Your Symptoms Aren't the Problem. They're the Message

Say whaaaaaat? Yes. I said it. Your symptoms are not the problem. They are the message trying to communicate with you to tell you somethings up.

Somewhere along the way, especially for women we were taught that a healthy body means one completely free of symptoms. A silent little body that feels perfect all day every day. If something starts to play up, like maybe you bloat after you eat, or you might feel like your energy isn’t keeping up with how much you want to get done in your day. Maybe your cycle has started to feel really different or you’re experiencing more aches and pains. You might have brain fog that makes you feel like a stranger in your own head. Or a really common one for the women I see, weight that won't budge no matter what you try.

We have these things happen and we start to think, I hate how my body does this. You blame your body for it. You feel like there is something wrong with you. You feel like there is something wrong with you. Its your fault.

I want to challenge that. Because it’s not going to help you.

Firstly. Stop being mean to yourself

This way of thinking is so common that most women don't even notice its happening. But underneath its this quiet belief that our bodies are working against us that changes how we treat ourselves. It sends us searching for the next pill, the next protocol, the next quick fix, without ever pausing to ask the more important questions. Why do I feel like this in the first place? When did it start? Has it gotten progressively worse?

I bang on about this all the time. Symptoms Are Feedback, Not Failure.

Your body is not static. It is constantly adapting, moment to moment, to everything you give it. Your stress load. Your sleep. What you eat and when. How much you move. The quality of your relationships. The demands on your nervous system. All of this impacts us. Every one of those inputs shapes how you feel. And its really important to understand, throughout your life you are going to be in different seasons. With some of these seasons we are going to experience more of less of these inputs and in some stages, we wont have the time or headspace to pay attention to our symptoms.

What I want you to know

When a symptom shows up, it isn't your body turning on you. You are not a failure. It's your body communicating with you. It's feedback, the same way a warning light on your dashboard is feedback. Ignoring the light doesn't fix the engine. Understanding what it's pointing to does. We want this to happen. We want to be alerted by our symptoms. We don’t want to be so disconnected the symtoms build and build before you know it, chronic illness arrives.

They key is listening to your symptoms

I don’t want you to beat yourself up if you feel like you’re living in a state where life feels so busy, with a never ending to do list which has left you feeling disconnected to your body. One of the main roles I play as a naturopath is to help you understand whats going on and get you listening in again.

Its about getting curious and listening in. Its not about judging that the symptoms are there in the first place.

Your body is not failing. Its not a failure on you as a person. Our bodies are so smart and your symptoms are your body's own internal messaging system, translating what's happening on the inside into something you can actually notice on the outside.

Why "Just Part of Getting Older" Doesn't Hold Up

So many of the women I see have been told, in one way or another, that what they're feeling is just because they’re getting older or its their hormones and there's nothing to be done about it. NOTHING annoys me more. How very dare women be told this. We should always pay attention and listen to our bodies and it is NEVER too late to take care of yourself.

Your 40s and beyond can be some of the most energised, clear headed years of your life. Its not a decline and Im sick of hearing women feel like they’re becoming invisible. This vitality is what happens when the systems that actually run the show, your gut, your liver, your hormones, your nervous system, your metabolism, are supported rather than overlooked.

It's when these systems aren't running well that your 40s can start to feel quite dramatic. But it's important to understand that perimenopause isn't causing the chaos. At the same time, you need to know it's not all in your head either. Perimenopause shines a light on the issues that were already there. The things you could get away with ignoring in your 20s and 30s no longer have your hormones propping them up, and that's why everything feels so much more intense in peri.

Your age isn't the problem. Treating every symptom as a mystery to medicate rather than a message to understand is the problem.

What It Looks Like to Actually Listen

Learning to interpret your body's feedback isn't about becoming obsessive over every twinge or ache. It's about building enough understanding of how your body works that you can ask better questions when something feels off.

Instead of asking "how do I make this symptom go away?", we need to start asking "what is this symptom telling me about what's going on underneath?" Rather than reaching straight for a quick fix, it's about getting curious about the why and treating the root cause. Everything I do is grounded in this. It's the root cause approach, and it sits at the heart of how I work with every client.

This alone, changes everything. It moves you from feeling like your body is unpredictable and unreliable and “why me” to feeling like you actually understand it. And once you understand it, you're no longer guessing. You know what your next best step actually is.

You Don't Need Fixing

You don’t need fixing, you are beautiful and clever and still have so much value. This is the part I really want you to hear.

I’ll say it again. You don't need fixing. You need to understand your body well enough to know what it's asking for, and to trust yourself enough to respond to it.

That's not a quick fix, and it was never going to be found in the next trend or the next restrictive plan or peptides or GLP-1s or fitness challenges or (whatever is infiltrating your algorithm right now). It's a slower, steadier kind of knowledge, but it's the kind that actually lasts, and it's the kind that lets you get back to living the life you actually want, with more energy, more clarity, and a lot more trust in yourself along the way.

If this article sounds like it could be describing you, it might be time to find out what's really going on underneath the surface. I welcome you to book a discovery call HERE, or if you're like, "No Carolyn, I already know this is what's happening and I need to get this sorted ASAP book your Initial Naturopathic Consultation HERE.

I see clients from all over Australia online via Zoom. And if you're in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast and prefer a face to face appointment, I practice out of the Noosa Wellness Collective every single Friday.

So book HEREor reach out with questions. This is the kind of work I find most meaningful because understanding changes everything.

Carolyn Allen is a naturopath and yoga therapist specialising in women's hormonal health in perimenopause and beyond. She works with women across Australia via online consultations from her practice in Maleny, Queensland. She also sees clients in Noosa at the Noosa Wellness Collective. To enquire about comprehensive functional testing like gut, DNA or hormone testing, results interpretation, and personalised support, visit carolynallenhealth.com or email hello@carolynallenhealth.com

This article is written for educational purposes and does not constitute individual medical advice. Please work with a qualified practitioner for personalised assessment and treatment.