Self-Care September

Hello Cysters!!! Welcome to PCOS Awareness Month! 

As women we are sometimes expected to be super human and taking care of ourselves can be made into a lower priority when there is so much to do! Further more, as women with a chronic illness, taking care of ourselves can be an overwhelming task at times. For the past 2 months, and even more intensely in the past two weeks, I have given more focus into what it actually means to really take care of yourself, by actually putting those skills into practice and working towards giving up the toxic thought that I have to be more that what my body can handle. I have learned so much from some wonderful teachers who I will talk about more this month, but I thought it was important that I started sharing the techniques that have been working for me so others can feel the great benefit of self-care. Let's kick it off with tip #1!!! 

Check back here and on social media to see more tips though out the month. See how many things you can do to take care of yourself and let us know what is working best for you!

Have a wonderful day and be kind to yourself!

💗 Jennifer

A Big Pain in the Boob

I am sure you have heard the term from a man, "I am a boob guy"... meaning that boobs are his favorite. Men love boobs, but to us women they are tools for when you have children and need to feed them... or when you need to get out of a speeding ticket. Boobs make "boob guys" pretty happy, but sometimes boobs are just a huge fucking pain. Literally.

Boobs can hurt for all sorts of reasons, one being muscle soreness from carrying those heavy things around, or from side affects from medication, but cyclic breast pain is the pain in your boobs that is related to your hormones and menstrual cycle.

If you have boob pain, check in with your doctor to make sure there is nothing serious going on. According to the American Cancer Society, there was estimated over 300,000 new cases of breast cancer in 2017. I have watched someone live through and survive the horrible disease, and it is not fun for anyone, so get checked early if you notice any changes in your boobs. There could also be some other funky things going on, remember your boobs are filled with milk ducts, so make sure all parts of the boob are a-okay.

I am not saying that boob pain means cancer or something serious, I am just saying keep an eye on your boobs. In most cases boob pain is just that... pain. I was super worried about my boobs when they hurt so freaking bad all the time. So I told my doctor and yes, you guessed it... it is all because of my hormones. I suffer from cyclic breast pain for approx. 20 days out of every month. The only way I can describe the feeling is that it is similar to the pain you have a day or two after a very strenuous work out.

I know many many women with PCOS can relate, and maybe women without PCOS too! So I am going to give you my top 2 things I do to combat boob pain.

#1: As much as possible, go without a bra. My boobs hurt the worse after stuffing them into a bra all day. The exception to this when you are exercising, then you should invest in a nice sturdy sports bra. Bouncing is bad for boobs! IT HURTS! Sorry boys!

 #2: Massage. It does wonders for the pain. You're welcome boys!

Pain is something that women with PCOS deal with every day, and knowing where the pain is coming from and why you are having it is super important. Get your proper check-ups and keep a journal if you suspect hormones to be the issue, that will help your doctor pin point the pain. As I learn more about my boobs and their pain, I will share any important information I find and any more remedies I have!

Don't forget to let your boobs free and show them some love!

💗 Jennifer

OH! And here is a great link to the Mayo Clinic's information regarding different types of boob pain. 

More About Me and Upcoming Posts!

Happy Sunday cysters! I am so happy to be writing today and share with you some more things about me and what I plan to do to help women with PCOS.

I started this blog at the beginning of the year to give myself a platform for my PCOS writing other than my personal Facebook newsfeed. I knew there are millions of women with PCOS around the world, and I wanted to be able to reach them without them also having to sift through pictures of my dog and updates from the Chicago Cubs game, which is primarily what you will see on my Facebook page. But then after doing some more research on blogging, I realized that people might actually want to know more about me and my everyday life. Yes I have fun educational stories, strong opinions, and  thought out research on PCOS, but things like my job, my relationship, my personal feelings, I have not really dug deep into on my public online platforms. Don't worry Sam, I won't be sharing all our business, but I am working on a structured blog post release schedule that will include more personal things about me in addition to the educational hoo-haa. That will give me the opportunity to reach woman on a regular basis with information on PCOS and my personal stories will hopefully help them relate a little more and remind them they are not alone.

So let's get this ish started! I am 34 years old, I live in Sherman Oaks, CA with my boyfriend, Sam, and our Chiweenie dog, Layla.  I studied liberal arts and fine arts in school, and then focused my education primarily on animation. I have been working in the animation industry for 10 years, and I am currently the design department Production Supervisor on the Emmy Winning television series "Bob's Burgers".

I feel like every creative person has a side hustle, and every once in a while I will get a freelance art work gig, but I have recently made writing/blogging a higher priority.  I mean, I guess you can say it is not really a "hustle" if I am making $0.00 from it, but you never know! Really I just love doing it and I feel like I have something important to say, so that is why I write. Check out some more of my work at PCOSAA.org.

PCOS has held me back my entire life, but somehow I have been able to get past my darkest days and build a life for myself that I am truly happy, successful, and comfortable in. A life where even though PCOS affects me physically, emotionally, and mentally every single day, I still love myself and feel so blessed every single day to have what I have in my home, relationship, family, friends, and job. My hope is that every woman can have that feeling.

So that's all you get! For now anyway. I am excited to share more posts on a more regular basis. Please check back weekly (or even better, SUBSCRIBE!) for more content, including another appearance from Marion O'Varion coming soon!

One last thing... Happy Father's Day to my Dad, Mike. You are still the coolest Dad out there!

Love you all and thanks for reading!

<3 Jennifer

My Vision Board - Facebook Post - Sept. 9th, 2016

Did you know that if you tell yourself something over and over again, eventually you will believe it? Chances are if you have used my bathroom, you have seen my vision board and have told me about your favorite image or saying on it. I love when people point something out about my vision board that they like, because that means that they looked at it and held on to a little piece of it. It’s like using my bathroom comes with a little motivational pep talk. The reason it is displayed in my bathroom is because that is where I get ready in the morning. When I look at myself in the mirror and think, damn, if I didn’t have PCOS maybe my hair would be thicker… then I turn my head to my vision board and it reminds me that I love PCOS because PCOS is a part of me, and I love me. Here is a picture of a section of my vision board. The words “LOVE PCOS” is now at the very top center of the board so it is not hidden. I encourage everyone who needs a reminder that they are awesome to make a vision board and put it somewhere in your house where you will see it every single day. You can make it anything you want… pictures, sayings, quotes, inspirational people… anything that makes you feel good. Continue to add to it as your goals in life evolve. It could even be fun to have a vision board party with your girlfriends where everyone brings a couple magazines to share with everyone to cut up. I know all this sounds corny, but it works because it is so important to take time for yourself to put your vision for your life on paper… or a board. It helps you visualize your goals… that’s probably why it is called a vision board. 

Dream big because you have the ability to visualize anything that is not even there yet.
💗 Jennifer

Be a Badass - Facebook Post - Sept, 8th 2016

Running a little late with my post today because bad ass bitches take care of shit by day and go movies with cute boys by night. I enjoy being able to go out and live my life, and sometimes it is hard to do if you are not feeling good about yourself. So I wanted to share some inspiration/reading material with everyone. The book “You are a Badass” By Jen Sincero is an awesome book that made me look at situations in my life a lot differently. Once I started changing my attitude and opening my mind to different ideas and experiences, I finally felt like I was living the life I wanted to live. She is also the one who inspired me to write little tag lines at the end of my posts. She also swears a lot, which I really enjoy since we share that in common. Here is a link to buy it on amazon, because everyone should read it.

https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Badass-Doubting-Greatness/dp/0762447699

Keep your eyes open so you can see every opportunity in front of you.

💗 Jennifer

My Fat Ass - Facebook Post - Sept. 6th, 2016

Today I want to talk about a struggle that a lot of women go through, and they don’t even have to have PCOS to go through it. Yep, I am going to be talking about my fat ass. It is very hard for women with PCOS to lose weight, and I will talk about why more in depth later this month, but this is more important. I can do something that lots of women can’t do, I can say right here confidently to everyone that I LOVE MY BODY!!!!!

My body has two legs and feet that allow me to walk my dog every day which is my favorite part of the day. My right hand can freaking DRAW! How cool is that! My freaking eyes see color, I would never know what the colors pink and green looked like if my eyes couldn’t see color. My voice box works, it may not sound pretty, but I can sing to my favorite songs. Not only that, I can hear them with my ear holes!!! I am so lucky to have this body.

Beauty standards can really kiss my fat ass. I have been a lot skinnier than I am now, but it didn’t make me happier. I did not become happy until I started loving myself for exactly who I am. I am full figured, get over it. It doesn’t mean I am lazy or that I stuff my face with gross food. I walk, I run, I know how to freaking kick box okay. I eat balanced meals (unless there are French Fries) and I nourish my body with natural materials. I have been on many diets before and I will never go on one again. I do not count calories and never will again. I listen to my body and fuel it when it needs fuel and stop when it’s almost full. 

Now there will be times where you will see me skinnier, it’s because when my endocrine system is in balance, weight loss becomes easier. The thyroid is functioning properly, so my normal daily activates will burn more calories than when I am out of balance. So if you see me losing weight, it is NOT because I want to be skinnier. It is because I am successfully balancing out my endocrine system. So instead of telling me I look good, congratulate me on my hard work, because honestly, I always look good. 😉 :

Love your body today because it is the only vessel in this life that your soul has.

💗 Jennifer