SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO SLOW DOWN TO SPEED UP
Sometimes the answer isn't another supplement. Another protocol. Another specialist.
Sometimes the answer is to do nothing.
And that's the hardest thing to accept when you have endometriosis, an autoimmune condition, or hormone imbalances that lead to painful, complicated cycles.
Because when your body is betraying you, your instinct is to fix it.
Research it. Optimise it. Control it.
And look - that's my superpower. i've spent 15 years hunting for answers. Reading studies. Testing protocols. Tracking data. Learning everything i can about functional medicine, hormones, inflammation, gut health, nervous system regulation.
i don't think i'll ever stop.
But sometimes, the eternal search for answers becomes the problem.
THE PARADOX OF TRYING TOO HARD
Here's what i've learned:
The relentless pursuit of health can create the exact conditions that prevent healing.
When you're constantly hunting for the next answer, you're in a state of fight-or-flight. Your nervous system is activated. Your body is on high alert.
You're not present. You're not connected. You're not resting.
And that lack of presence and connection? That's a form of self-induced stress. Which drives inflammation. Which makes everything worse.
The very thing you're trying to fix.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT AWARENESS
i have self-awareness. Probably too much of it.
i know my cycle. i track my HRV. i understand my hormones. i can tell you exactly which phase i'm in and what my body needs.
But here's what i've realised:
"Your capacity to encompass self-awareness is only one aspect of living. It is then what you do with that information which impacts and measures your quality of life."
Self-awareness gave me data. It gave me understanding. It gave me a sense of control.
But it didn't give me healing.
Because i was using that awareness to fuel more optimisation, more control, more stress.
The awareness wasn't the problem. What i was doing with it was.
A FEW YEARS AGO, I CLOSED MY FIRST BUSINESS
After almost a decade of building Sol Cups, i walked away.
At the time, i wrote a blog post - essentially a love letter to any founder out there struggling to take a day off.
The core message was this:
"Slowing down can be your secret weapon, propelling you towards your goals with unparalleled speed and precision. Embrace the contradiction."
Back then, i was talking about work. Hustle culture. The glorification of burnout in entrepreneurship.
But i look back now and realise this concept means so much more than just work.
It's the fundamental reason i wasn't able to fix my health and my chronic pain.
I WAS DOING TOO MUCH
Not just physically. Mentally. Emotionally.
i was:
- Researching every new protocol
- Testing every supplement
- Tracking every data point
- Stressing about every flare
- Creating guilt and negativity around my body when it asked loudly for rest
i had all the self-awareness in the world.
But what i was doing with that information was driving me further from healing.
i thought if i just tried hard enough, optimised enough, learned enough - i could outsmart my endo.
But my body didn't need another intervention.
It needed me to stop.
SOMETIMES THE ANSWER IS TO DO NOTHING
When you have a flare, your body is asking for something.
Not another protocol. Not more control. Not more optimisation.
It's asking for rest. Space. Permission to just be.
And the hardest part? Giving yourself that permission without guilt.
Without the narrative that you're "not doing enough" or "giving up" or "letting yourself down."
Your body is not the enemy. It's giving you information.
And sometimes the right thing to do with that information is: slow down.
SLOWING DOWN TO SPEED UP
Here's the contradiction i had to accept:
The fastest way to heal is often to stop trying so hard to heal.
When you rest, your nervous system regulates. Inflammation decreases. Your body can actually repair.
When you're present, connected, and not in a constant state of stress - your hormones have a chance to balance.
When you let go of the guilt around needing rest - you remove one of the biggest sources of inflammation in your life.
The relentless pursuit of answers kept me in a loop of stress, disregulation, and inflammation.
Slowing down broke the loop.
WHAT THIS ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE
i still research. i still optimiae. i still track my cycle, test my supplements, work with my naturopath.
That part of me hasn't changed.
But i've learned when to stop.
When my body is in a flare, i don't spiral into "what did i do wrong?" or "what else can i try?"
i rest. i let it pass. i give my body what it's asking for.
i don't create guilt around needing to slow down. i don't punish myself for not being able to push through.
i've learned that sometimes the most productive thing i can do is nothing.
i have the self-awareness. Now i'm learning what to do with it.
THE SECRET WEAPON
Slowing down doesn't mean giving up.
It means understanding that healing isn't linear. It's not about finding the one perfect answer or optimising every variable.
It's about creating the conditions for your body to heal itself.
And sometimes those conditions are:
- Rest
- Presence
- Connection
- Space
- Permission to just be
No guilt. No stress. No endless searching.
Just trust that your body knows what it needs.
IF YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEARCH
i get it. i know the desperation of wanting answers. The frustration of feeling out of control. The hope that the next protocol will be the one that finally works. I hope my blog and this page help you on this hunt. It is why i started All Of It.
Keep searching if you need to. Keep learning. Keep advocating for yourself.
But also ask yourself: what am i doing with this information?
Is it helping me heal? Or is it keeping me in a state of stress?
Because your capacity for self-awareness is only one aspect of living.
What you do with that information is what impacts your quality of life.
Give yourself permission to rest.
To let the flare pass without guilt.
To trust that slowing down might be the exact thing that speeds up your healing.
Embrace the contradiction.
Your body isn't working against you. It's working with you.
Sometimes it just needs you to slow down enough to listen.
