Rest Is Not Laziness: Perimenopause, Thyroid Health & Listening to Your Body

Maggie (00:02.079)
Nature has seasons. Trees rest, animals rest, the land itself rests. Even our creator rested. So why do women believe we don't deserve to? Why are we expected to produce every day of every year? Welcome to Women Folk Revival, where we are deeply rooted, wildly intentional, and totally deserving of rest. I'm Maggie.

Meara (00:27.965)
And I Mira.

And I think a lot of us are waiting for that breaking point before we are able to allow ourselves that rest. We wait until we are majorly sick, until we're burnt out, extremely exhausted, and then we start snapping at people that we really love, like our family members, and and I've been guilty of that even recently, you know, feeling like we can't handle one more thing. And then when you reach that breaking point, rest finally feels

acceptable and I always wonder why does it take that for me to get to that point? Why isn't just tired, you know, enough?

Maggie (01:10.39)
well the modern world doesn't reward healthy women. It rewards exhausted ones. You know, the woman who answers her emails at midnight and the mom who never sits down and the wife who says that she's fine when she's running on empty. It's just kind of go ahead.

Meara (01:28.615)
Yeah. I found mys No, it's just kind of what?

Maggie (01:34.39)
It's just kind of the way that society has slowly been. Yeah.

Meara (01:40.179)
Transforming us. Yeah. I found myself asking some questions lately like

Why have I been feeling more overwhelmed than I used to? And why does just that one tiny responsibility that I have I mean, what's one more responsibility, right? I have a million other things I'm doing. Why is it more over why am I more overwhelmed than I used to be? And why does that responsibility feel so heavy? I'm more irritated about things. My husband could breathe wrong and I will it will be a whole mood. I you know, why why I sleep for eight hours and and I'm still exhausted?

Maggie (02:06.037)
Mm-hmm.

Maggie (02:09.517)
Ha ha yeah.

Meara (02:17.064)
And then I finally realized that the question wasn't what's wrong with me, because that's what we keep asking ourselves. It's how long have I been carrying all this without stopping long enough to notice what's going on?

Maggie (02:33.465)
our our bodies whisper before it screams so you know figuring figuring out what's going on isn't always obvious but the signs are there if we're if we're slowed down enough to notice

Meara (02:39.41)
Mm-hmm.

Maggie (02:58.583)
But it's just a matter of finding that that slow that slow way of being.

Meara (02:58.65)
Yeah.

Meara (03:06.118)
Yeah. Yeah, I agree.

Maggie (03:07.999)
Especially when we're in a system that doesn't you know, that doesn't want that from us.

Meara (03:11.226)
Slow down. Yeah, and it doesn't slow down, it's constantly going. And then we all start questioning ourselves could it be stress, could it be paramon perimenopause, could it be the hormones, is it our thyroid? Because when you're not feeling like yourself, you know, it's not always obvious.

Maggie (03:24.481)
Yes.

Meara (03:30.768)
what the cause is. And I think that's what's making everything so frustrating because we just want answers. You know, we want someone to point at us and go, hey, that's the reason why this is going on. But of course life isn't like that. There's just and and there's several things. It's more than one thing that's contributing to this all at once. So so it can make it really hard to know where to start with noticing these things.

Maggie (03:37.174)
Right.

Maggie (03:55.948)
Right. It's not just it's not necessarily just burnout. It could totally be just burnout. Just natural, you know, pure exhaustion. But there's a lot of other health issues that come along with that, especially in in today's world with the diets that we have and the lack of exercise. I saw that fly across the screen.

Meara (04:20.368)
I caught him. He's in my window now.

Maggie (04:25.845)
You know, and and of course we also live in in a society where we kind of are expecting it to be something else. And we have all these different health health issues and they talk about all the symptoms and you're like, that's me, that's me, that's me. But there's, you know, several other things that could have those exact symptoms. And we're we just become in this

Revolving mess, yes. We don't know our bodies, we don't know these we don't know enough about all these diseases and we don't know how to take the time to sit down and and get to know ourselves and our bodies and and what's really going on.

Meara (04:55.238)
mess. Yeah, it's a huge mess. You know, we don't.

Meara (05:17.798)
Yeah, because we feel like we don't have the time. You know, the one thing I

The one thing I've learned being in the medical field, not necessarily as an LPN, but more as a medical assistant because I was working at the doctor's office is women usually know when things feel off. Well, and me as a woman, I know when something feels off, right? But I might not know why. And I noticed that something has changed or is changing. And like you said, we just need to get back to trusting ourselves with noticing these changes. And that's one thing that I wish

Maggie (05:35.88)
Mm-hmm. What thing?

Maggie (05:48.811)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (05:52.125)
Myself and us women would do more of is just start paying attention. Don't obsess over every little thing that's happening. We're not trying to diagnose ourselves, just be in the moment and pay attention. And my idea for that is keeping a simple log. If you keep a simple log for a couple of months, track your energy, track your sleep. Have you noticed changes in your mood, your cycle, your ability to focus?

focus anything that feels different from your norm and patterns that are showing up, those can tell you a lot. Those can tell you a lot. And so then when you sit down with your healthcare provider

Maggie (06:33.845)
Yeah.

Meara (06:36.518)
you're not just trying to remember everything that had been happening. You can say, hey, here's what I've been noticing for the last few months. And that's a whole different conversation because now you're bringing the information to the doctors and they have and you're bringing the patterns, which is what they go on. And you're bringing something that they can actually look at and instead of trying to remember how you felt three months ago, you know, and that can help guide the conversation about

even what labs might be appropriate, what questions to ask, and where to go next.

Maggie (07:09.587)
And I I love that idea. And I think along with doing that, you know

Take a moment to to rest and don't don't consider sitting down and logging your symptoms as as resting time. Sit down and rest because I don't even have to know you that know that you're exhausted because you live in a system that benefits from you never slowing down.

So take that moment to actually rest and then after that log how you feel during those moments. You know, how do they compare during the moments, you know, during your daily routine where you maybe didn't used to rest or the times when you're not resting.

Meara (07:47.536)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (07:58.961)
Yeah. And I also wanted to throw in that if if hormones are a part of the conversation because we're at all different parts of life, there are healthcare providers who specialize in perimenopause and menopause and women's health hormones. And we have information about that actually, along with some resources that we're gonna share with provider directories on our community page and Facebook that you'll be able to

to get and you know something else I didn't think we talk about enough is the mental load. You know, not just just how we're doing it, but what we're carrying. Because we remember everything. We remember the appointments. We remember the schedules. You know, it's it's a lot. The meals, the bills

Maggie (08:42.516)
It is a lot. And you know, speaking of of hormones, and let me just say, it doesn't matter what stage in life you are, we are women and hormones are always at work doing something to our bodies and our minds. So even even though there may be physical traits from issues with your hormones, there's also gonna be mental complications that come that come along with that also. Hormones.

Meara (08:52.678)
Mm.

Meara (09:08.337)
Mm.

Yeah, hormones are they're huge. I think I think one of the hardest things for us is isn't figuring out what's wrong. It's just like you said before, giving ourselves the permission to slow down long and slow down long enough to listen to our bodies. Because we can't stress this enough.

we all learned that our worth was was tied to how much we could accomplish throughout the day and throughout the week and how much we could carry and get done and and I think for me I know that's why I feel so guilty if I sit down and I rest. I'm just like, okay, five minutes later, okay, no, I have to get this done. And I'm back doing it again. And and have you ever noticed that sometimes when you finally get a chance to rest, you just can't relax.

Maggie (10:03.892)
Hehehehe. Yeah.

Meara (10:06.098)
Yeah, you sit down and you immediately start thinking about everything else that needs to get done. I'm planning tomorrow, I'm looking for something productive to do, or reach for my phone in that moment to see what's going on. That's wild. That's

Maggie (10:21.834)
And

And when you think of rest, I mean I I think do women know how to rest? Do we know what rest is? Because it's not it's not sitting down to watch your favorite show or doom scroll or catch up on, you know, the top events in, you know, celebrity life. It's you know, it's it's disconnecting from all of that.

Meara (10:31.282)
Mm. I don't.

Meara (10:39.718)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (10:49.617)
Right.

Meara (10:54.268)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Maggie (10:55.882)
It's totally disconnecting, you know, maybe and and you can do things while you rest, you know.

If you have a hobby, if you enjoy something like knitting or fishing, those can those can be your moments of rest. You don't have to sit idle, you know, although I, you know, would suggest you do and you know possibly maybe meditate or pray. maybe even read, you know, and still have that mental stimulation, but you're still you're taking a moment for yourself just e just you, you know.

Meara (11:13.82)
Right.

Maggie (11:33.226)
No screens to distract you. Just you, you know, being in and the world. That's rest.

Meara (11:36.422)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (11:43.026)
Yeah.

A lot of us have forgotten how to just simply be. I I know I have in the past. I'm slowly learning how to just sit there because I'm starting to realize that my body needs that support from me of doing nothing. It just needs me to pay attention internally to see what's going on and check on myself, like, hey, are you okay? It sounds so silly. Are you all right, Mira? Do you need anything? That sounds so ridiculous. But when I really sit there and I think about it.

Maggie (11:59.553)
Yes.

Maggie (12:07.39)
Yeah.

Meara (12:13.982)
then you know I get caught in the moment like I do I do need something I need someone to tell me that everything's okay and that it's all right to slow down because you know if you look at nature nothing is expected to not everything is expected to produce all year long. There's seasons for growth, right? And harvest and rest. But somehow here we are producing every single season and then we wonder why we're exhausted.

Maggie (12:31.466)
Yes, absolutely.

Maggie (12:39.626)
Because we are living in man's world. We're not living in God's world. We're living in man's world. That society, that's what they've created for us. But let me tell you, all the people on top who are running things, they have lots of time for us. Because we are their slaves who are running who are making sure that their societal world is still going. And we, you know

Meara (12:43.226)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Meara (12:48.754)
Okay.

Maggie (13:08.0)
We need to exit out of that. And start telling yourself this: rest is not laziness.

Meara (13:11.814)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (13:18.918)
Mm.

Maggie (13:19.104)
What if rest is a medicine? They wouldn't want you to know that either because they can't make any money off of you resting.

Meara (00:01.668)
And sometimes I wonder, what if rest is the most overlooked forms of support that we have, not because rest fixes everything, it doesn't, but when we're constantly running on empty, we can't hear what our bodies are saying.

And so that's something we need to start thinking about when we start asking what's wrong with ourselves. We hear a lot about hormones, but there's other things that can also create similar symptoms. And one of those is thyroid health. And what makes it so confusing is that thyroid issues and hormones changing can look exactly alike. So you can be exhausted, have brain fog, more emotional than usual, not being able to sleep, weight gain, just not feeling like yourself.

Maggie (00:29.304)
Yep.

Meara (00:48.434)
And it can be difficult trying to figure out what's causing that. And I think that's why it's important not to jump straight to conclusions thinking, this is wrong with me. this is wrong with me, because it's not always about the hormones, it's not always about the thyroid or stress. sometimes it's just one thing, but

Sometimes it's also several things happening at once. So that's why paying attention to those patterns we had mentioned before and talking with your healthcare provider can be so helpful. you know, but regardless of what it is that's contributing to that, there's some there's some support

There's some foundations that support our bodies as well, like getting enough sleep or managing stress or eating enough protein, right? Sounds simple, right? Spending time outside and focusing on those nutrient-dense foods. but when it comes to thyroid health specifically, nutrients like iodine and selenium, which I just started taking the other day, one Brazilian nut, just one Brazilian nut a day.

Maggie (01:43.958)
Mm.

Maggie (01:53.496)
Drains upstairs are for particle.

Meara (01:58.78)
you get all the selenium you need and zinc and iron, those all play roles in sub health support for your thyroid, seafood, eggs, meats, and other whole foods. it's not a cure and it's not gonna fix you. it's just a part of supporting the body. Also, again, if iodine, be sure you speak to the provider before you take that like a supplement because your levels could be fine. You might not need any more iodine. So

Maggie (02:01.165)
Yeah.

Maggie (02:27.25)
I do know 'cause I use the Lugals iodine solution. now they they suggest you take that orally. but I learned from Barbara O'Neill that if you put it on your skin, you 'cause it'll it'll be dark, right?

Meara (02:31.918)
Yeah, we have that.

Meara (02:41.146)
Doctor Mm.

Mm-hmm.

how get it.

Maggie (02:50.242)
And then you see how long that lasts for. If it lasts for a long time, I think like four or five hours, then your iodine is fine. If it disappears right away, then your iodine is low. So you can even do an at-home test without having to go get labs done, just to just to get a a quick see if if you need iodine or not.

Meara (02:56.452)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (03:13.284)
Yeah, I've heard of that before too. is it that one or is it a specific one that you have to use for that test on your arm? I thought there was like a specific one. Okay. Yeah.

Maggie (03:23.82)
No, it's just it's just Lugal's iodine solution. Mm mm. Not that I know of. No. I just use the regular iodine solution.

Meara (03:34.702)
Yeah. And I think that the heart of this conversation that we're having today is listen, listening, paying attention to your body and supporting our bodies and just us giving ourselves permission to slow down long enough to notice what they're trying to tell us, you know.

Maggie (03:50.989)
Yes. And just you know, and and telling yourself that that rest is not laziness or passive consumption. It is it is return to the rhythm that our creator built into the very fabric of of life to all to all creation. Rest was built into that. And we each deserve it.

Meara (04:19.268)
was. We don't. So with that being said, before we close today, we want to leave you with this. Give yourself grace. Be gentle with yourself.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You're an amazing woman. This isn't a problem to fix. It's a chapter to understand. If your body is asking for rest, listen. If your mind is asking for quiet, listen. If your heart is asking for space to breathe, listen. You do not have to earn your rest. You do not have to prove your worth through exhaustion, and you do not have to carry everything alone.

If today's conversation resonated with you, we've put together some resources to help you take the next step. My daughter's screaming at the top of her lungs. Inside your women folk revival community, on Facebook, you'll find symptom tracking ideas, questions to discuss with your healthcare provider, hormone and menopause resources, provider directories, and free tools that can help you track patterns over time.

Maggie (05:05.612)
Ha ha ha.

Meara (05:22.298)
We will include the link below and everything will be waiting for you there. You know your body, you know your symptoms matter, your questions matter, and you deserve answers. Thank you so much for spending this time with us today. If you've enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast and leave a review on your favorite platform. It helps more women find these conversations and helps our community continue to grow. And if you know a woman who needs to hear this message today, share this episode with her. Next week we're talking about the reality of homesteading.

the beautiful parts, the hard parts, the messy parts, and why social media often romanticizes it, and why despite all the work many of us still believe it's absolutely worth it. So until next time

Maggie (06:05.549)
Stay rooted, stay rested, and stay wild.

Meara (06:08.656)
Stay wild.