Hormones are an essential part of your health, and your body is full of at least 50 different kinds. They’re chemicals that tell carry messages throughout your body to keep all of your tissues running smoothly. Even though hormones are such an important part of your daily life, it can be difficult to understand their complexities and how to balance them out. If you’re worried, you have a hormone imbalance but aren’t sure what the signs are, keep reading for a quick overview of symptoms. Signs of a Hormone Imbalance Your hormones are like a complicated baking recipe. If there’s too much or too little of a hormone, it can set your whole body off balance (and lead to short- and long-term symptoms). Similar to how there are so many different types of hormones that affect different aspects of your body, there are also a multitude of different symptoms that might pop up if your hormones are out of whack. Here’s a list of some of the top signs of a hormone imbalance: Adult Acne Maybe you struggled with acne when going through puberty, a time when your hormones were raging a bit heavier than usual. While acne can be a result of many different triggers, a hormonal imbalance is one potential cause. If you’re struggling with acne as an adult, whether it’s on your face, neck, or back, reach out to a doctor to find out how to best treat it. Irregular Menstruation Cycles You’re likely aware that hormones are a big part of the menstrual cycle. So it makes sense that if your hormones are imbalanced, you’ll notice the effects this has on your period. Periods that come irregularly or that are heavier than usual could be a sign of a hormone imbalance. Go here to speak to a professional about improving your hormone health. Depression or Anxiety Your hormones can greatly impact your mood as well. If you’re feeling depressed, anxious, or irritable, these could indicate a hormone imbalance. Reach out to a doctor who specializes in this area. Not only can they help you find out if these emotions are caused by a hormone imbalance, but they can also direct you towards professional help to talk through these feelings. Infertility If you’re experiencing infertility issues, it may help to know that hormone imbalances are often the culprit. There are lots of different hormones involved in fertility, from progesterone to FSH. Luckily, there are tests that can be done (many of which can even be done in the comfort of your own home!) that can tell you whether hormones are impacting your fertility success. Get to the Bottom of Your Hormone Imbalance As stated above, these are just a few of the symptoms of a hormone imbalance. If you’re worried your hormones are not at healthy levels, contact a doctor who can answer your questions and lead you in the right direction. Check out the rest of our Wellbeing section for more tips and information on how to stay happy and healthy.
A spare room is an amazing opportunity. Not only are you lucky enough to even have that much space, but you’ve also got the chance to turn it into something great. You might be a little spoilt for choice though. You can do anything and everything with this spare room. Take a look at these great ideas for some inspiration. Home Office If you work from home or are the type to bring your work home with you, this might be ideal. It’s quite simple to fit out too. Just grab a nice office chair and a desk for the basics. If you want to go a little more advanced, you can get yourself a professional landline phone with call holding and recording abilities. For when the sun gets low when you’re working late, try a set of blinds to keep the glare off your computer screen. For a little bit of green, a potted plant can brighten up the room a touch. Spare Bedroom If you’re the type to have guests, a spare bedroom can be great. It’ll save them having to sleep on your lumpy sofa or the floor. The thing about most spare rooms is that they’re not huge, so you’ll have first to look for single mattress deals. It’s rare if a spare bedroom can fit in anything larger than that. A nice set of curtains and a chest of drawers should round out the room. You could have guests staying long-term, and that chest of drawers will make it easy for them to store their clothes instead of living out of a bag. Games Room If you like your leisure time, turning that spare room into a games room is going to be awesome. Again, you may be limited by space so bare that in mind. Trying to fit a whole pool table into there just isn’t going to work. You could always get a miniature one though. A darts set is a great addition to any games room. It’s very easy to store too. You may be able to fit a smallish pinball table in there, but you’ll have to be sure it can even fit through the door first. Library If you’ve got a lot of books, you’ll always be struggling for space. With a spare room though, you can create your own wall to wall library. Fill up the walls with tall shelf units. From there you can pile all your books in as you find them, or arrange them alphabetically or by the author. Of course, once you’re out of storage space you may need to reconsider your book buying habits. Don’t be afraid to toss out a few old ones to get the new ones in. Yoga Room A room, but for yoga. If you do yoga, you’ll know it can take up space. You need significant elbow and leg room for this. The good news is decoration is easy. Just keep the room bare and place down your yoga mat. Easy as that.
With the mid-year sales in full swing, it is the perfect time to stock up on quality clothing and accessories. And by “stocking up”, I mean buying quality items that will last and buying only pieces you need. From a sustainable and environmentally friendly viewpoint, I don’t understand how people can justify buying clothing every week. You really can’t wear that many items of clothing! And to do so, just to show off on the gram (as a lot of people seem to do) really blows my mind. Each to their own, but if you want to actually make a difference to the environment, the first thing you need to be doing is to stop buying fast fashion that ends up in landfill. Most cheaply made pieces can’t be donated or resold, because they end up in a nonusable state after a month or even a season (if you’re lucky). A lot of people try and justify buying things at a discount department stores because “that’s all I can afford”, but the thing is, that one piece of clothing you bought from say Kmart or BigW will need to be repurchased repeatedly. So effectively, you are spending a lot more money on multiple cheap items, than you would be by spending a bit more on something that’s going to last. You need to think about cost per wear when purchasing items. There are so many ways to buy quality pieces that will last many years without having to spend a lot of money. Buying sale items and buying secondhand are two ways you can add long-lasting items to your wardrobe that won’t end up in landfills. I’ll share my secrets about how I maintain a fashionable and stylish wardrobe on a budget while being sustainable and environmentally mindful below: Shop smarter. Not Harder. Buy off season. Seriously, I don’t think someone is going to pick up if that shirt you are wearing was from last summer’s range. A lot of stores still have summer and spring items in their clearance ranges online (I know Sussan, Sportscraft and Commonry all have summer pieces on clearance right now that are extremely cheap. In fact, Sussan had T-shirts for $4.99 at one point and I’ve picked up tshirts on their website for $9.99.). Buying these pieces at ridiculously low prices now will set your wardrobe up for the upcoming Spring and Summer seasons, plus you can layer these pieces under winter knits and jackets. You can also try outlet centres like DFO for brands like Peter Alexander (his PJ’s last years!), Oroton, Levi’s, Diana Ferarri, R.M. Williams and Polo Ralph Lauren. Wait. I don’t think I have ever paid full price for clothing or accessories. If you spot an item you absolutely love and need to have, just wait a while. I can guarantee the item you are lusting over will be on sale in a few months time. Take for instance a Sportscraft knit I spotted in David Jones in Autumn last year that I absolutely loved. By September last year, I bought the same $199 knit for $49 on sale. I got to wear it a few times last year and I’ve already worn it numerous times this year with jeans and a pleated skirt and ankle boots. I’m sure I will receive many years of wear out of the knit too, especially if I take care of it ie wash it as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Looking after your clothing is also an important way of making sure you have these items for many years to come. Secondhand. There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying secondhand. I’ve been known to buy a few items from Ebay, Facebook Marketplace and Thrift shops. What is no longer wanted by one person can be loved by another and you’re saving an item from landfill. There are a lot of items that are brand new with tags too, so if you are worried about wearing something that someone else has worn, you can buy new pieces at a fraction of the cost of buying retail. It’s just been sitting used in someone’s wardrobe for a while. Just make sure you stick with brands you would usually buy when searching for things and you will end up with some quality items you will love. Stick with quality brands you know and trust. Personally, most of my wardrobe consists of pieces from Sussan, Trenery, Commonry, Sportcraft and Forever New. I know I will get 3-5 years of wear out of Trenery jeans (and that’s after hundreds of times being washed and put through the dryer). I have had a Sussan denim jacket for 20 years and it’s still going strong and a wool coat I bought 10 years ago that still looks as good as when I bought it. I also have a beige Sportscraft trench coat that is well over 10 years old. You should get a few year’s wear out of good quality tshirts, dresses and skirts. Even longer for quality knits. Buy only what you need. Ok, this is a huge one! No one needs fifty t-shirts, twenty pairs of jeans, 15 skirts and thirty dresses. If you are smart, you can work out a month’s worth of outfits from a handful of quality pieces. Not only will you have an organised wardrobe and know what outfit you can pull together quickly but you will be saving hundreds on clothing you hardly wear. Seriously, look at your wardrobe right now, how much of it do you honestly wear regularly? Most of us wear the same outfits on a regular basis. And, can I point out, NOONE cares if you have worn something before. Most people forget what they wore themselves two weeks ago, let alone someone they don’t see that often. Celebrities are starting to make a point of re-wearing their outfits again and Princess Kate is well known for re-wearing her wardrobe. If those who can afford to buy whole new wardrobes every season can re-wear what’s inside their wardrobes, why can’t you? For example, you can change the whole look of a dress by simply adding a cardigan, blazer or different shoes and accessories. Classic style is always a winner. Buying pieces that will last. Buy natural fibres. Cotton, wool and leather are three of the longest-wearing materials you can buy. Stay away from man-made fibres such as polyester, nylon and rayon, these materials usually break down quickly and go out of shape easily, they are also terrible for the environment, as they are made from plastics, petroleum, and acid and woody fibres from milling.
Beauty, Travel, Fashion, Taylor Magazine Contributor, Book Review Writer 