​Are You Ignoring Your Body's Warning Signs? Tap into the Power of Restorative Energy

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How often do you find yourself pushing through exhaustion, ignoring the warning signs your body is giving you, just to keep up with life’s demands? If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In a world that rewards productivity and constant hustle, it’s easy to ignore the signals that say 'slow down.' But I’ve learned the hard way that running on empty doesn’t serve anyone—least of all myself.

So, I’m challenging myself this year to not only reclaim my energy but to make rest an essential part of that equation, recognising that self-care isn’t a luxury, but a necessity for sustainable energy and well-being. Yet, right out of the gate, I’ve been side-swiped by a couple of real energy busters.

As part of my journey into the menopausal years, I began hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at the start of the new year. Estradiol is like the female equivalent of testosterone—it’s meant to give us a bit of energy and smooth out the hormonal rollercoaster. Sounded great in theory, right?

Well, life being life, instead of bouncing off the walls with energy, my body decided to throw me a curveball. Let’s just say I’ve been dealing with some unexpected side effects that have left my energy levels lower than before. Talk about irony—trying to fix my energy and ending up with less of it!

It’s a reminder that transitions, even those meant to support us, can take time to balance out. That’s how life often goes: we commit to a change, and the universe sends along a wee test to see how serious we are about staying the course.

Unfortunately, the universe decided my self-care needed a serious upgrade. With family arriving to stay for a few weeks, I pushed through to get the house ready, care for one of my kids who was unwell, and play the good host by taking our guest out. Of course, I was soon slam-dunked with a nasty cough, swollen glands, and a pounding head.

Even then, I kept pushing through. When one of the kids wanted to spend time with our guest, I took them for afternoon tea and a trip around the mall before bringing my youngest to the hair salon. Deep down, I knew I needed to stay home and rest—I felt utterly awful—but I ignored the warning signs and kept going.

No surprise, I felt worse. Today, I finally relented. When my partner offered to pick up one of the kids from a sleepover, I gratefully said yes. I also let our guest—who is perfectly happy to entertain themselves—know I needed a day at home. Sometimes, the best self-care is admitting we can’t do it all.

It’s no doubt serendipitous that I’ve started taking the Carcinosin remedy at this time—it couldn’t have been planned if I tried as it’s part of a sequential process that spans a number of years. In Heilkunst homeopathy, Carcinosin addresses deep patterns of suppression and stress, often rooted in unresolved trauma or inherited tendencies like perfectionism, over-responsibility, and self-sacrifice, it fits the picture perfectly.

The timing feels almost poetic as I juggle the adjustments of HRT, hosting family, and my usual inclination to push through everything. Carcinosin can stir up what’s been buried—physically and emotionally—leading to a bit of a healing reaction, which the cough potentially is. It’s not uncommon to feel achy, tired, or just a bit off as the body starts clearing these old patterns.

So with only a few weeks of 2025 under my belt, the perfect storm has occurred to challenge me. I wear many hats, and I have many aspirations and expectations of myself, so learning to take things a little more steadily is definitely a high priority for me, especially with my body now in on the act and saying “no” on my behalf, that is a very real warning sign.

I was reflecting the other day how my family has never really had to deal with physical mobility issues. The closest we came was when my gran – who died when she was 100 years old – started to get a bit frail and needed a hand to get in and out the car, and walking across icy paths and so forth. But she still lived on her own, in an apartment where she had to climb two sets of stairs to get to her front door.

I think in many ways I took my physical health for granted. Although I’ve had debilitating experiences, as with my panic attacks in my early twenties, I’ve always bounced back. And although I’ve had a strong interest in the integrated mental and emotional causes of physical challenges and diseases for many years, I’ve been lucky that the chronic conditions which slowed me down – like migraines and kidney stones – have always served as sign posts to address underlying issues like poor boundaries and over perfectionism.

When my mum died of cancer, she was gone within months of the diagnosis and – given her mum lived until she was 100 years old – I think it was a shock to her to depart decades earlier. But she didn’t have the energy to fight it.

While none of us can know what path our lives will take and at which point we will find ourselves on the exit ramp, I think that really brought home to me how important it was to manage my energy. After years of running on empty, and with an active parenting role still to fulfill, along with many other obligations and aspirations, I knew I couldn’t just focus on this full tilt, but I also knew if I didn’t focus on my physical health and treat my body as the wise indicator of adjustments required, then many of my aspirations may be left on the bucket list for another lifetime.

With family visiting in their late seventies, fresh off the plane and eager to get out and explore every day, I’ve found myself in an interesting position. Even though I’m a good deal younger, I have to remind myself that I don’t have to keep up with their pace. It’s okay if some things need to give during their visit—after all, adding another hat to wear means adjustments elsewhere.

This situation has reminded me of just how far I’ve come in breaking old patterns of codependency, learning secure attachment, uncovering my real boundaries, and holding them with grace—in other words, learning to stop feeling overly responsible for everyone else’s happiness, saying yes to everything, and ignoring my own needs just to keep the peace.

And yet, it’s easy to feel discouraged at times—wondering if I’ll ever fully let go of perfectionism or the urge to put myself last. But I know that personal growth isn’t a “one and done” process. It’s a journey, where each challenge offers an opportunity to practice and strengthen what I’ve learned. Maybe this moment, with all its tests, is part of a final shedding of those old patterns.

When we push through exhaustion to meet the demands of others, we risk losing the very thing that fuels us—our vitality. I’ve seen it time and time again in my own life: overcommitting, overdelivering, and ultimately depleting myself. But I know now that I can’t afford to keep ignoring the signals. I’m learning to say 'no' and create space for rest, because without that, I won’t have the energy to do anything—let alone the things that truly matter.

As I reflect on this, I realize that tapping into restorative energy isn’t just about taking a day off or slowing down when we’re sick. It’s about making rest and self-care an ongoing part of our lives, recognising that our energy is a finite resource that needs regular replenishment.

Reclaiming our energy means consciously choosing to slow down, to listen when our body signals that we need a break, and to prioritise what truly nourishes us. It’s about saying ‘no’ to the never-ending demands and finding a rhythm that works with, rather than against, our natural energy cycles.

So, I encourage you to ask yourself: How can you honor your energy and create the space for the rest your body craves? By giving yourself permission to rest, you’ll not only tap into your body’s natural restorative energy, but you’ll also unlock the vitality needed to show up as your best self—for yourself and others.

Because without that sacred energy, nothing else matters.

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