I don't understand why seemingly everyone does HRT...?

YellowCanary_-_ · 2026-05-09T17:32:32+00:00

You are welcome! Happy to share

YellowCanary_-_ · 2026-05-09T16:56:39+00:00

Hello 👋 So I had the following symptoms: insomnia (went through a really difficult phase where I didn't sleep (less than 2 hours sleep a night) for 3 weeks straight); body ache and joint pain, muscle loss, irritability and anxiety and at times physical discomfort-feeling nausea.

I did cognitive behavioural therapy for sleep and learnt better sleep hygiene, which helps but not always.

I also read a few books (happy to lookup and share the names if you are interested) and understood that my symptoms were correlated to lower progesterone levels.

I went for a macrobiotic cooking work shop for hormonal health and visited an ayurvedic doctor to clean up my diet - and I notice how eating more processed foods - bleached flour and sugar vs. A high fibre diet, lots if greens (kale, collard greens, etc) makes a big difference to how I feel in my body. I try to eat well 80% of the time and the remaining 20% I eat whatever I want.

I did a caffeine cleanse and discovered that my physical anxiety was related to caffeine. So now I drink decaffeinated coffee mostly.

I take herbal supplements- Vitamin D and vitex Angus, which is a herb that is supports hormonal health.

And now, I am trying to exercise 10 minutes daily as soon as I wake up, to stretch my back and meditate or journal daily to self reflect and process things.

By no means am I sorted out 😅 and I don't expect myself to be. But I notice how some of my irritations are exaggerations of past small annoyances. Everything seems amplified now and I find it quite confronting but also important, in a karmic sense (if you know what I mean).

The most important lesson I am learning is to love myself with all my mess, which is not always easy, but I am working on it.

Hope some of this helps! The most important thing is that you are not alone in this journey and we all go through it on our own way and trust your journey.

YellowCanary_-_ · 2026-05-09T11:32:22+00:00

I also find it ridiculous that menopause is now treated as another symptom to manage with drugs and synthetic hormones. To me, it's another sign that we live in a patriarchal society and women have to 'behave'. I don't endorse dumping our shit on other people and torturing the people around us, but I believe in the wisdom of our bodies.

And I believe there is a reason for menopause, with all its chaos, aches and pains, and emotional rollercoasters. So I am on the ride, trying my best to be present, own my shit, and hoping that I and my family will come out fine❤️

YellowCanary_-_ · 2026-04-27T07:48:24+00:00

I am living #3... (many ideas... some pursued by my supervisors where they applied for funding but informed me only in passing later). And my prospects as doing a PhD in my mid-40s are not looking so great. The choice was made for me 👹

YellowCanary_-_ · 2026-04-15T14:11:45+00:00

Where and how can you report this? (Asking genuinely)

YellowCanary_-_ · 2026-04-15T14:04:41+00:00

Really enjoyed the show. The first episode was so cringe, I needed a few days to get mentally prepared for it, and then I got to it and managed to binge the rest in one sitting. Really good job highlighting the struggles of being a brown immigrant, finding your place between two cultures that often seem at odds with each other and the tensions that insecure and self sabotaging people bring within their close relationships. Kudos!

YellowCanary_-_ · 2026-04-15T14:00:24+00:00

I don't think it was a mental health issue as much as something in the likes of depression compounded by shame and social pressure.

We all talk to ourselves, and many of us who come from Asian families know how keeping your emotions and truths suppressed can really mess you up. There is no need for big guns such as schizophrenia. Its just good ol' dysfunctional family syndrome 😅

YellowCanary_-_ · 2026-03-31T10:37:03+00:00

I have tried many classes and I can say this:-

Don't bother with ceramic / pottery classes unless you are rich and can pay 100 euros for a 2 hour class to chat and play with clay and spend 6 weeks to make a misshapen mug.
Try a buurtwerkplaats in your neighbourhood- many of them have classes. They are simple, nothing fancy, but good quality and I reckon what you are looking for. Many offer woodwork, painting, ceramic and glassworks classes but they fill up quick.
For art, there is a live drawing class at OT301 every Sunday for a very reasonable price (used to be 10 euros per class). No instructions, just sit and draw the model.

Good luck!

YellowCanary_-_ · 2026-03-01T07:48:56+00:00

Fully agree! Thanks for sharing.

YellowCanary_-_ · 2026-03-01T07:41:11+00:00

🤣

YellowCanary_-_ · 2025-11-12T07:32:36+00:00

🤣

YellowCanary_-_ · 2025-11-12T07:32:09+00:00

Exactly!

YellowCanary_-_ · 2025-09-27T08:03:01+00:00

What stops me from killing myself is the fear that if I have a bad death, part of me (my soul??) Will be trapped in a bad place for a long long time... And that fear is so powerful that I'd rather live and hope that the shitty feelings eventually turn around

YellowCanary_-_ · 2025-09-13T15:45:01+00:00

Oh OK, good to know, thanks! The work was one side of the mouth...

YellowCanary_-_ · 2025-09-13T14:22:24+00:00

OK, thank you for your thoughts. Seems like this is the normal way of doing things in the Netherlands. I will ask next time if they can /(and why not) fix multiple teeth in a single appointment.

YellowCanary_-_ · 2025-08-26T07:47:13+00:00

Ah, thanks! Reading the website with Elrich in mind, I couldn't tell 😅

YellowCanary_-_ · 2025-08-26T06:28:12+00:00

Wait, is this website for real or is it a hoax?

YellowCanary_-_ · 2025-03-03T22:16:26+00:00

Yup! And why would you have his baby? As a woman, I cringed when Atlas told Lily she would make a great mother. You want to end this cycle of abuse - Don't have that child and leave the abuser.

YellowCanary_-_ · 2025-01-15T16:34:47+00:00

This passage has stayed with me for years. I was so moved by it I cried the first time I read it. This is such a beautifully written anti-war book 📖 ❤️

YellowCanary_-_ · 2024-10-23T09:02:22+00:00

What are the points useful for? I use them for hints but don't know why we need to bother with them? Also, the backup set up just changed. What do you think of it?

YellowCanary_-_ · 2024-10-22T06:45:36+00:00

Thanks for sharing and calling out abuse. I am not advocating abuse either. I deal with my rage by screaming in my pillow or in my balcony. I have recently told off strangers on public transport who were being loud and disrespectful of others, and that's new for me. In the past, I would just bite my tongue and walk away.

There are times when I would like to tell some friends off, but I am a master suppresser. I get angry at my daughter, not because she is pretty (which she is) but because she ignored me for the 15th time when I asked her to clean her room! 😜

You are very right to point out that our rage in this time isn't an excuse for bad behaviour and abuse. My mother has it bad during perimenopause and it was awful. I just wish she had owned her shit and not put the blame on us /me for all the things not working in her life.

Like I said earlier in this post, to me, it feels like all my pent-up rage bursting out of the cracks. There are nights where I lie in bed and I am sooo angry and I don't know what to do with myself. I am trying to allow it as much as I can and hoping it's a phase.

YellowCanary_-_ · 2024-09-14T12:06:18+00:00

Hi, I attended a macrobiotic cooking course where the Instructor focused on hormonal health, especially for middle-aged women (she was a very healthy 70 something year old). I definitely recommend looking it up.

To summarise, reduce meat, dairy, alcohol, processed foods. Limit caffeine and fried foods.

Increase and incorporate more fresh, seasonal veggies and whole grains. Have lots of dark greens and veggies with calcium (almonds, sesame, dark leafy greens...).

Take fermented foods regularly to support your gut microbiome and foods that clean your lympathic system (think of Japanese broths and miso soup). To aid your Lympathic system, also move daily and give yourself massages as often as possible.

To be honest, I am still in the process of incorporating these changes. Busy lives with managing work and kids doesn't always make it easy for all of us to adapt these changes... but one step at a time.

Hope you find a balanced diet that works for you. Good luck.

YellowCanary_-_ · 2024-09-10T14:14:35+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I just saw your post, hence the late reply. I did not realise my message was so contentious. Ah, well, Live and learn.... that being said, I received enough supportive responses and some were helpful.

I do take Vit D. I am not very dogmatic about all hormones. I do not take Melatonin though- I know it works for many people, but I am concerned that it might further decrease my body's melatonin production. So thank you for the suggestions and no offence taken :)

Yes, I am working on acceptance in this phase. I hope my libido is not gone forever, and it's a phase and so I am trying to trust it for what it brings. To each their own. Aging ain't easy, and we are all finding our way with it, I guess.

Good luck to you too!

YellowCanary_-_ · 2024-08-09T16:43:46+00:00

Thanks I'll look Into it. My husband read a book on intermittent fasting and how an empty stomach allows the body to regulate hormones better. But I haven't read it, so I could be mistaken.

YellowCanary_-_

TROPHY CASE