I am not scared of 40 +
- Boho Beauty Barn
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
My Journey Through Burnout, Hormonal Changes & What Each Supplement Does
Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought:
“What is happening to me?” You are eating well. You are taking vitamins. You’re drinking more water.
You’re trying to look after yourself.
And yet…
You’re exhausted. You wake up at 3am .Seems like you don't have that much patience .
Your patience feels shorter.
The weight seems to gather around your middle. Your skin looks different.
Your hair feels thinner. You feel more anxious than you used to.
And the most frustrating part?
You’re doing everything “right” but you still don’t feel like yourself.
If this sounds familiar, I want you to know something.
And you’re certainly not imagining it.
Your body is changing.
Why So Many Women Feel Different After 40
For many women, the years leading up to menopause can begin in their 30's and continue throughout their 40s and early 50s.
During this time, hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone begin to fluctuate.
These hormones influence almost every system in the body.
This is why one day it can feel like anxiety.
The next day it feels like brain fog.
Then poor sleep.
Then weight gain.
Then exhaustion.
Many women start feeling like strangers in their own bodies.
The Story Most People Don’t Know About Me
When I gave birth to my son, I found myself in a place many women will recognise.
I was carrying a significant amount of weight and struggling with severe fluid retention.
At my heaviest, I weighed 98kg.
I remember being six months postpartum and still having people ask me when the baby was due.
Those comments hurt more than I ever admitted at the time.
I already felt uncomfortable in my own body.
I already felt exhausted.
I already felt like I’d lost a part of myself. I'm not ashamed to admit ... when I became a mum ,it felt like the mother in me was born...but the woman in me disappeared. Now I know ,she was never gone ,she was waiting for me to remember her .
And so I became obsessed with losing weight.
I tried diet after diet. I bought supplements .I went to fat clubs. I counted calories.
I cut out foods I enjoyed. I wanted a quick fix.
I truly believed that if I could just lose the weight, I would finally feel better.
But looking back now, I realise I was focusing on the symptom rather than the cause.
My body wasn’t asking to be punished. It wasn’t asking for restriction. It wasn’t asking me to work harder.
It was asking for support.
It was asking for nourishment.
It was asking for recovery.
That journey led me to study nutrition and wellness.
Years later, after opening my salon, I found myself facing another challenge.
Burnout.
I cared deeply about my clients and worked incredibly hard.
The demands of a deeply personal and difficult experience, combined with the pressures of running a business and caring for my family , eventually pushed me beyond my limits.
My body completely shut down.
My cortisol levels were through the roof.
I felt exhausted but at the same time unable to switch off.
My nervous system was constantly stuck in survival mode.
That experience taught me something I will never forget.
Nutrition, hormones, stress and the nervous system are all connected.
You cannot separate one from the other.
No matter how healthy I was trying to eat, my body just didn't seem to recover .I felt exhausted, inflamed and completely disconnected from my body. After months of researching ,studying, trying to understand what my body was really asking for ,I decided to explore supplementation alongside improving my lifestyle.
And that is why I continue to study nutrition and nervous system regulation today.
Because I know what it feels like to be desperate for answers.
Because I know what it feels like to spend money on diets, supplements and programmes and still not feel well.
And because I believe women deserve better than guesswork.
Why Supplements Matter After 40
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that food always comes first.
But the reality is that modern life places huge demands on our bodies.
Stress. Poor sleep. Busy lifestyles. Hormonal changes. Environmental toxins .Processed foods.
All of these can increase the body’s need for certain nutrients.
Supplements Often Recommended for Women Over 40
As we move through our 40s and beyond, our natural collagen production begins to decline. This can affect skin elasticity, hydration, joint comfort, and overall skin appearance.
Many women choose to add collagen to smoothies, yogurt, coffee or simply mix it with water as part of their daily wellness routine. Those are few of the benefits
💧Skin hydration
🧴The appearance of fine lines
✨Skin elasticity
💭Joint mobility and flexibility
💡Melatonin
Quality sleep becomes increasingly important during perimenopause and menopause.
Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the body that helps regulate sleep and wake cycles.
Some women use melatonin to:
💤Support falling asleep more easily
😴Improve sleep quality
🛌Help with disrupted sleep patterns
Always seek professional advice before using melatonin regularly.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is known as an adaptogenic herb, meaning it may help the body adapt to physical and emotional stress.
Women often explore Ashwagandha for support with:
✨Stress resilience
✨Energy levels
🧠Mental wellbeing
😔Feelings of overwhelm
🛌Sleep quality
Black Cohosh
Black Cohosh is one of the most researched herbal supplements for menopause support.
It is commonly used by women experiencing:
🥵Hot flushes
🌚Night sweats
😫Mood changes
💤Sleep disturbances associated with menopause
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D is incredibly important for women over 40, especially in the UK where sunlight exposure can be limited for much of the year.
Vitamin D supports:
🦴Bone health
✨Immune function
💪Muscle strength
🚴Healthy ageing
Many adults in the UK are advised to consider vitamin D supplementation, particularly during autumn and winter.
Omega-3
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that support many aspects of health.
Potential benefits include:
❤️Heart health
🧠Brain function
🍃Healthy skin
✨Joint health
✨Supporting healthy inflammatory responses
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect cells from oxidative stress.
It may help support:
✨Skin health
✨Healthy ageing
✨Cardiovascular health
✨Reproductive health
✨Protection against free radical damage
The Most Important Thing
If there’s one thing I’ve learned through my own health journey, it’s that supplements should support a healthy lifestyle, not replace it.
Sleep, movement, stress management, nourishment, hydration, and looking after your nervous system will always be the foundations of wellbeing.
Supplements can sometimes fill the gaps, but the real transformation happens when we start caring for our bodies as a whole.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your GP, pharmacist, or qualified healthcare professional before starting any supplement or making changes to your healthcare
But here’s the question that kept coming back to me.
How do you know if what you’re eating is actually supporting your body?
How do you know if the supplements you’re spending money on are making a difference?
How do you know if your body is absorbing and benefiting from them?
The truth is…
Most of us don’t.
We’re guessing.
And that’s what led me to PRYSM iO.
What Is PRYSM iO?
PRYSM iO is one of the most exciting pieces of wellness technology I’ve come across.
In just 15 seconds, using a simple, non-invasive scan, it measures carotenoid antioxidant levels in your skin.
No needles .No blood tests .No discomfort.
Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants found in colourful fruits and vegetables like
🥕Carrots .🍠Sweet potatoes. 🌶️Peppers.
🌱Spinach .🥬Dark leafy greens.
The scan gives you a personalised PRYSM score that helps show how well your body may be protecting itself from oxidative stress.
🤔What Is Oxidative Stress?
Think of oxidative stress as rust forming inside the body.
Every day we are exposed to things that create free radicals:
Stress .Lack of sleep. Pollution .Processed foods. Alcohol. Smoking. Hormonal changes.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage cells if they outnumber our antioxidant defences.
Over time this may contribute to:
✨Fatigue
✨Brain fog
✨Premature skin ageing
✨Slower recovery
✨Increased inflammation
✨Reduced immunity
✨Lower resilience to stress
This is where antioxidants become so important.
They help protect and defend our cells from everyday damage.
Why I Decided To Bring PRYSM iO Into My Salon
For years I have been helping women through holistic treatments, nutrition education and nervous system support.
But I kept asking myself:
How do we stop guessing? How do we create awareness ?How do we help women understand what’s happening beneath the surface?
PRYSM IO helps answer those questions.
It doesn’t diagnose disease. It doesn’t replace medical advice.
What it does do is provide meaningful information about your antioxidant status and cellular resilience.
It gives us a starting point.
A conversation.
A snapshot of what may be happening beneath the surface.
I love that it allows us to measure something that previously felt impossible to see.
Because when you can measure something, you can improve it.
What Does Your PRYSM Score Mean?
PRYSM scores range from 100 to 1000.
100–199: At Risk – likely active cellular damage.
200–299: Body under significant stress.
300–399: Moderate – improvements are beginning.
400–549: Building antioxidant defences.
550–749: Optimum Protection.
The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is awareness.
The goal is understanding where you are today and making small, sustainable changes that support your future health.
Curious To Know Your Score?
If you’ve been feeling tired, stressed, overwhelmed, struggling with sleep, experiencing hormonal changes, or simply curious about what’s happening inside your body, I would love to invite you to experience a PRYSM iO scan at Boho Beauty Barn.
No needles. No blood tests. No discomfort.
Many people are surprised by what they discover.
Some realise their body needs more support than they thought.
Others gain reassurance that the healthy choices they’re making are paying off.
Either way, knowledge is power.
And understanding your body is one of the greatest investments you can make in your health,I would say the best investment of your life.
Book your PRYSM iO scan today or ask about adding a scan to your next appointment.
Because healthy ageing isn’t about looking 25 forever.
It’s about understanding your body, supporting it properly and feeling your best at every stage of life.
Ready to discover your PRYSM Score? Send me a message and let’s see what’s happening beneath the surface.
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