Betwixtmas: When the Body Needs Quiet and the World Wants Performance

Episode 4.4 - Betwixtmas: When the Body Needs Quiet and the World Wants PerformanceIn this episode, I reflect on the often-overlooked impact of the Christmas and New Year period on women living with endometriosis and chronic symptoms - a time that asks us to be cheerful, present, sociable and energetic, even when our bodies are quietly asking for calm, space and less.After closing the clinic over Christmas and New Year, I followed the same guidance I offer my clients: listening closely to the body, planning self-care gently, and allowing flexibility rather than forcing momentum. On the surface, things slowed down. Beneath that, my notes reveal just how challenging it was to truly rest in a season full of expectation.I share how my symptoms responded during this liminal time - a relatively straightforward bleed following the previous episode, subtle improvements that didn’t fully stabilise, and then a flare around ovulation when the rest my body needed didn’t quite materialise. I talk honestly about body swelling, food and alcohol choices during flares, using Reiki and reflexology when touch tolerance was low, and the cumulative effect of not quite getting organised enough to counter known triggers.The episode closes with a moment of deep listening - when my body gave a very clear no, and I chose rest over attendance. A gentle reminder that symptoms are responsive rather than permanent, and that shifts in state - emotional, nervous-system and energetic - matter.Get my Endometriosis Empowerment Workbook for free here: https://sales.naturalendometriosisexpert.com/endometriosis-empowerment-workbook/?coupon=ENDOPODCASTTheme music: Chris Collins – https://indiemusicbox.comMedical herbalist: Zoë Wild – http://ofthewillow.com Get full access to Halcyon Days at www.blog.halcyonwomenshealth.com/subscribe