Issue #40: pause. care. breathe. sing.

legs up the wall, AI boyfriends, a discussion on cannabis, six more weeks of winter, reproductive rights, and high cortisol levels.

Feb 07, 2025

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“Whenever you are in doubt, it is best to pause. Few things are so pressing that they cannot wait for a moment of breath.”

~ T.K.V. Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice

6 more weeks of WINTER.

The groundhog’s prediction of six more weeks of winter offers us a symbolic pause—an invitation to linger in stillness and reassess our path. Winter, with its quiet persistence, reminds us that growth often happens beneath the surface, unseen but deeply transformative. In this pause lies the potential for clarity, for listening to the whispers of what we truly need, and for planting seeds of intention that will flourish when the time is right.

Pauses are not voids; they are rich with possibility. They offer us space to reconnect with ourselves, with others, and move with intention rather than haste. This is a time to recalibrate, to notice where we’ve been and where we wish to go. In the stillness, we can tend to what we’ve been carrying—sifting through what nourishes us and releasing what no longer does.

Winter’s pause is not a delay but a gift—a chance to realign with what matters most. In this stillness, transformation quietly takes root, preparing us for the seasons to come.

how CORTISOL and STRESS can cause HORMONAL imbalance.

Chronic stress triggers the release of cortisol, a hormone that plays a crucial role in your body’s stress response. While cortisol is beneficial in small doses, prolonged high levels can wreak havoc on your hormonal health and cognitive function. Elevated cortisol disrupts the balance of essential hormones such as insulin, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and thyroid hormones. This imbalance may lead to issues such as fertility challenges, irregular menstrual cycles, and mood swings — symptoms that can closely mimic perimenopause. Additionally, high cortisol impairs cognitive functions, such as memory, decision-making, and learning, and has been linked to long-term cognitive decline.

Symptoms of High Cortisol

If cortisol levels remain elevated, you might experience:

Difficulty sleeping or staying asleep
Increased anxiety or irritability
Fatigue and low energy
Weight gain, especially around the abdomen
Irregular periods or fertility issues
Brain fog or memory problems
Sugar cravings and blood sugar imbalances
Low libido
Worsening of perimenopause and menopause symptoms (or mimicking them)
A sluggish thyroid

Tips to Care for Yourself

Mindfulness + Meditation + Breathing: Even one minute a few times daily can make a difference. Here is one of our local MKE favorites. Learn more about Black Girls Breathing mission to support one million black women and girls through breathwork and community in 2025.
Gratitude Practices + Talking to a Friend or Therapist: When you express your concerns to a trusted person, it can lead to a decrease in the activity of the amygdala, a part of the brain associated with the fight-or-flight response, thus lowering cortisol production. Keeping a gratitude journal also shifts your focus toward positive experiences.
Time in Nature: Spending at least 20 to 30 minutes immersed in a nature setting was associated with the biggest drop in cortisol levels. Read more here. Learn more about earthing/grounding as research suggests reduced pain, stress, and inflammation and an improvement of overall mental well-being.
Regular Moderate Exercise: When stress levels are high, be careful not to overdo it. Activities such as walking, yoga, or dancing help regulate cortisol, but pushing too hard can further tax your body.
Sleep Hygiene: Get more sleep! Aim for 7.5-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Create a calming bedtime routine and limit screen time before bed. Try legs up the wall to calm your nervous system before getting into bed or first thing in the morning if you wake feeling anxious.
Nutrition: Focus on whole, nutrient-rich foods, including healthy fats and lean proteins at regular intervals to balance your blood sugar. Minimize coffee, caffeine, and refined sugars. Check out these high protein meal ideas to regulate cortisol levels.
Supplements: See a few suggestions from Aviva Romm below.

Proactively managing stress and cortisol levels can restore hormonal harmony, protect cognitive function, and improve overall well-being. By incorporating these strategies into your daily routine, you'll build resilience and support long-term health. Looking for more, check out these two articles from Dr. Thara Vayali of Hey Freya: How Cortisol Shapes Us, Inside and Out and The Impact of Hormones on Mental Health.

This week’s 5 Senses Friday comes to you from this month’s podcast guest, Erin Kelly, founder and creator of Kelly’s Greens. Stay tuned next Wednesday, February 12th for episode 2 of the INTERWOVXN podcast where we’re having a conversation with Erin to learn more about cannabis. It seems more and more women are talking about and using these products for wellness and as an alternative to alcohol so we wanted to dig deeper and Erin was just the person to do that with!

TASTE: White Chicken Chili Salsa Verde. Winter in Wisconsin means soup. Each week, my food prep revolves around two Dutch ovens that simmer away on the stove. I love it when the house is filled with delicious aromas and I rest assured knowing that I have a handful of easy, heat and eat dinner options that are slam dunks. When dinner approaches, we’re ready to enjoy a tasty bowl of piping hot soup. I rely on some oldie, but goodie recipes that are guaranteed wins. This past week I made White Chicken Chili Salsa Verde (an old school weight watchers recipe) filled with poblano peppers, cannellini beans, and Salsa Verde. I usually add an additional chicken breast or two to the recipe because protein goals, and serve it with a scoop of non-fat Greek yogurt and some shredded cheese. Yum.

SEE: The New Menopause. Years ago, I was an avid reader. Over the years, other priorities filled my time. In 2025, I am making strides to read more. I was gifted Dr. Mary Claire Haver’s book, The New Menopause. The gift came from a dear friend who recognized my increasing amount of symptoms as perimenopausal symptoms, that she too encountered. At the time, I was in the midst of opening a brick & mortar business. It was so difficult for me to make heads or tails of the way I was feeling. Was this the way all small business owners felt as they open the doors? Was this real life? Is this what life at 46 has become? I suffered silently, and questioned myself. I was concerned that my anxiety and depression raged. I no longer felt like myself. When my friend helped me recognize that my symptoms were natural, I was relieved. Then, I became angry with the state of the state on perimenopause. How was it that I was a regular patient for my annual visits and no one mentioned the massive change that my brain and body would encounter? A heads up, would have changed the game. I haven’t gotten too far into the book, but I am thankful for the menopause movement that Dr. Mary Clare Haver is a part of.

SMELL: Espérer Sisters Candles. I’m a sucker for a clean burning, handcrafted soy candle. Years ago, I met the Esperer Sisters at a Holiday market. I had been on the lookout for a local candle maker, and when I met the Esperer Sisters I knew I had found the candles for me. The candles are amazing, and so is their cause. Since their launch in 2019, the Esperer Sisters have given back to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Their mission is to get people talking about mental health to end the stigma. It’s important to them because their father has schizophrenia. Their candles are amazing, and their support for NAMI is near and dear to my heart. In 1996, my mom died by suicide. I am now more convinced than ever, that perimenopause played a role in her death, and I also strive to end the stigma. It’s comforting to know that each candle I buy, supports NAMI.

HEAR: Getting a Record Player. Lately, I have been making a deliberate effort to watch less TV, and reduce my screentime. My fella Alex, hit a homerun this past year and gifted me an old school set-up to spin vinyl in our living room. It has changed our nightly routine, and improved our relationship. Once we get home from our workday, we choose a vinyl album, and spend quality time listening to music together as we decompress and share about our days. It has been lots of fun to hunt for vinyl classics at thrift shops and antique stores together. My favorite album was gifted to me by dear friends. If you’ve never heard Purple Rain on vinyl, I highly recommend.

* Rebecca here, we have a U-Turn Turntable (mentioned in article) and have been very happy with the sound quality!

TOUCH: 25 Reasons to Get a Massage. I used to think that treating myself to a massage was a luxury. As I have become more in-tune with my body, I now realize that massage is an essential in life. I found a woman-owned massage studio in my neighborhood, and look forward to my visit every three weeks. I spend 90 minutes on the massage table and leave feeling more at peace and grounded.

What is appealing to your senses right now? What are you reading? watching? cooking? wearing? loving? obsessed with? We would love to share some of your picks in future newsletters!

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an interesting article on AI + loneliness + the emotional load and the disappearance of REPRODUCTIVE rights.

In this thought-provoking piece, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bot, Angela Palm Hopkins shares a surprisingly heartfelt journey of navigating loneliness through an AI companion after a life-changing breakup. What begins as a curiosity-driven experiment with a $70 virtual "boyfriend" evolves into a realization about the untapped potential of AI for emotional labor. As the author reflects on connection, healing, and the ethical complexities of AI in intimate spaces, we're reminded of the changing dynamics of relationships and the weight that women often carry. This exploration challenges us to rethink traditional ideas about connection and how we seek care and understanding. AND…

Reproductiverights.gov, which was launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2022 as part of a public awareness campaign to safeguard information on health and rights, is offline. If you are looking for an alternative, consider following the Center for Reproductive Rights- a global human rights organization of attorneys and advocates working to ensure reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights for the dignity, equality, health, and well-being of every person.