Stress is the #1 Toxin

When we talk about midlife women’s health, the conversation often revolves around the big four:

Food, Movement, Hormones, Sleep

And yes — those will ALWAYS matter. A lot.

But there’s another pillar that quietly influences every single one of them and it's one most women are unknowingly living on autopilot with:

STRESS.

Not just the stress we feel…

But the stress we’ve normalized.
The stress we call “busy.”
The stress we brush off with “I’m fine - it's just a lot right now.”

The kind that runs low grade in the background while we parent, manage households, run careers, support everyone else, juggle schedules and show up in a million roles every day.

The kind we’ve learned to function through — but not without cost.

Here’s what we have to understand about unmanaged stress. It’s is one of the biggest drivers of:

  • Hormonal imbalances

  • Belly fat and metabolic shifts

  • Poor sleep

  • Disrupted gut function

  • Brain fog and memory issues

  • Mood swings and irritability

  • Inflammation and chronic disease risk


When the body perceives constant demand, pressure, urgency or overwhelm - even from inboxes, calendars, emotional weight or saying yes to everything - the nervous system shifts gears:

From healing → to surviving. A shift that actually changes our physiology. Once the body starts functioning in survival mode and doesn’t feel a sense of safety, we start living in a state of “chronic stress”, with no room for healing, slowing down and/or letting go.

Chronic Stress can:

  • Raise cortisol → which increases abdominal fat and reduces our resilience

  • Deplete progesterone → which impacts sleep, our patience and our sense of calm

  • Increase inflammation → leading to joint pain, headaches, intense gut issues and more!

  • Disrupt blood sugar → affecting our energy, our cravings and body weight

  • Altered thyroid function → slowing metabolism and affecting mood stability


Chronic stress does A LOT to our physiology. There’s SO MUCH happening underneath the hood when we’re living in a chronic state of overwhelm. That’s why I say, with so much love:

If you want to feel better - you cannot ignore stress!

Not just a bubble baths and simply shutting down your phone.
We’re talking way more nervous system regulation that intentionally signals to the body:
“You’re safe. You can rest. You can heal.”

And the beautiful thing?
It doesn’t take hours a day or a perfect routine.
It just takes consistency in small doses to move your body from stressed to calm/relaxed.

Digging into things like…

1. Two-Minute Breathwork
Exhale longer than you inhale.
Example: Inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8.

2. Get Outside Every Day
10 minutes of morning sunlight = cortisol reset + nervous system grounding.

3. Digital Boundaries
One hour tech-free before bed.
Your brain and hormones need the quiet. We were not built for constant consumption!

4. Legs Up the Wall
5–10 minutes at night.
Instant calm, parasympathetic activation.

5. Brain Dump Journaling
Write everything swirling in your mind.
Don’t edit. Let your thoughts land somewhere other than your head.

Your stress isn’t all your fault - but it is a MAJOR signal to pay attention to!

In a society that preaches just hustle harder, use more willpower and push through…
Choose to take more time and space to regulate instead.
To breathe. To pause. To return inward and assess what YOU need.

These active practices are how we protect our brains, our hormone health and our longevity.
And most importantly - OUR JOY.

Sending you all the calm vibes, my friend.

Erin Trier