🌕 The Year I Made Peace with Cortisol

My Cortisol Wake-Up Call

It started the year my body began keeping score. My shoulders lived in my ears, my heart thumped like it was trying to escape, and 3 a.m. became my new thinking hour.
I told myself it was “just stress,” the price of doing life and dreaming big. But stress had stopped knocking. It had moved in, rearranged the furniture of my brain, and started charging rent.

And that’s when I met him — Cortisol.

I’d never heard of him before, this invisible houseguest who runs the body’s panic button. But he was everywhere — in my irritability, my insomnia, the stubborn belly bloat that mocked every salad I ate. Cortisol is your body’s built-in alarm system. Brilliant when you’re running from danger; exhausting when your danger is your inbox.

The Year I Made Peace with Cortisol

The Moment I Realized It Wasn’t “All in My Head

One morning, I opened my laptop and couldn’t remember the password I’d used for years. My brain felt like static. That was my wake-up call.

I learned that cortisol helps us with energy, blood sugar, sleep, and inflammation, but modern life is always in “Alert!” mode. It’s a game show buzzer. My body reacted as it should, but the threat was now email.

Check on my post The Cortisol-Insulin Connection

🌿 The Fix Wasn’t Fancy — It Was Human

When I finally decided to make peace with cortisol, I stopped chasing hacks and started listening.

Here’s what worked for me — not as a doctor (because I’m not one), but as a woman who was tired of waking up exhausted from sleeping.

1. Magnesium L-Threonate (The Calm-Down Mineral)

It sounds fancy, but this form of magnesium actually crosses into the brain. Within weeks, my sleep softened. The 3 a.m. thinking marathons slowed. My mind exhaled. (Always check with your doctor first — this is just what helped me.)

2. The Power of Long Walks

Long, slow walks. No phone. No music. No podcasts. Just me, the trees, and the sound of my own breathing.

That’s when I realized something wild — this might explain why I started gaining weight so fast after menopause. I used to go running like I had a tiger chasing me. A week later, five pounds heavier, I was furious at the scale. I even blamed it for being broken.

But it wasn’t the scale. It was me — or rather, my cortisol. I was running to lose weight, but what my body heard was: Run, she’s in danger! So it pumped out more cortisol, thinking I needed endurance to survive. My brain, bless her confusion, believed I was sprinting away from a predator, not chasing health. And when cortisol rises, your body holds on to fat like a life raft.

Too much running, too much cortisol, too much survival mode. When I swapped the sprint for a walk — slow, present, and safe — my body finally exhaled. The weight didn’t melt overnight, but something deeper shifted: my nervous system stopped sounding the alarm.

💛 Need a breather?

Take a moment for yourself — and grab free wellness tools inside my Wellness Vault. Simple guides, gentle checklists, and small steps to help your body remember what calm feels like.

3. Gentle Herbs, Honest Food

Ashwagandha and lemon balm became my kitchen allies. I switched sugar for real meals that didn’t spike and crash. My body stopped treating dinner like a disaster drill.

Ashwagandha and lemon balm became my small daily allies. They’re not miracles; they’re reminders. A teaspoon of calm when the world feels like static.

Then one night I ran out of Ashwagandha. My heart started racing just as I was getting ready for bed. I didn’t understand why—nothing had happened, no argument, no stress. When I went looking for my little brown bottle, it was empty.

So I did the first thing that came to mind: grabbed an icy pack from the freezer and pressed it against my neck. Within two minutes, my heart slowed down. The racing stopped almost instantly. I don’t know the exact science behind it, but it worked. Maybe the cold told my nervous system, “She’s safe now.”

That’s when I realized—our bodies are always listening. Sometimes, they just need proof that we’re okay.

4. Laughter, Sleep, and Permission

I started protecting sleep like a treasure and laughing like it was medicine (because it is — Oprah Daily even says laughter lowers cortisol). These weren’t “tips.” They were tiny rebellions against a culture that glorifies burnout.

So instead of watching action or adventure movies right before bed, I started choosing comedies anything that made me laugh.
My husband, on the other hand, loves action. Believe it or not, he sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night yelling, like he’s fighting for freedom. But on the nights we watch just comedy, he sleeps quietly all the way through.

🌕 The Truth I Wish I Knew Sooner

Cortisol was never the villain — my pace was. I was the one keeping the alarm ringing. Once I strengthened my nervous system — through rest, magnesium, connection, and walking — the alarm quieted.

Now, when I feel that familiar rush, I take it as a whisper, not a war cry. Cortisol isn’t trying to destroy me. She’s just trying to protect me — and now, finally, I listen.

Check my 5 Low-Carb Comfort Meals That Feel Like a Hug: My Happy Food Picks

If You’re in the Middle of Your Own “Cortisol Year”

You’re not broken. You’re human, living in a world that forgot how to rest. I would start small, taking a slow walks. Breathe before the reply. Laugh before the panic. Little by little, you’ll remind your body: you’re safe now.

Conclusion: How to Lower Cortisol in 5 Steps

Cortisol Isn’t the Villain—Stress Is

Strengthen your nervous system (e.g. with magnesium L-threonate)

Balance high-intensity workouts with rest

Embrace long, slow walks

Use adaptogens like ashwagandha and calming herbs

Cut down sugar spikes

If stress has been whispering, “There’s got to be a better way…”—there is.

💌 Join the Wellness Vault

If this post felt like a deep breath you didn’t know you needed, you’ll love what’s waiting inside the Wellness Vault — my private corner of free resources, calming checklists, and gentle guides designed to help you lower stress and feel more balanced.

Disclaimer

I’m not a doctor. Just a woman who burned out, rebuilt, and found her rhythm again. Everything here is experience, not prescription. If you’re struggling, talk to someone with a stethoscope and credentials — your peace is worth professional care.

Keep Reading

How to Embrace Slow Living: Finding Peace in a Fast-Paced World.

5 Low-Carb Comfort Meals That Feel Like a Hug: My Happy Food Picks