Hello Everyone!
I decided to make a post about Adrenal Fatigue, because most of my clients suffer from it, at a different level.
How do I know? Mainly thanks to deep questionnaires that they all have to complete. These questionnaires help us understand the overall state of health and stress the person is in.
Adrenal fatigue is definitely the “21st Century Stress Syndrome” (this is the title of the book from James L. Wilson).
Because there is quite a wide range of levels of Adrenal Fatigue, it is not always easy to recognize it and to put a word on it. Therefore, I think it is really important for anyone to know what it is, what the main symptoms are and what are the best and easiest things you can do about it.
1. Stress: the trigger of Adrenal Fatigue
The main different kind of stressors are:
- Emotional (bad/hard feelings towards yourself or others)
- Mental (pressure, negative thoughts)
- Physical (not moving enough or too much, chronic pain, nutritional, thermal…)
- Spiritual (conflicts with own personal beliefs and our own actions/life)
- Chemical (Electro-Magnetic Fields: wifi, having the mobile phone close to you for too long, EMF in the environment, TV or Computer screens, …)
To our body, these types of stressors are all the same. It doesn’t make any difference and they are being handled the exact same way. As a result, they accumulate, and accumulate, and accumulate, day after day. And if you don’t take care of it, if you never give time to your body to recover and repair from all of this stress, that’s when things start not working anymore, you get out of balance and it’s the start of a downward spiral.
2. What is the role of the Adrenal glands regarding stress?
The Adrenals are small glands located at the top of our kidneys. They have a critical role regarding stress management. They are the ones who balance out our body thanks to hormones management when it is needed, whatever the type of stress is. The thing is, if we don’t pay attention, they get tired and start not functioning as well. And that’s when it gets more and more difficult for people to overcome stress, they feel more and more tired, exhausted, don’t have energy, or need more and more coffee or all types of stimulants to keep on doing the same daily tasks. The main hormone that gets out of balance in this case is cortisol. As James L. Wilson says in his book, “with each increment of reduction in adrenal function, every organ and system in your body is more profoundly affected”. And that’s what we call the downward spiral of Adrenal Fatigue. If the levels of stress don’t decrease, the person is at high risk of injury, chronic disease, sickness, depression, anxiety…
The typical Adrenal Fatigue starts like this:
People are living a fast-paced life, with no or almost no time to rest/recover/meditate. At the beginning, they are like “pumped-up”. They are full of energy, feel very alive because they have all this stuff to do and their adrenals are full on and deliver all they need for those people to feel great and have the energy needed for all their activities or stress factors. After a while (it can last weeks, months or years depending on each person and on the daily accumulated stress), the Adrenals don’t function well anymore. And it is mainly the levels of Cortisol that start dropping significantly. That’s when people feel more and more tired, exhausted, it takes time for them to recover from any stress, they get weak and sick easily, they need more and more stimulants to overcome the fatigue, but this makes them actually worse. And as time goes by, if they don’t take care of it, they can become very sick, develop chronic diseases, allergies, or mental issues like fears, anxiety, depression. The end stage is death, because the body is so out of balance that it can not recover anymore.
3. The main symptoms
Today, unfortunately, most of us suffer from some kind of Adrenal Fatigue. Whether it is just the beginning or whether it is already quite bad, it is never too late to recognise the signs and do something about it. The main symptoms are:
- Chronic Fatigue
- Cravings for sweet/salty food
- lack of energy
- increased effort to do everyday tasks
- decreased ability to handle stress
- Mild depression
- less enjoyment in life
- PMS (Pre-Menstrual Syndrom)
- Afternoon low (around 3-4-5pm)
- Maybe a jump of energy at night after dinner
We are on Earth and should be thriving in life, not surviving. If you feel that you are on the edge and that your energy levels are low, then it’s time to do something about it.
4. TOP 12 TIPS to overcome Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal Fatigue can take some time to heal. It shuts down many of our principal functions, and therefore, it takes a while before everything comes to place again. BUT IT IS WORTH IT: as you will start recovering from it, you will feel the difference quite quickly, even if you are not fully recovered yet. So here I decided to list some great tips that I found have the best results:
1. POSITIVE THINKING:
Start the day thinking to yourself: it is going to be a 10/10 day! Even if you are tired, anxious, depressed, it is still going to be a 10/10 day relatively to the situation..... Having this in mind is powerful
2. FLIP THE COIN: if suddenly you start thinking again: “I’m so ugly, hate my body”, STOP these thoughts right away and think instead: “I am beautiful and awesome!”. Fake it until you believe it!!
3. LOVE YOURSELF: be kind to yourself, nurture and nourish yourself, your body is your friend, appreciate it, respect it, take care of it, and listen to it
4. AVOID ENERGY ROBBERS: This is truly important. It is time to think about YOU. Spend time with people who give you energy, who lift you up. Avoid bad situations, uncomfortable feelings.....this is just not worth it! And now the most important is to take care of YOU and no one else. When you feel better, people will realise how better you are and you will be able to give much more, without even noticing it, and they will thank you for that.
5. Increase your VITAMIN C intake: when dealing with high stress levels for a while, your vitamin C intake needs to be increased drastically. SO yes, take supplements, but NATURAL ONES. Beware of synthetic chemical sources that your body doesn’t recognise as much and that are an increase stress for your body!
6. MAGNESIUM AT NIGHT: to me, one of the best thing to do is to have Epsom Salt Baths: mix Epsom Salts with Baking Soda and add some Lavender Essential Oil. Stay in HOT water for at least 20min, I would wait at least 30mn for even better results. Alternate with Magnesium Flakes baths that target the muscles and give you a deep feeling of relaxation too. You can also increase your Magnesium intake by taking supplements but beware of the source, they are not all the same. I would go for Trace Minerals and/or Magnesium Citrate. Always just before sleeping.
7. Eat regularly, NEVER SKIP MEALS, eat good quality Organic FATS, PROTEINS, vegetables. Be happy each time you eat healthy food, because you know this food will help your body recover and will help you feel energized. Listen to your body to learn what best suits you.
8. Add a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt in your water
9. Don't eat too much fruits, avoid particularly: bananas, raisins, dates, figs, oranges, grapefruit.
The best for you are: papaya, mango, pears, plums, kiwi, apples. Eat them with some nuts or other protein food, don't eat them alone.
10. Go out and walk outside as much as you can (during lunch pause, after work, in the morning ...). Breathe deeply, enjoy what nature gives you. Walking is a good easy daily exercise that can improve your overall well-being. By moving the fluids in your body, it helps your body detoxify, and regenerate itself.
11. Keep a good posture (Chest out!!) all the time. Think about it regularly and correct your posture. This has a huge positive impact physically and mentally.
12. Meditate, relax, do some Tai Chi, at least 15-20 min EVERY DAY. This is YOUR time, where you can just switch off, come back to yourself, show some gratitude for what you have (and forget about what you don't have! This is a Positive thinking attitude here again). Meditating has been proven to have loads of physiological effects, help the body repair tissues, cleanse your mind AND your body
Hope this will help you all have a better idea of what to do if you feel you are losing control over your life.
Your health is more important than anything: you can’t live without it!
Let me know if you have any questions, I will be happy to help as much as I can.
In Health and Happiness,
Stephanie