Hormones After Divorce: Stress, Cycles, and Healing

Divorce is complicated. Emotional. Disorienting. And if you’ve ever had someone toss out, “It’s just your hormones,” when you’re trying to hold your life together, I want you to know something right now: you’re not “too much,” and you’re not broken.

On this week’s episode of The Crazy Ex Wives Club, I sat down with hormone and nervous system mentor Gigi Hunt to talk about what’s real, what isn’t your uterus’s fault, and how you can support your body through one of the most stressful chapters a woman can face.

Because hormones after divorce can absolutely feel like a roller coaster, but the goal isn’t to “fix” you. The goal is to understand you, support you, and help you come back home to yourself.

Hormones After Divorce: Why You Feel “Off”

When your world changes overnight, your body notices.

Divorce stress doesn’t stay neatly in your mind. It shows up in your sleep. Your appetite. Your energy. Your patience. Your libido. Your cycle. Your emotions that feel bigger than usual, or emotions that feel completely shut down.

And here’s the part I wish someone had told me earlier: sometimes what looks like “hormones” is actually your nervous system trying to survive.

When you’ve been in chronic stress (even if you’re functioning, even if you’re high-achieving, even if you’re “fine”), your body starts prioritizing safety over balance. That can ripple into:

• restless sleep or waking at 2–3 a.m.

• digestive issues or cravings that feel intense

• cycle changes (shorter, longer, heavier, lighter)

• mood swings, anxiety, irritability, or feeling flat

• that “I don’t recognize myself” feeling

If any of that is you, I’m raising my hand with you.

Your Menstrual Cycle Phases (and What They Mean for Emotions)

Most of us were never taught how powerful our cycle actually is.

For years, I regulated everything with birth control because I thought “predictable” meant I was in control. It wasn’t until my own divorce (and coming off birth control) that I started noticing patterns I’d never been taught to look for.

Here’s a simple, seasonal way to think about your cycle:

• Menstrual Phase (Winter): Your hormones are at their lowest. This is your inward season. You may feel more tired, more tender, and more reflective. If you want quiet and rest, you’re not failing. You’re listening.

• Follicular Phase (Spring): Energy starts to rise. You may feel more hopeful, motivated, and creative. This can be a great time to plan, start, initiate, and rebuild.

• Ovulatory Phase (Summer): You’re often at your most social and communicative. Many women feel magnetic and confident here. If you’re scheduling hard conversations, this phase can feel supportive.

• Luteal Phase (Fall): After ovulation, things shift. Big feelings can show up. Overwhelm can feel louder. Some women experience what we jokingly call “luteal rage,” when your tolerance drops and your truth gets sharp.

If you’ve ever looked back at an argument and thought, “Why did I react like that?” sometimes the answer is not shame. Sometimes the answer is timing.

Awareness changes everything.

How Divorce Stress Impacts Cortisol and Hormone Balance

Divorce is one of the biggest stressors your body can experience. When stress runs high for long periods, your system works overtime, and that can influence how your hormones feel in your day-to-day life.

This is why you might notice:

• your PMS feels more intense than it used to

• your cycles become irregular

• your emotions spike fast (or disappear entirely)

• your sleep becomes light, broken, or inconsistent

This doesn’t mean you’re doomed. It means your body is asking for support.

And the most powerful place to start is not perfection. It’s nervous system care.

Nervous System Regulation Tools You Can Use Today

You don’t need a 60-minute routine. You need something realistic. Something you’ll actually do on a Tuesday when you’re exhausted.

Here are simple tools that can make a difference, especially when hormones after divorce feel like they’re running the show:

• One-minute breath reset: Inhale for 4, exhale for 6. Do 5 rounds. You’re telling your body, “We’re safe enough to soften.”

• Gentle movement: A slow walk, stretching, or light yoga. You’re not trying to burn calories. You’re trying to discharge stress.

• Tapping (EFT): Especially helpful if you feel anxious, wired, or emotionally flooded.

• Before-bed downshift: Dim lights, stop doom-scrolling, and do two minutes of breathing in bed. Small changes compound.

• Micro-boundaries: One less obligation. One earlier bedtime. One “no” that protects your peace.

If you can do just one of these consistently, your body will notice.

Cycle Tracking After Divorce: The Clarity You’ve Been Missing

Tracking isn’t about obsessing. It’s about becoming fluent in your body again.

When you notice consistent symptoms at the same points in your cycle, you can stop being blindsided and start planning with compassion.

Try tracking for one full cycle using a notes app or a simple journal:

• sleep quality

• mood and anxiety level

• energy and motivation

• cravings and appetite

• physical symptoms (headaches, bloating, breast tenderness)

• emotional patterns (teary, irritable, calm, confident)

After a month, you may see patterns that explain so much.

And you deserve that kind of clarity.

Seed Cycling for Hormone Support (A Gentle Option)

One of my favorite ideas from Gigi is seed cycling, a food-based practice that uses specific seeds during different phases of your cycle.

It’s simple, gentle, and accessible. It’s not a magic fix, but it can be a supportive routine if you enjoy it.

A common approach looks like this:

• Follicular + Ovulatory (roughly days 1–14): pumpkin seeds + flax seeds

• Luteal + Menstrual (roughly days 15–28): sunflower seeds + sesame seeds

Full disclosure: I nailed it for about two weeks before falling off. And that’s fine. Because the goal is support, not a gold star.

If seed cycling feels like one more thing, skip it. If it feels nourishing and doable, try it.

It’s Not “Just Hormones” (and It’s Not Just You)

A lot of women get dismissed with labels like “perimenopause” or “hormonal,” when what’s really happening is stress plus lifestyle plus emotional load stacking up until your system is overwhelmed.

Before you jump into expensive protocols or drastic changes, start with a simple check-in:

• Are you running on empty?

• Are you sleeping enough to recover?

• Are you eating in a way that stabilizes you?

• Are you giving your body any signal of safety?

Small Changes, Big Results

Pick one. Just one:

• Prioritize rest: If you need to be in bed at 9:30, let that be your win.

• Build micro-moments of joy: Savor your coffee. Take a slow walk. Sit in the sun for five minutes.

• Tune in daily: Ask, “What does my body need today?” Then answer honestly.

• Reduce stimulation at night: Less screen time, more softness.

• Ask for support: From friends, community, therapy, coaching, or all of the above.

And one important note: if your symptoms are intense, new, or disrupting your daily life, it’s worth talking with a trusted medical provider. You’re allowed to get support on all levels.

Community Connection: You Don’t Have to Heal Alone

If you’re navigating hormones after divorce and feeling like you’re doing everything “right” but still feel off, I want you in a space where you’re understood.

Here are a few ways to stay connected and supported:

• Take the free quiz

• Complete the Defining the New You Mini-retreat (at home!)

• Explore The Club

You deserve tools, truth, and women who get it.

Connect With Gigi Hunt

Gigi Hunt is a hormone and nervous system mentor who helps women understand their cycles, regulate stress responses, and create sustainable routines that support emotional and physical health.

Website | Instagram | Facebook | TIkTok

Final Thought From Erica

If divorce has left you feeling like you don’t recognize yourself, please hear me: your body is not betraying you. Your body is communicating with you.

Start with awareness. Track your patterns. Support your nervous system. Choose one small decision today that makes tomorrow feel a little steadier.

Tonight, put yourself to bed a little earlier. Put a hand on your heart. Ask what you need. And trust that balance can return, one gentle choice at a time.

With love and grace,
Erica Bennett
Host of The Crazy Ex-Wives Club