Welcome to this month’s self-care update – where I share what this body-led approach looks like in real life.
My health story will likely look very different to yours.
Different symptoms, different starting point, different challenges.
But what I’m learning – and what I want to show you –
is that it’s not the details that matter most.
It’s learning to notice how your body responds…
and knowing what to do with that feedback.
One thing this last 4 weeks has shown me is that my body really is guiding me towards health.
Both my tracking results and a recent dental X-ray showed improvements (at age 60) – to the surprise of my dentist.
These regular reflections come from the way I used to work with clients –
pausing, reviewing, and adjusting as we go.
Because while we all start with a plan…
real life is always a bit messier.
And that’s why small adjustments, every few weeks, work so well.
So, if you are new here, I update every 4 weeks in cycles, and this update relates to cycle 4 of the year (roughly April 2026).
So in cycle 3 (March), I made the decision to have a ‘rest’ (from tracking) month, so I don’t have a direct comparison — but April was about returning to ‘maintenance’ and seeing how my body would respond.
And overall…it settled nicely.
Not perfectly. But noticeably.
Less reactive. Quicker recovery. Fewer “why has this flared again?” moments.
🌿 What the numbers tell me
Listening to your body sounds a bit woo-hay at first.
But it is based on logic and practical pattern recognition.
The hardest part is remembering to pause long enough to see the feedback.
Tracking gives me a clearer picture of what’s actually changing
and what might need adjusting.
When I look at my tracking this cycle, stress, fatigue and reactions have all improved – roughly half of what they were earlier in the year.
It makes sense; the body can’t repair properly when it’s in a stress response.
And like many people, I’d had a stressful couple of months.
Which makes these improvements even more encouraging.
And keeping this real, my body hasn’t changed in big visible ways.
Instead, I’ve noticed it has become less reactive overall, more stable and more able to cope and recover.
And that is despite the Spring pollen season, which in the past couple of years has been a high trigger for my immune system.
These small improvements make a big difference to the quality of my daily life, something that is not always talked about, and I am both grateful and encouraged.
🌿 Dental Check-Up
My dentist was surprised and thrilled to show me my recent dental X-ray, showing clear improvements from 3 years ago.
My teeth were one of the many areas of my body that became much worse as part of MCAS and SIBO symptoms.
Even I had started to wonder if it was “just age” – which I think many of us do at some point.
So seeing clear improvement… reminded me that the body can still repair,
when we support it in the way it needs.
If it wasn’t for the cravings, I would say that having to go strictly no sugar (including fruit and sweetener) has made the biggest difference to my health levels, including the dental X-ray.
But those cravings…
🌿 Something new I’m testing
One insight I became more aware of this month:
After a bigger reaction, my body doesn’t just bounce back straight away.
It needs a short period of extra support.
And crucially, if I ignore this need for more support, the recovery takes longer, and I feel stuck in a cycle of unpredictable reactions.
I’m starting to realise this might be one of the reasons I used to feel stuck.
So I’m starting to think in phases:
• Maintenance — my normal routine of what I know works
• Active Recovery — a few days of extra support after a reaction
That might look like:
• simpler food
• fewer inputs
• more nervous system support (adapted to what I can tolerate)
• protecting my energy a bit more
Not forever.
Just enough to stabilise again.
🌿 A small but surprising insight
I also noticed that running out of something simple (nettle tea)
had more impact than I expected.
Which is a good reminder that:
👉 it’s often the small, consistent things
that quietly keep everything more stable.
And to keep an eye on stock levels!
🌿 The shift that matters
The most important change isn’t what I’m doing.
It’s how I’m starting to understand my body’s feedback better.
Instead of trying to get everything “right”…
I’m learning to recognise:
👉 when my system gives me the green light to do more
👉 and when it doesn’t.
The red ‘stop’ is easier to recognise – and yes, sometimes to ignore anyway.
But now I am realising just how important the Amber “I can cope if we adapt” is.
Not only to overall results, but to navigating daily life better.
🌿 What I’m taking into May
• Keep my maintenance routine steady
• Support my sugar cravings (low histamine and SIBO)
• Keep evening meals lighter
• Adapt movement to suit my energy and nervous system
• Use “Active Recovery” after stronger reactions
🌿 Final thought
This month my body gave me positive feedback.
I know it’s still early days – and it depends on me continuing to notice what my body is showing me.
But it felt like much-needed confirmation.
Not because everything is suddenly “good”…
but because I’m starting to recognise the in-between signals –
the ones I would have missed before.
I’m certain these improvements are because I kept listening and responding through the more difficult months.
And I’m realising now more than ever:
all feedback from your body – even the unclear, in-between kind –
is a step forward.
If you’re starting to notice your own “in-between signals”
but not quite sure what they mean yet…
that’s exactly why I created the Body Feedback Finder.
It’s a simple way to start recognising how your body responds,
so you know what to do next.
