6 Health Practices That Lowered My Stress to Support Balanced Hormones

Have you been ignoring your body and silencing its cry for help? Here are 6 practices to help you listen to your body’s needs, lower stress, and support your hormonal balance.

Circa 2019, as I adjusted to living with Endometriosis and began tuning into the patterns around my flare-ups, I quickly noticed two primary triggers:

1. Lack of Sleep. The first endo flare-up I ever experienced lasted nearly 48 hours and ultimately led me to the emergency room. What happened? I’d pulled an all-nighter on the ship when I was in the Navy.

2. Stress. This second trigger took a little longer for me to figure out. It subtly crept up throughout the professional, personal, large, small, mental, and physical aspects of my life, making it easy to miss (and dismiss).

What is Endometriosis? Per Mayo Clinic:

“Endometriosis (en-doe-me-tree-O-sis) is an often-painful condition in which tissue that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It often affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissue lining the pelvis. Rarely, endometriosis growths may be found beyond the area where pelvic organs are located.”

At that time, I believed only big, life-altering events were valid reasons to be stressed. Besides, I felt I could handle stress well — more than that, I thought I thrived and could perform at higher levels in high-stress, high-pressure environments.

That wasn’t (and still isn’t) the case, and my body let me know.

I used to have an enormous capacity for taking on stress and pressure, but with no fundamental skills or practices in place to manage either. That, paired with bouts of sleep deprivation, was a recipe for chronic stress and hormonal and nervous system dysregulation. I thought I was thriving, but my body was barely surviving.

I make very different choices now to minimize flare-ups and manage stress — choices that reduce my cortisol (your primary stress hormone) and keep my other hormones (like estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid) healthy and balanced.

Here are 6 ways to do the same for yourself.

6 Health Practices That Lower Stress

1. Go on Walks Consistently

My walks sometimes become photoshoots 🥰

Five years ago, if you had told me walking would be my primary choice of movement, I would’ve wondered what was wrong with me. Why couldn’t I do more? Now, I wish I had understood the power of walking sooner.

The full benefits really go far beyond what I’m outlining in this article — and I’ll save all the extra details for you for another time. For now, here are a few great things to know:

How Walking Lowers Stress:

• It calms your nervous system, which prompts your body to feel safe and relaxed.

• It releases endorphins while lowering your cortisol (higher-intensity movements like running also release endorphins but at the expense of temporarily raising cortisol levels).

• It creates a connection between your mind and body, slowing your thoughts and clearing your mind so you can be present.

• It also improves your sleep — and better sleep quality, in turn, will support your natural circadian rhythm and lower your cortisol.

Walking Guidelines:

• Get some good walking shoes.

• Find 3 or 4 go-to routes you enjoy.

• Start small — try going for 10–20 minutes at the beginning.

• Make walking dates with a friend.

• Find the time of day to walk that works consistently in your schedule (and a backup).

Pro Tip: As you build to longer walks (40–50 minutes), try breaking them up throughout the day to ensure you get your whole time in, even on hectic days. Three 15-minute walks are better than zero!

2. Take Epsom Salt Baths

Cold plunging is in right now, but did you know that warm showers and baths can calm and regulate your nervous system? Add some Epsom salt, and you have quite the beautiful, relaxing, stress-lowering, deep-sleep-inducing cocktail.

Epsom Salt Bath Guidelines:

• Ensure the only ingredient in your Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate — it's not the fanciest, but it's the safest for your overall health (and that’s what we always want!).

• Take your bath more than 90 minutes before bedtime. You get better sleep when your body is at a cooler temperature, so allow yourself ample time to cool off.

• If hot baths are new to you, plan to spend only 10–20 minutes in there.

My Secret: I magnify my bathtime with other things that I find incredibly calming, like reading, listening to my pre-sleep playlist, and doing breathwork. My baths feel like my own little getaway. I love them and notice such a difference in how I feel when I consistently include them in my routine.

3. Practice Yoga

A dedicated time and space to connect with your body, honor it with movement, breathe deeply and intentionally, and be fully present with yourself, is where peace prevails. When your mind and body are in harmony, there’s no room for anything else (like stress) to creep in.

This is how yoga serves you.

Your Yoga Options:

• Join a local yoga studio.

• Find community yoga events for more financial accessibility.

• Search for a yoga flow you enjoy on YouTube.

Types of Yoga to Try (not all-inclusive) :

• Yin Yoga: A practice of holding passive/supported postures to focus on deep connective tissue release with intentional breathwork. This is my personal favorite — I thrive in stillness and release.

• Hot Yoga: Different yoga practices performed in a heated, humid environment.

• Hatha: A practice focused on the physicality of yoga and breathing control.

• Vinyasa: This practice keeps you in a consistent flow as you sync your movement and your breath.

Fun Fact: Yoga beautifully, almost miraculously, supports the lymphatic system, reduces inflammation, and calms bloat and puffiness. I’m sharing this little fact from firsthand experience — its benefits feel nearly magical.

4. Attend Mental Health Therapy

The mind and the body are a pair—what impacts one inevitably impacts the other. In my personal experience and professional opinion, caring for the mind and body simultaneously promotes the most impactful health and healing outcomes.

Therapy can relieve mental stress and help you discover tools, skills, and practices for managing the things, people, and situations that cause stress before that stress manifests in — and possibly overruns — your body.

Where to Begin:

• Talk to your primary care provider for a referral.

• Research your provider options covered by your insurance.

• Conduct a 15-minute consultation with a provider to ensure you are aligned for care.

Note: When it comes to therapy, you may not find your best fit on the first go. Feel empowered to stop working with a therapist and find another if you need to. Remember, this is your care, your time, and your needs; you don’t have to sit in a situation that isn’t working for you and supporting you.

5. Try Acupuncture

In short, acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice in which a thin needle is gently placed at specific points throughout the body to support the flow of energy.

Does it sound a bit woo-woo? In all transparency, I thought so a few years ago. But when I first began to navigate my endo diagnosis and was recovering from surgery, freezing eggs, and coping with insomnia, chronic pain, and massive amounts of mental and physical stress to boot, I decided to give it a go.

And I’m here to tell you: there is nothing “woo-woo” about it.

Now, I receive acupuncture once a month and will continue to do so consistently for the rest of my long, pain-free, stress-managed life.

How to Start:

• See if your insurance covers acupuncture. If so, get a referral.

• Work with a licensed acupuncturist only (Exception: If you are visiting a school to receive care in their clinic with their students under supervision, this can be an accessible way to receive care — it’s usually just $10–$20 for a visit).

• Consider a community event with acupuncture as an introduction before you commit to a full session.

True Story: It was during an acupuncture treatment that I first admitted out loud that I hated my body for betraying me with endometriosis.

In that session, I began to heal and establish a beautiful relationship with my body. I realized we were in this together, my body and I. My body was doing all it could to support me, and now I needed to support it with healthier choices.

6. Massage Therapy & Bodywork

One of the best things I ever did for my health was to stop thinking about self-care as an indulgence or a special occasion thing — that mindset shift is largely thanks to massage therapy. I began years ago; my Massage Envy membership tells me I’ve been a member since 2015 (ten years!).

About four years ago, I started going to massage therapy specifically for pain management. Massage has not only helped the pain — it’s calmed my nervous system, improved my sleep, and reduced my mental stress, anxiety, and depression. Since then, it’s been a no-brainer for me to commit to it and make financial space for it within my budget.

Your Options:

• See if your insurance covers massage therapy. If so, get a referral.

• Find a licensed massage therapist who specializes in your care needs.

• Consider visiting the clinic of a local massage therapy school or attending local events that have chair massage sessions available for more financially accessible options.

My Secret Formula: I rotate between receiving acupuncture and massage/bodywork every two weeks.

This consistent care routine prevents me from feeling stressed or overwhelmed, so I can avoid burnout and prevent my body from shutting down. I’m no longer waiting for it to scream at me with pain, flare-ups, and symptoms.

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Remember: In all things, find what works for you to lower stress and feel better in your body each day. Feel empowered to ask yourself questions like:

• “How do I want to feel?”

• “Does this feel good to me?”

• “Does this person, this provider, or this situation align with me?”

• “What can I do to support myself and my health better and lower my stress levels?”

I can’t wait to hear what’s worked best for you.