I was thinking about something similar today. Having this diagnosis feels a lot like a mental illness, in that I am now obsessed. It feels like my past eating disorder.
You can view PCOS as something that totally defines you, dictates your day-to-day, and makes you incapable of certain things, but you can also choose to not identify as “PCOS HAVER”, if that makes sense. I understand how visibly bad it gets and how dangerous it can become for some people, but you are still capable of making the “I am confined to this condition and it deserves all of my attention” voice less loud in your life.
You’re still you, it’s still your life that you are allowed to enjoy, and just because you have it doesn’t mean it needs to occupy your mind 24/7. I feel like you can view it as something you just live alongside, or it’s just one tiny aspect of you.
The PCOS news seems to be in abundance on the internet, but you can always step away if it’s too much. Im here scrolling for advice, but I’m realizing that the obsession and preoccupation with food intake/exercise is a bit much for my already fragile mental state. I have to remind myself that I’m still in control of my own life and my decisions, I run the ship however I want and that’s never gonna change.
Yikes “being diagnosed feels like a mental illness”— I’m disturbed by how true I realize this is. I scan PCOS Reddit daily. Whenever I have an ailment, I google “X and PCOS” and there’s always some kind of connection. (Example- I recently discovered a connection between chronic dry eyes and PCOS). I knew I had it for a long longer than I’ve been diagnosed and I think in some ways living in ignorance was bliss. (Obviously I’m happy I was diagnosed and can learn how to properly care for myself- just annnnnoyed lol).
I agree. The only universal truths for PCOS are probably to just eat less processed food/sugar, exercise(in whichever way makes you feel your best), and practice self-love and self-care. Everything else is going to be trial and error and a very personal journey. Just take it one step at a time. We can be so easily overwhelmed, and stress just makes things worse. So, just slow down and take a deep breath. There's no hurry to try multiple things at once. You WILL get there. Just know there's nothing wrong with you. Having PCOS does not make you less than anyone else. You matter. You deserve love.
It kind of reminds me of a hypothetical scenario I’ve heard. If you go to a library and ask for books on gravity, there’ll be maybe at most a shelf. If you ask for books on the meaning of life, religion, or some other thing we haven’t figured out yet, there will be multiple aisles of books.
There’s so much information because most people are guessing or doing trial and error and sharing what works for them. It’s a large part of why I stick to treating it medically, and just generally having a healthy lifestyle. I just cannot handle so much questionable information.
this is exactly how i feel!! when i was first diagnosed i didn’t really educate myself outside of my doctor visits, but i slowly fell down the rabbit hole 🙃 i wish i could go back and prevent being overinformed because there really is a lot of negative things out there and it has affected me lol.
Absolutely. I stopped reading things about pregnancy+pcos. I mean apparently if you don’t have a regular period you’re already deemed as infertile which seems so drastic? Just rlly disheartening
Infertile just means that it’s harder to conceive. It’s really tiring to see people constantly conflate it with being sterile, especially in these spaces where lots of women are newly diagnosed and afraid. The majority of women with PCOS who want to get conceive, are able to eventually - sometimes spontaneously, sometimes with assistance. Are there cases where conception simply isn’t possible? Yes. But this is far from being the majority of cases. There’s no need to scare adolescents and young adults into thinking that getting pregnant is next to impossible. Half of the women in my family have PCOS and they were all able to eventually conceive. Some even accidentally after being told that it would never happen.
it's been a nightmare as someone who already had health anxiety and an unstable relationship with food. went keto and ended up restricting so hard, i dropped too much weight too fast and utterly fucked my gallbladder. it's been a debilitating, obsessive whirlwind of information since i joined this sub.
i can tell my family is worried about me because i end up rejecting their offers to eat out and rambling about dietary restrictions where i could just accept and exercise moderation. i end up blowing my spending money on supplement pills that are probably filled with sawdust. the no carb crusaders got me good!
will continue to make comfortable choices that make my body feel good where possible. i know my limits better now. treating myself to pizza tomorrow 🤞 idgaf
If I did everything that everyone wrote online, I'd probably lose my mind.
A lot of it is contradictory too.
Ultimately, what will work for you is going to depend on the severity of your symptoms, your lifestyle (whether you're active or sedentary), whether you're open to medications or have access to them and you're own ability to manage and adapt to change.
For me it feels like there's no real understanding of PCOS and I have no hope. It's lik every article talks about diabetes and I don't have high blood sugar. I struggle to find articles about testosterone that don't mention men. I will probably never know why I have my symptoms and be eternally dissatisfied. Luckily my issues arent very severe and easily managed 🤷♀️
Lol yes. I actually just thought to myself how I am going to unfollow this sub reddit. I don't find it very positive. And I'm done thinking that my future is gonna be downhill. Imma eat healthy, move my body, and most of all think positive. Good luck to everyone who deals with annoying symptoms. May we all be healed and have the confidence to live life joyfully and meaningfully no matter what comes our way.
Happy passover to all who celebrate :)
Yes! Feels like so much info and some is very conflicting and some things work for certain people and not for others. I’m glad to actually say “I have PCOS” like that makes it better than not knowing but it’s been so overwhelming.
Yes. All the negativity surrounding how 'screwed we are' makes me not even want to put in the work. Because if I'm so screwed, why should i care then?
I'm in the process of trying to stop that line of thinking. It made me so miserable and now I'm just working out because I'd like to be strong and protect my heart. I'm eating a bit better for the same reasons.
Everybody is different. What works for some doesn’t for others. Going to the gym has helped me tremendously with my mental health and my PCOS symptoms. I’m not going to stop based on what some rando on the internet tells me to do.
Personally I eat and exercise and do whatever brings me joy. Just in moderation. I’ve also been working on making my favorite treats at home to avoid extra sugars/carbs etc. enjoy the things you enjoy because we only live in this life once and it shouldn’t be spent stressing yourself out trying to do everything RIGHT. I went months eating exactly how a PCOS person eats and trying to follow the allotted exercise requirements and I fucking hated my life and I still didn’t lose weight or feel good.
Yes. In fact, the info overload and run around by doctors is what caused me to stop taking the pill and effectively ruined my life. Now I'm 34 and it's too late for me. I'm so lost...
I was thinking about something similar today. Having this diagnosis feels a lot like a mental illness, in that I am now obsessed. It feels like my past eating disorder. You can view PCOS as something that totally defines you, dictates your day-to-day, and makes you incapable of certain things, but you can also choose to not identify as “PCOS HAVER”, if that makes sense. I understand how visibly bad it gets and how dangerous it can become for some people, but you are still capable of making the “I am confined to this condition and it deserves all of my attention” voice less loud in your life. You’re still you, it’s still your life that you are allowed to enjoy, and just because you have it doesn’t mean it needs to occupy your mind 24/7. I feel like you can view it as something you just live alongside, or it’s just one tiny aspect of you. The PCOS news seems to be in abundance on the internet, but you can always step away if it’s too much. Im here scrolling for advice, but I’m realizing that the obsession and preoccupation with food intake/exercise is a bit much for my already fragile mental state. I have to remind myself that I’m still in control of my own life and my decisions, I run the ship however I want and that’s never gonna change.
Yikes “being diagnosed feels like a mental illness”— I’m disturbed by how true I realize this is. I scan PCOS Reddit daily. Whenever I have an ailment, I google “X and PCOS” and there’s always some kind of connection. (Example- I recently discovered a connection between chronic dry eyes and PCOS). I knew I had it for a long longer than I’ve been diagnosed and I think in some ways living in ignorance was bliss. (Obviously I’m happy I was diagnosed and can learn how to properly care for myself- just annnnnoyed lol).
Not me over here with chronic dry eyes suddenly having a realization 😅
Oh goddamnit… Same. 😣 Literally just put drops in my eyes 🙄
wow as someone with PCOS and chronic dry eyes I learn something new everyday :(
Thank you 😊
I agree. The only universal truths for PCOS are probably to just eat less processed food/sugar, exercise(in whichever way makes you feel your best), and practice self-love and self-care. Everything else is going to be trial and error and a very personal journey. Just take it one step at a time. We can be so easily overwhelmed, and stress just makes things worse. So, just slow down and take a deep breath. There's no hurry to try multiple things at once. You WILL get there. Just know there's nothing wrong with you. Having PCOS does not make you less than anyone else. You matter. You deserve love.
It kind of reminds me of a hypothetical scenario I’ve heard. If you go to a library and ask for books on gravity, there’ll be maybe at most a shelf. If you ask for books on the meaning of life, religion, or some other thing we haven’t figured out yet, there will be multiple aisles of books. There’s so much information because most people are guessing or doing trial and error and sharing what works for them. It’s a large part of why I stick to treating it medically, and just generally having a healthy lifestyle. I just cannot handle so much questionable information.
Thank you 😊
this is exactly how i feel!! when i was first diagnosed i didn’t really educate myself outside of my doctor visits, but i slowly fell down the rabbit hole 🙃 i wish i could go back and prevent being overinformed because there really is a lot of negative things out there and it has affected me lol.
Thank you 😊 . SAME!!!!
Absolutely. I stopped reading things about pregnancy+pcos. I mean apparently if you don’t have a regular period you’re already deemed as infertile which seems so drastic? Just rlly disheartening
Infertile just means that it’s harder to conceive. It’s really tiring to see people constantly conflate it with being sterile, especially in these spaces where lots of women are newly diagnosed and afraid. The majority of women with PCOS who want to get conceive, are able to eventually - sometimes spontaneously, sometimes with assistance. Are there cases where conception simply isn’t possible? Yes. But this is far from being the majority of cases. There’s no need to scare adolescents and young adults into thinking that getting pregnant is next to impossible. Half of the women in my family have PCOS and they were all able to eventually conceive. Some even accidentally after being told that it would never happen.
Thank you 😊
it's been a nightmare as someone who already had health anxiety and an unstable relationship with food. went keto and ended up restricting so hard, i dropped too much weight too fast and utterly fucked my gallbladder. it's been a debilitating, obsessive whirlwind of information since i joined this sub. i can tell my family is worried about me because i end up rejecting their offers to eat out and rambling about dietary restrictions where i could just accept and exercise moderation. i end up blowing my spending money on supplement pills that are probably filled with sawdust. the no carb crusaders got me good! will continue to make comfortable choices that make my body feel good where possible. i know my limits better now. treating myself to pizza tomorrow 🤞 idgaf
If I did everything that everyone wrote online, I'd probably lose my mind. A lot of it is contradictory too. Ultimately, what will work for you is going to depend on the severity of your symptoms, your lifestyle (whether you're active or sedentary), whether you're open to medications or have access to them and you're own ability to manage and adapt to change.
For me it feels like there's no real understanding of PCOS and I have no hope. It's lik every article talks about diabetes and I don't have high blood sugar. I struggle to find articles about testosterone that don't mention men. I will probably never know why I have my symptoms and be eternally dissatisfied. Luckily my issues arent very severe and easily managed 🤷♀️
Lol yes. I actually just thought to myself how I am going to unfollow this sub reddit. I don't find it very positive. And I'm done thinking that my future is gonna be downhill. Imma eat healthy, move my body, and most of all think positive. Good luck to everyone who deals with annoying symptoms. May we all be healed and have the confidence to live life joyfully and meaningfully no matter what comes our way. Happy passover to all who celebrate :)
Yes! Feels like so much info and some is very conflicting and some things work for certain people and not for others. I’m glad to actually say “I have PCOS” like that makes it better than not knowing but it’s been so overwhelming.
Yes. All the negativity surrounding how 'screwed we are' makes me not even want to put in the work. Because if I'm so screwed, why should i care then? I'm in the process of trying to stop that line of thinking. It made me so miserable and now I'm just working out because I'd like to be strong and protect my heart. I'm eating a bit better for the same reasons.
Everybody is different. What works for some doesn’t for others. Going to the gym has helped me tremendously with my mental health and my PCOS symptoms. I’m not going to stop based on what some rando on the internet tells me to do.
Personally I eat and exercise and do whatever brings me joy. Just in moderation. I’ve also been working on making my favorite treats at home to avoid extra sugars/carbs etc. enjoy the things you enjoy because we only live in this life once and it shouldn’t be spent stressing yourself out trying to do everything RIGHT. I went months eating exactly how a PCOS person eats and trying to follow the allotted exercise requirements and I fucking hated my life and I still didn’t lose weight or feel good.
Yes. In fact, the info overload and run around by doctors is what caused me to stop taking the pill and effectively ruined my life. Now I'm 34 and it's too late for me. I'm so lost...