel both of my ovaries! Estefan looked at me like I was absolutely insane, but it was so wild to feel something I hadn’t felt in over 8 years.

After quitting the pill, many women experience a missed period for a month or two while their hormones figure out how to do their job again. I really wasn’t sure if I would menstruate immediately, but then on day 27 (as previewed above), my period was like heyyyy, remember me?? Then, 27 days after that, just like clockwork, came my second. I’m curious to see if this cycle will continue, but in the meantime I’ll take it as a win!

Although my pre-birth control vomiting issue has not returned (whoo!!), I did experience brief moments of nausea during this last period. I’ll continue to keep an eye on this and research how to support if it continues.

all the feels

The side effect I’m still sorting out has been mood changes. I mentioned in my last post that my emotions felt oddly tempered/dulled while on birth control. Well, pretty immediately after quitting the pill, it felt like a veil had been lifted. I’ve been having alllllll the feels over the last 2 months, and although it’s been a lot to sort through, honestly I’m super grateful for it. For example, this past weekend Estefan and I were at brunch and I was sharing with him about how I’ve felt confused about my purpose recently. He pulled out his phone to read me something to build me up, and I started to cry. Yes, maybe I looked crazy to some onlookers at brunch, but a good cry was what I needed in that moment, and it came authentically.

Another great mood change I’ve experienced is gaining my intuition back in a whole new way. Most of the time I excuse away my gut feelings about things, but now it’s undeniable for me. Even communicating honestly and authentically has become easier. Yay!

skin woes

About a week after quitting the pill, I took my mom to get facials for her birthday. My aesthetician said my birth control had most likely been causing lots of buildup under my skin that I would need to be diligent about clearing out. I’ve gotten two peels in the last two months, which cause my sensitive skin to go wild, so it’s hard to say if things have gotten better or worse. While on birth control, I would always break out right before my period, and that’s still the case so far. I’ve just been doing my normal skin care routine for now (check out my products page to see what I use!), but will consider switching things up in the coming months if I don’t see improvement. For now I’ll ride out the skin care wave until I have more info.

I get by with a little help from my friends

I knew getting off of hormonal birth control could potentially be a bit of a challenge, and here are the things that have been supporting me through the process:

Knowledge is power – Like I mentioned in my last post, Woman Code and the My Flo app have become my Bible over the last few months. These resources have been invaluable to me as I navigate how to best support my body through each of it’s phases. Over time things have become more intuitive to me, and I lean on these resources less and less
Vitamins – I was previously using Ritual, but decided I wanted a more personalized vitamin selection. I’ve been using care/of for the last month and I’m obsessed. You fill out a short quiz about your lifestyle and goals, and they curate a selection of recommended vitamins. You can tweak the recommendations to your liking, then they send you a cute little box with 30 packets for each day of the month. (Check out what one of the packets looks like, below.) Use this link to get $40 off your first order! Among others, I have ashwagandha in my packet for stress, iron to prevent anemia, and rhodiola for mood. I also will add evening primrose oil to my order once I get through my current bottle, as it’s great for PMS support.
Nutrition -This has been the toughest one for me to be diligent about so far. Other than adding a probiotic, enzyme, and multivitamin to my vitamin routine, I’d say my nutrition game has been off. After a long day at work, a lot of the time I’m not down to cook a healthy meal I know will support me. But, I’m goaling myself to focus in on this in the upcoming months, and will share out thoughts soon!
Natural skin care – I try to use as many natural skin care products as possible, and have found that the Herbivore line works great for me. Use this link to get 15% off your first purchase! I recommend using that discount first, then Sephora also sells many of their products now.
Self care, self care, self care – I mentioned this earlier, but a huge boost for me came through the form of being present and kind to myself, and practicing self care. Some days that meant saying no to a social invitation and staying in for some me time. Whatever self care looks like to you, I highly recommend you put it into overdrive when kicking hormonal birth control to the curb.

One of my care/of packages for the day – they have a new quote or fact on each package.

So, there you have it! This has been my experience 2 months after quitting hormonal birth control. I’m excited to see what’s next in my journey, and look forward to hearing your experiences too!

Have you gone through the process of eliminating hormonal birth control from your life? How did it go?

xx Chelsea

May 14, 2018

Saying Bye to Hormonal Birth Control | Part 1

Hey y’all,

Thanks for joining me! Today I’ll be telling the tale of how/why I decided to quit taking hormonal birth control pills. I’ll chat about my journey of recognizing I wasn’t down with being on the pill, what research I did that convinced me to get off (and gave me confidence I could do it), and my decision to purchase Daysy to track my fertility patterns.

As always, these are just the things that worked for me. I encourage you to do your own research and consult your doctor. You do you, boo!

#realtalk

Okay, so #realtalk… making this decision was NOT an easy one. Society tells women that being on the pill is completely normal and that “everyone is on it”. In my gut I knew it didn’t align with my own values of living a holistic lifestyle, but I felt like there wasn’t another realistic option to prevent pregnancy. Well, I’m here to tell you there absolutely is. When I told my gyno (that I’ve been seeing since I was 19) that I wanted to get off the pill because I didn’t feel comfortable with the hormones being pumped into my body, she was not a happy camper, and wouldn’t continue to have a conversation to help me determine what my next steps were. She basically said “well, go ahead and just stop taking the pill tomorrow then, good luck,” then mumbled something about how my only hope is FAM (fertility awareness method), and how I would need to talk to my boyfriend. (Yep… definitely switched my gyno!)

Some people in my life looked at me like I was insane, and I don’t actually blame them. In my experience, it’s been instilled in women to be fearful of getting pregnant, especially if they aren’t married. (Pardon my French, but f*** that noise… but that’s for a whole other post.) Plus, the medical world tells us that birth control solves all of women’s problems. Well, I’m here to debunk that and tell you about my experience.

hi birth control, nice to meet you

I got on birth control when I was 19. At that time, my period actually made me vomit for days on end. I’ve never actually experienced cramps, but having to put my life on hold for a week out of every month for random vomit attacks was no walk in the park. I became anemic at that time, and that was when I knew I needed to do something about it.

I went to a recommend gynecologist here in Austin, whose first words out of her mouth were to tell me I should be on birth control. I had no idea vomiting on your period could mean hormonal issues that should probably be investigated further, so I agreed. She promised me she could find a pill to make that problem go away, so I went along with it. At the time I had never really thought about being on the pill. I also didn’t realize the pill would mask symptoms that may be indicators of larger, underlying issues.

my personal experience on birth control

I’ve always been good with keeping habits, so being on the pill was really easy for me. I only ever “missed” one pill in 8+ years, and that’s because I got really drunk in college one night, then ended up throwing up the pill I took that next morning, which had been the last one in my pack. (Tell me I’m not the only one!) So, generally, being on the pill had the benefit of making my period predictable, and, duh, keeping me from getting pregnant earlier than I wanted. Other than that, it was kind of a struggle. I had to change the type of pill somewhere between 5-10 times. One pill I took gave me excruciating headaches for months, one caused my skin to break out terribly, while others would leave me feeling super foggy. As I’ve moved neighborhoods over the years and switched pharmacies, I’ve been on a bunch of different generics. Despite what pharmacists would tell me, the varying inactive ingredients would throw me off depending on the generic. It would be a struggle to request the right generics that “worked” for me.

But the thing I hated about every type of pill, was that I always felt slightly dulled in my emotions, and disconnected from my body. My emotions were tempered to relatively one note (which felt strange), and not feeling the various phases of my cycle, like ovulation, was the weirdest thing to me. I felt kind of like a stepford wife. With my perfect, predictable period that could be adjusted however I wanted. A few years into taking the pill my gyno told me that I could even skip my periods whenever I wanted. So, from time to time, I would just skip the period week if it was the slightest bit inconvenient timing for my life. I remember feeling thrown off each time I did, as my body struggled to catch up to this forced adjustment.

time to switch things up

Then, about 4 years ago I started becoming more interested in natural living. I started following bloggers and reading books that aligned with a natural lifestyle.

As I read and learned more, I began to make small lifestyle adjustments – switching my cleaning products, using essential oils, purchasing plants for my home, looking into natural skin care, taking vitamins, etc. (All things I’ll talk about here on the blog!) Then, I stumbled upon a few great resources that inspired me to quit birth control. The following resources helped normalize the decision for me, and gave me the confidence this was the right decision for me:

Books

Woman Code by Alissa Vitti, plus the MyFlo app
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler

Blogs

Woman Code & MyFlo

The first thing I did was read Woman Code, which was incredibly eye opening for me. I had no clue how amazing the female body really is, and how empowered we are to take care of ourselves by living in harmony with our endocrine system. I definitely recommend purchasing Woman Code.

Alissa Vitti also has an amazing app, called the MyFlo app, which I immediately downloaded as well. I love this app because it helps you track what phase of your cycle you’re in to support your hormonal adjustments throughout the month. I was completely clueless before I downloaded this app, mostly because when you’re on the pill you aren’t experiencing all your natural phases. MyFlo helps educate you on food you should eat, how you should exercise, what you should focus on; all depending on what phase of your cycle you’re in.

For example, I’ve learned that during my luteal phase (what I’m currently in as I’m writing this post!), I tend to feel insecure and need more time to myself. I become more aware of things in my life that aren’t working for me, and can focus on communicating my needs. For exercise, I tend to feel the most refreshed by long walks or yin yoga. And I really crave root vegetables, which are super helpful in flushing out estrogen more effectively from your body. Being aware of all of these things helps me navigate my daily decisions to be the best version of myself.

Daysy Tracker

Next, and this was the most important part of this process, I purchased the Daysy fertility tracker after learning about it from Lee From America. There are several options out there to track your fertility throughout the month, but this one was the clear winner for what I was looking for. Being that I’m very new to tracking my temperature, I wanted a device that would straight up tell me whether I was fertile or not that day. I wasn’t willing to roll the dice by making a mistake in tracking. Conversely, I WAS willing to put out the money to feel more secure. It’s pricey, but for me it was totally worth it (especially considering they offer a payment plan, plus you can get a $10 discount using this link!)

Here’s how it works: You take your temperature every morning with the device, very first thing. It tracks your slight temperature variances, then partners that data with an algorithm to tell you whether you are fertile or not that day. It literally lights up green if you are infertile, yellow if it’s unsure (these days lessen as you use it more and more), or red if you are fertile. Another cool thing, is Daysy has its own app you can use to view more details and charts. Plus it shows you what you should expect in the coming month or so. If you’re interested in becoming pregnant OR want to confidently prevent pregnancy, this is the gal for you.

This has been my own personal journey of becoming more empowered to make decisions for my own body. By no means am I suggesting everyone should go down the same path I did, but I definitely now encourage every woman I connect with on this subject to take a second to listen into herself. Is your form of birth control working for you? Is it possibly time for another solution, like even a different type? I’m so happy I took time to pause and really dive into what’s right for me. It’s been incredibly enlightening just to simply learn more about my body!

coming up next…

In “Saying Bye to Birth Control | Part 2“, I’ll be talking about how quitting the pill has been going for me over the last two months – hormonal and skin changes I’ve experienced, how I’ve liked using Daysy and MyFlo for tracking my cycles, and what the pros and cons have been for me. Stay tuned!

Are you making any similar decisions? I’d love to hear about your experience and chat about it! Share your thoughts below.

xx Chelsea