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There’s a phrase I hear all the time — from patients, clients, friends, and honestly… from women everywhere.
“I think it’s just stress.”
And yes — stress plays a role.
But here’s the part that doesn’t get explained often enough:
Several hormone imbalances feel exactly like stress.
And chronic stress can create hormone imbalances that then keep the cycle going.
So women get stuck in this exhausting loop:
feeling anxious
wired but tired
foggy
overwhelmed
irritable
exhausted
…and are told to “relax more,” when what they really need is clarity.
Let’s break down the hormones that most often masquerade as stress — and how stress itself can throw them off.
Stress isn’t just an emotion — it’s a physiological response.
When your brain senses pressure (emotional, physical, metabolic), it activates your stress system. That system talks directly to your hormones — cortisol, thyroid hormones, sex hormones, insulin, and more.
So when something is off hormonally, your body often feels stressed — even if your life looks “fine” on paper.
This is why symptoms overlap so heavily.
Cortisol is your main stress hormone, but problems don’t always show up as “high cortisol.”
You can have:
low morning cortisol
high evening cortisol
a flat cortisol curve
All of which feel different — and all of which can mimic anxiety, burnout, or depression.
Symptoms that look like stress:
fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest
anxiety or jitteriness
poor sleep
afternoon crashes
sugar or caffeine cravings
Stress can dysregulate cortisol — and dysregulated cortisol makes everything feel harder.
This one gets missed constantly.
Low or suboptimal thyroid function often shows up as:
exhaustion
brain fog
low motivation
feeling overwhelmed easily
sensitivity to cold
low mood
Sound familiar?
Many women are told they’re stressed when their thyroid hormones are actually underperforming — even if TSH is “normal.”
Stress can also reduce T4 → T3 conversion, creating thyroid symptoms without obvious thyroid disease.
Blood sugar swings are one of the biggest hidden stressors in the body.
When glucose drops too low, your body releases stress hormones to compensate — adrenaline and cortisol.
That can feel like:
shakiness
anxiety
irritability
racing thoughts
heart palpitations
intense cravings
Women often describe this as “random anxiety” — when it’s actually reactive hypoglycemia or insulin dysregulation.
Stress worsens blood sugar control…
And unstable blood sugar increases stress hormones.
See the loop?
Progesterone has a calming, stabilizing effect on the nervous system.
When it’s low, women may experience:
increased anxiety
poor sleep
irritability
feeling “on edge”
PMS or worsening symptoms before periods
This is especially common:
postpartum
in perimenopause
with chronic stress
Stress diverts resources away from progesterone production — so the more stressed you are, the less buffered you feel.
Estrogen doesn’t just affect cycles — it affects the brain.
When estrogen is too low or fluctuating, women may feel:
emotionally sensitive
anxious
weepy
overstimulated
easily overwhelmed
High estrogen (or poor estrogen clearance) can also heighten stress reactivity and inflammation.
Stress affects estrogen metabolism — and estrogen affects how your brain perceives stress.
Low iron, ferritin, or B12 can feel like:
exhaustion
low motivation
poor concentration
irritability
short temper
brain fog
Many women internalize these symptoms as “I just can’t handle stress anymore,” when their cells are literally under-fueled.
Stress increases nutrient demand — so deficiency and stress often coexist.
This is where frustration sets in.
Women are told to:
meditate
journal
breathe
do yoga
“slow down”
And while those things are helpful — they don’t fix:
thyroid hormone conversion
insulin resistance
progesterone depletion
nutrient deficiencies
You can’t mindset your way out of biology.
Stress management works best when the underlying hormone imbalances are addressed too.
This is where labs matter — not to label you, but to guide you.
Helpful labs include:
cortisol (preferably multi-point)
progesterone and estradiol (timed appropriately)
When you look at these together, patterns emerge.
And suddenly, symptoms that felt “random” start to make sense.
The goal isn’t to eliminate stress — it’s to increase resilience.
That means:
stabilizing blood sugar
supporting sleep
reducing overall load
nourishing deficiencies
respecting hormonal rhythms
sending safety signals to the nervous system
Small, consistent shifts beat big, dramatic changes every time.
If stress feels like it’s running your life, it may not be just stress.
✨ Take the What’s Sabotaging Your Healthy Habits? Quiz
✨ Download the Inner Critic Playbook or What Spikes Me? Workbook
✨ Book a free 60-minute consultation — we’ll look at your symptoms and labs together
Understanding your hormones changes everything.
Endocrine Society — Stress & Hormone Regulation
NIH — HPA Axis Function
Cleveland Clinic — Hormonal Imbalances in Women
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
Harvard Health — Stress and Metabolism
Want to take a closer look at your Total T4 and T3 levels?
These labs make it easy:
Total T4 and Total T3 tests available separately or as part of comprehensive thyroid panels.
Complete Thyroid Panel including Total T4, Total T3, and antibodies for a full picture of thyroid and autoimmune function.
Affordable, physician-reviewed thyroid panels offering Total T4, Total T3, and conversion markers with fast, local draw options.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. I only share lab options I genuinely trust and would recommend to my own patients, friends, and family.
If you’ve been told your thyroid is “fine” but your body’s telling a different story, it’s time to look deeper.
Your numbers are information — not a verdict.
✨ Download the Sustainable Habits Guide to build daily rhythms that support your thyroid and hormones naturally.
✨ Grab the Inner Critic Playbook to calm the stress patterns that block healing.
✨ Book your free 60-minute consultation — we’ll review your labs together, connect the dots, and build a plan that honors your body instead of fighting it.
National Institutes of Health (NIH): Thyroid Function Testing Overview
American Thyroid Association: Thyroid Hormones and Their Role in the Body
PubMed: The Influence of Stress, Estrogen, and Liver Function on Thyroid Conversion
The Difference Between Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS If you’ve ever been told you have hypothyroidism and then later heard the
Hormone Imbalances That Mimic Stress (And Vice Versa) THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS There’s a phrase I hear all the time — from patients,
How Stress Impacts Thyroid Health THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS I wish more women understood this: Sometimes it’s not your thyroid that’s slowing down
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