A woman from Northern Ireland is hoping to help others after overcoming years of her own struggles.
Shannon Quinn, from Coleraine but who now lives in Belfast, said in her 20s she suffered from hormonal imbalances, acne, fear, travel anxiety, digestive issues, sadness and more. The 29-year-old environmental health officer decided enough was enough and has transformed how she feels.
She is now starting off as an integrative health coach and healthy living enthusiast and has launched her own business. Shannon says she aims to help others who feel like she did.
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She told Be : "Throughout most of my early twenties, for years, I suffered from a range of hormonal imbalance symptoms. I didn't realise at the time that was what it was.
"It makes sense to me now in hindsight. I had really painful acne on my face and jawline, put on weight and really struggled to lose it even though I thought I was doing everything right, when I really wasn't.
"I had loads of digestive issues, really painful stomach which was unexplained, reproductive issues and really bad anxiety in regards to flying. I absolutely loved travelling up to the age of 20 and then had a really bad experience. It manifested into a fear of flying for seven years. All those symptoms ranged over a good few years and led to a rollercoaster of emotions. Frustration, more anxiety, sadness, unconsciousness, things like that."
She added: "I was really frustrated because I was seeking help from medical professionals and nobody was able to give me answers. A lot of the symptoms they thought it was kind of normal for someone my age and there was no real trying to get to the root cause or to give me any solid solutions.
"It wasn't until Covid hit and we went into lockdown, that was the catalyst for me to start focusing on my own health - whenever life slowed down.
"I was reading loads of health books, listening to podcasts and doing online research and things and then started making small changes to my own life. I noticed a lot of really positive outcomes and changes there."
The 29-year-old said that one of the biggest things that helped her transform how she was feeling was being able to clear her acne.
Shannon explained: "If you have ever had acne, [you'll know] it seems minor but it has such an impact in your life whenever it is right there on your face. It is obviously your body trying to tell you something.
"There were two things I found were influencing that... One was gluten... I went 3 or 4 weeks experimenting cutting it out and the difference I saw in my skin was absolutely [mad]."
The new health coach also said another cause she thinks 'was a beauty product that was affecting the balance of her hormones'.
Shannon also lost weight and dropped nearly two dress sizes.
"Quite easily as well just from making small changes. I'm stronger [now] and have more muscle. I manage my anxiety and have actually overcome my fear of flying which is a massive achievement for me.
"Just in general I feel a lot more energetic and stronger physically and mentally," she added.
The NI woman wants to stress the importance in looking after yourself.
She said: "Take care of yourself. A lot of people think health is just nutrition and exercise but there's actually so many more pieces to the puzzle in terms of your health and wellbeing - stress management, sleep, your relationships, your career, your home environment, beauty products... There are so many things that contribute to how you feel on a day-to-day basis.
"It's not looking at one area of your health. You have to combine it all and that's where the integrative health mindset and perspective comes into it.
"It's not a one size fits all approach... integrative health coaches sit down on a one-to-one basis and look at their client's personal health goal, what is going on in their life and their personal circumstances so that they can get to the root cause of the problem rather than put a plaster over it kind of thing."
Shannon said after she seen such great improvements in her own health, she came across the term 'health coach'.
"I looked into that more, and it sparked an immediate interest in me and I would just love to help people experiencing the symptoms I did and who aren't getting [the] attention they need.
"It's not normal to have these symptoms everyday and there are solutions to them.
"I would just love to help people realise that and change their perspective on their health."
To find out more, visit shannonlaura.com.
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