How to Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed When Managing Endometriosis

Something that I notice with clients (and myself) is that when we get started, we want to do everything all at once because we want to reduce our symptoms as soon as possible.

That means people want to start doing a pain meditation each night, adding in a pelvic floor exercise routine, start supplements, change their diet, start SIBO treatment, and start womb massage all at once. That’s a lot, isn’t it?

It can be easy to pack our days full of so many healing routines that there’s no space to live.

Eventually, we may become stressed out, overwhelmed, resentful and miserable. This is counterproductive because we may end up dropping some habits or giving up entirely, which means we won’t know what was helping or if it could have helped.

The stress of the experience may also cause us some symptoms and flares, leaving us to think that these strategies aren’t doing their jobs.

Handling feeling overwhelmed

So, what do I propose instead? Pick your tools carefully, and gradually build your toolbox over time. Here’s how.

Get out of emergency mode first

Some of my clients come to me in a state of emergency. They are desperate. They live in constant flight or fight because their symptoms are unbearable, and they are living in survival mode every day.

These clients are usually in pain, but it could be severe IBS. Whatever it is, while I believe in root cause resolution, we sometimes need quick fixes to allow someone to actually move out of emergency mode before they can even consider making long-term changes.

Instead, I help them build what I can, an ‘in-the-moment’ tool kit. A tool kit that brings symptom resolution fast. Normally that includes 1-3 supplements that have been proven to work for endometriosis, period pain, or chronic pain. I also bring in devices and tools that help calm cramping and pain signals quickly.

While I don’t believe supplements are the magic bullet, and they should be used in conjunction with a healthy diet and lifestyle, they can help people get out of this emergency mode and take their edge off their symptoms or even reduce them dramatically.

Focus on your biggest symptoms

Now it’s time to break down our biggest challenges. I appreciate that with endo, there are many, but if we can identify one or two of our biggest symptoms, we then have a road map to get started with.

This makes the other symptoms easier to deal with and treat later on down the line, but it usually improves them, too, because most of the changes will benefit the body as a whole.

Start slow and selectively

There’s no point choosing a strategy we know we’ll hate or will resist, so it’s best to start with areas that feel easy and with small steps that we can build on.

Lower the barrier to entry, and you’ll likely see success sooner. That’ll then give us inspiration and motivation to keep going.

Nervous system support

Finally, after undoubtedly years of pain, our body and mind will need support to recover from the stress. When we’re struggling to manage that stress or to recover from it, it makes this journey much harder and more overwhelming.

You don’t need to become a meditation expert to calm your nervous system. Joy and connection with others are also supportive, as are movement, nature, and good sleep. So, there are plenty of ways to get started.