Adrenal Fatigue Archives - Page 5 of 6

Revisiting Adrenal Fatigue

If you’re new to the blog, welcome! This is a space where I freely share articles, tips, and words of inspiration related to up-leveling our lives from stuck patterns and old behaviors that don’t necessarily serve us anymore. As an Integrative Life Coach I use mental meta-models to change habituated patterns that no longer serve. In today’s blog post, we re-visit a debilitating illness that is a growing issue among many stressed out individuals – adrenal fatigue. As someone who’s experienced deep adrenal fatigue here are my best tips for a healthy recovery.

What is Adrenal Fatigue and Tips to Manage It

Do you ever find yourself so exhausted you are unable to follow through on your daily activities with the same energy you used to have? Or perhaps you find yourself feeling blue, anxious, and unable to sleep for long periods of time. Maybe you’re reaching for another cup of coffee when really, historically you only needed one? And worse yet, you notice yourself gaining a bit of weight but sugary sweets or salty foods are the only thing that give you a boost?

Depending on the prolonged presence of these symptoms in your life, they could be early warning signs of adrenal fatigue. (Note: while there can be many other auto-immune illnesses that can cause these symptoms please follow up with your primary doctor if symptoms persist to identify the root cause and a path to recovery)

In a nutshell, adrenal fatigue, or what few are now starting to call HPA Axis Dysregulation, is the inability to adapt to the chronic stressor appropriately, which then has a cascading effect of dysregulating other hormones in the body such as DHEA (a parent hormone). Adrenal fatigue can either make you extremely lethargic due to low energy or extremely “wired but tired”. Other symptoms include:

Weight gain or loss
Depression
Anxiety
PTSD symptoms
Insomnia
Brain fog
Inability to find words quickly
Hypoglycemia
Hair loss
Digestion issues
And more.

So what does cause this hormonal dysregulation? One word: STRESS.

Believe it or not, the body doesn’t know the difference between emotional, mental, or physical stress. Dutifully, the body receives a signal and starts to produce cortisol under any circumstance that requires it. Got a work deadline? Produce cortisol. Working out too much and not fueling properly? Produce cortisol. Going through a major life transition? Produce cortisol. Traveling too much and not giving your body enough rest? Produce cortisol.

What can worsen adrenal fatigue is, depending on how many stressors and how long major stress has been prevalent in your life, in order to produce the necessary hormones to actually DO the job, your brilliant body will often take from other hormones such as DHEA, pregnenalone, testosterone, etc. in order to survive, often leaving you imbalanced even further.

It’s no wonder our bodies are so tired. It can’t seem to keep up! What’s likely made it even worse in this day and age is how we are continuously bombarded by a never ending barrage of notifications from our phones. We are on constant alert.

Which is why we must take care of our body, mind, and heart all the more. If you’ve noticed yourself feeling any of the above symptoms for a prolonged period of time, adrenal fatigue or not, here are some all-around key tips in preventing and/or managing YOUR health and body.

Find good practitioners who can champion for your health
- Depending on the area of focus you need in your life, it’s always a great idea to be surrounded by a holistic set of practitioners in various fields who can help manage your recovery. Whether it’s:
  - Naturopathic care
  - Nutritionist
  - Acupuncture
  - Body work
  - Therapist/Coach

Get deep
- Find ways to get deep. This can be any way in which you find time for yourself and have time for introspection. Most of our day is spent planning mode, preventing mode, or taking care of others. Spending some time to take care of your physical and mental health is the best investment you can make. Here are some ways you can start making an investment:
  - Yoga – Most of you reading this blog post understand very well how yoga’s ancient practice and philosophy help to calm the central nervous system by way of asana, discipline of the mind, and meditation to name a few.
  - Meditation – Taking time to notice without judgement the thought, patterns of thought, and the voices in our head is a great way to better understand how your inner world operates. Meditation provides a way to understand and transform our mind.
  - Read good books – There’s nothing better than winding down from a hard day’s work to a good book that instills deep wisdom and truths. Not only do you benefit from the golden nuggets within each page, you give your body and mind a way to relax the central nervous system and prime yourself for bed.

Tone down technology
- Circadian rythm – Learning to rise and set with the true nature of your own body’s rythm is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Our bodies are hard wired to be in tune with mother nature. What does that mean? That means when the sun rises so should we, and when the sun sets so should we. But how does this work when our bodies aren’t able to due to cortisol disregulation? One day at a time… each morning when you wake up step outside your house or open a window and allow your skin to soak up the sun’s rays for at least 5-10 minutes. This will help your body to become more in sync with the natural rythms of nature. And with that said…
- Dim the lights – When it comes to winding down at night try not to have all your electronics on in the evening. Rather, turn everything off and light a candle or turn on a small lamp. Again, this will help send a signal to your body that it’s time to wind down.
- Get off the socials – Ever had that moment in the car where you were cruising along the highway and suddenly the person next to you turns off the radio and it’s eerily quiet? And the funny thing is you never realized the radio was on in the first place? That’s how it feels when you go on a social media fast. Suddenly you realize just how much space you have to just be. Take a time out an hour before bed and give yourself the gift of spending time with your own mind.
- Put your phone on airplane mode – You know that saying, “nothing good ever happens after midnight?” Well, let’s adjust that to 9pm. Each night at around 9pm put your phone on airplane mode. This will help ease the anxiety of constantly looking out for notifications and will allow you to truly focus on any night time rituals you might have such as meditation, taking a bath, or reading.
Have fun!
- Spend time in nature – As humans on this earth we are primal beings and nothing can bring us quite to our senses the way nature can. Get out to a park, touch a tree, say hello to the flowers, and don’t be afraid of the bees! Feel the earth energy and if possible, put your bare feet in the rich soil of this earth. There is a deep exchange of energy here that is incredibly healing.
- Connect with your family and friends – Having adrenal fatigue was brought to you by stress and unfortunately trying to recover can be stressful in itself which actually won’t help you to recover – go figure. Instead, focus on your family and friends. Take advantage of this slowness and build deeper relationships with those around you. Get in tune with building a deep and rich community around you. Sometimes, taking the focus off of you and pouring the love into others can be the perfect remedy.
- Let go of the fact that you are “recovering” – Often times our best intention to speed up recovery can be a stressor in itself, and when we focus on “recovery” we end up reinforcing a belief that we’re not OK as is. Acknowledge and accept, apply compassion, and be kind to yourself.
- Deploy gratitude and kindess – While being in any hard situation isn’t easy, we always have gratitude to turn toward. Focus on turning your energy toward everything that is going right for you in this moment. Shower someone with gratitude, buy the person behind you coffee, find a meaningful place to volunteer, or simply give someone a compliment and watch them smile! You have many gifts and ways to make an impact in the world – deploy gratitude and kindess.
Manage your thoughts
- Once you have the basics down and have a pretty good handle on your new routine, now is a great time to move toward one of the biggest root causes of adrenal fatigue – thoughts.
- Why is it that one person can excited about public speaking while another gets incredibly anxious? After all, it’s the same adrenaline pumping through our body, right? Well, it all comes down to the thought; two different thoughts causing two different experiences. Go figure!
- How we think about something (or someone) and how we choose to give meaning to a thought is everything.
- We grow up with certain beliefs that drive our everyday actions, but what is a belief? A belief is just a thought we repeat over and over again until we believe it.
- What beliefs do you have that have brought you to where you are today?
- Doing the thought work to truly understand the driver behind your actions, goals, or even inaction is the best gift you can give yourself. Because once you understand what core beliefs (or limiting beliefs) are, you get to decide whether or not it’s working for YOU.
- Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help get started:
  - What goals do I have but can’t seem to make any progress on? Why?
  - What are some thoughts I have but don’t necessarily like? Why do I choose to believe them?
  - What beliefs help to center me? Motivate me? Give truth to me?

And there you have it. If you made it this far, congratulations! You now have a few more tips to help optimize your mind and body. Adrenal fatigue, general fatigue, illness… whatever the case may be, know that you are more than the circumstance – always.

In wellness,

Susan

Please note, this blog post is meant to be for informational purposes only. The evolving nature of science and medicine point to the over treatment of the adrenals itself and not the cause of the “fight or flight” activities that result in overstimulation in the first place. Finding a good practitioner who can champion for your mental & physical health will be a key contributor in your recovery.

Susan is a Life Coach based in Seattle, WA. Her main focus is to coach people build a strong emotional container so that we can experience the fullness of life coming from a place of deep confidence. Susan also coaches clients looking to heal adrenal fatigue by using a mental meta-model aimed at breaking down old mental patterns and behaviors so that we can finally tap into our own personal power.

Photo by elizabeth lies on Unsplash

Favorites Lately – Sunpotion

Stress. It can be so easy to fall into it am I right?

Every since experiencing adrenal fatigue I have been vigilant about watching stress. Whether it’s stress from work, the analytical mind, exercise, lack of sleep, you name it – ensuring your stress levels are in check requires mindfulness and action.

Paired with mindfulness and a holistic approach to life, what I have found to be amazing at helping ensure I am supported in keeping stress at bay are adaptogens.

Anyone who has delved into the world of health, fitness or vitamins has certainly heard this buzzword for quite some time. As someone who has experienced adaptogens their whole life I can attest to these amazing supplements that come from the natural elements of the world.

Lately, I’ve been using Sunpotion as part of my daily ritual. Also pictured is AmlaPlex which I’ll speak to below:

So what is moringa, rhodiola, and AmlaPlex? Let me explain how I use these wonderful adaptogens in my daily routine:

Moringa
- What it is: Moringa by Sunpotion is packaged as a green powder and is full of micronutrients and amino acids. While it has many purported benefits I specifically use moringa to assist with stress management and a gentle energy boost without the element of caffiene.
- How I use it: I love having moringa as a tea or a latte in the morning either before breakfast or after breakfast. If I drink it as a latte it will typically be before breakfast. Did I mention how much I love how it acts as a natural energy boost without feeling the jitters?!
Rhodiola
- What it is: Let me start by saying Rhodiola is magic for me. While I wrote about rhodiola in earlier blog posts I want to emphasize how important it is to find out what works for you and your body. Each body’s chemical make up is different and it’s important to work with a trained professional to find out what works for you and your current situation. I’ve tried Ashwaganda for stress management but my adrenals love Rhodiola. It stabilizes my stress and energy levels whether I have a dip in energy or too much of it; Rhodiola always brings it back to where it needs to be in the circadian rhythm.
- How I use it: Rhodiola is a key ingredient in my morning “poppin collagen lattes“. I add a half tsp, sometimes a little more, into my concoction and blend it all together until the coffee turns into a smooth foamy blend. It does have an earthiness to it but I’ve found that adding the tiniest pinch of stevia does the trick. Cinnamon helps too!
AmlaPlex
- What it is: AmlaPlex is a auyervedic blend made from 35 select ingredients, including spices and herbal extracts. I was recommended this blend from my ND who suggested to take this morning and evening to help with increasing immune function during a time when I was catching the cold.
- How I use it: Doctor’s orders… morning and evening I take a tsp after my meal. To some who are not used to various spices it may taste… spicy… but I love spice so naturally this tastes amazing 🙂 It is also a bit sweet so it acts as a dessert too.

So there you have it, adaptogens and the powerful effects it could have on your health! I can’t emphasize enough how crucial it is to adopt holistic life changes to assist with stress management and note purely rely on supplements. After all, you want to get to the root cause and only use these when your body may need the extra boost!

I’m curious, have you ever tried adaptogens? If so, which ones have you tried and have you noticed a difference? What lifestyle choices have you adjusted to get to the root cause? How do you effect positive change in your life?

Namaste.

A Course in Miracles – Lack

“While lack does not exist in the creation of God, it is very apparent in what you have made. It is, in fact, the essential difference between them. Lack implies that you would be better off in a state somehow different from the one you are in. […] Needs arise only when you deprive yourself. You act according to the particular order of needs you establish. This, in turn, depends on your perception of what you are.

A sense of separation from God is the only lack you really need to correct. This sense of separation would never have arisen if you had not distorted your perception of truth, and had thus perceived yourself as lacking.”

Whether you are new to A Course In Miracles (ACIM) or not, I love this excerpt specifically talking about “lack”.

We are told left and right that we are not enough until one day we believe it to the point that it seems so real. Actually we end up believing there is no other reality.

Take some time to assess your thoughts, decisions, and actions… do you notice how in some way “lack” might be an influence however small or large? Can you notice how in some way things might be “better” by doing things one way or how you might “fix” something by doing things this way?

How much of a relief would it be to not be driven by lack? How much freer and spacious would YOU be?

When I first came across this text I was floored, and I mean FLOORED. It was as if a light bulb went on in my head and immediately after I felt a huge sense of relief. This was around the time I was in deep recovery from adrenal fatigue and not only was this sense of lack one of the major players of getting to the point of adrenal fatigue, it was playing a small part in my desire to be in a different state other than adrenal fatigue as well. Ironic isn’t it?

The sense of relief was immediate and lasting…. What a relief it was to know there was no need to strive so hard! What a relief it was to just BE!

So take a moment… if your mind is driving you crazy with thoughts that are fueled by tension, striving, or desire, take a moment to inquire and allow for a bit of space. Allow for the possibility that you are MORE than enough in this moment, and even the next.

Namaste.

Tree Medicine

Lately I’ve been changing my “fitness” routine, or rather, preferred activity of moving from crossfit to more slow moving activities. For the most part 5 days out of the week I go to a nearby trail and walk the dog as well as practice yoga.

With work requiring so much of my time I’ve been noticing my stress levels on the rise with a bit of anxious energy from about mid-afternoon into the evening. Having gone through this before I decided to focus on activities that would help ground me but still get my blood flowing and my body moving 🙂

One day, I stopped to stare up at a giant douglas fir tree and stood there in awe of it’s grandeur. It wasn’t until the dog was pulling me to keep going along the trail that I had to tear myself away from the tree. However, I didn’t forget… there was something magical that happened.

Continue reading “Tree Medicine” →

Compassion As An Aspect Of Surrender

Many times I have spoken about surrendering all attachment in difficult times. Most recently I mentioned how surrendering allowed me to make healing in leaps and bounds toward complete recovery from adrenal fatigue.

Perhaps it’s the peace that comes with complete surrender that allows for the body and mind to heal. When we give up hope (in a sense) of any outcome or attachment to any ideal (or not) situation, we allow ourselves an opening, a space in which we can feel the immense presence of the moment.

Continue reading “Compassion As An Aspect Of Surrender” →

Experimenting with Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

In recent years I’ve heard of heart rate variability (HRV) time and time again. It was the newest thing to the quantified self but I had no interest… until now.

First, what is HRV? In short, HRV is an indicator of how well your body is managing stress. Over time, your personal HRV should be able to tell you whether or not you are ready for an intense workout, or if you should take it easy and go for a walk instead. If working out isn’t your thing, it can also indicate whether or not you have other stressors in your life, such as that big project you’re on at work, relationships, or simply taking on too much. Remember, your body doesn’t know the difference between mental/emotional/physical stress so it truly is about how well balanced you are with your life.

So why the sudden interest in HRV? Well, after experiencing adrenal fatigue, and knowing how I actually like the feeling after a hard training session, I thought it would be nice to find a way to measure A) how well my body was managing stress, and B) get a second opinion on how “ready” my body was to train for the day. While I’ve gotten a lot better with intuitively knowing when to rest and when to go hard, I also found that it’s pretty fun geeking out on this sort of thing too 🙂 Who knew?!

Before buying any gadgets I decided to first do my research. After scouring the internet and reading every article I could, I then read Mark Sisson’s Primal Endurance: Escape chronic cardio and carbohydrate dependency and become a fat burning beast!.

Here’s what I ended up purchasing as part of my arsenal. We’ll see how it goes in the next few months:

Continue reading “Experimenting with Heart Rate Variability (HRV)” →

How I Recovered from Adrenal Fatigue Pt. 4

I remember a time, after I first saw the cortisol test results, of scouring the internets in search of some testimony to how someone out there cured their adrenal fatigue. Anything. A book, a pill, a guru, yes… I was desperate.

I wrote about how I felt despair and a whole host of other emotions in previous posts and how at the end of the day, it was the core thoughts, beliefs and emotions that I needed to switch up in order to truly make recovery in leaps and bounds.

While I don’t discount the professionals I consulted and the plans I was on to help heal the adrenals, it all couldn’t have been possible without being at peace first.

Yes, thought management.

All that said, I do remember how I felt hoping I could find some source of information that could accelerate my path to recovery, and thought I should share a bit more on the supplements side of things.

Continue reading “How I Recovered from Adrenal Fatigue Pt. 4” →

Richmond District Farmer's Market. San Francisco, CA

The Zone vs. Paleo Journey

Yesterday I wrote about how I found Paleo and why I still follow this way of eating. I’ve found that it’s truly a lifestyle and I love the way it makes me feel.

While it may have sounded like an all too easy transition to cut grains, gluten, and processed foods, I wanted to share a bit more about why I was miserable on The Zone (Enter The Zone: A Dietary Road map), how it affected me psychologically, and how I made the transition to Paleo.

Continue reading “The Zone vs. Paleo Journey” →

How I Recovered from Adrenal Fatigue Pt. 3

In the last post on Adrenal Fatigue I shared some of the tools and tactics that helped me to overcome adrenal fatigue.

If I look back now it was almost a two year journey to heal all the wounds that likely led to having adrenal fatigue in the first place.

Yesterday’s post inspired me to write the third installment on how I overcame adrenal fatigue. Why? Because the theme in yesterday’s post was the exact mental model I needed during my journey for complete healing.

In the beginning stages of adrenal fatigue I was a mess. Yet I had hope. And it was this hope along with my driven type A personality that created a complete plan toward the road to health and wellness.

Continue reading “How I Recovered from Adrenal Fatigue Pt. 3” →

Letting Go of Form When It Comes to Expectations

This is probably one of the hardest lessons when it comes to the human mind… Often times when we have a desire for a certain outcome whether it be a job, weight on the scale, soulmate, car, whatever it may be… our minds have a way of knowing EXACTLY what we want and if not exact, it knows to be disappointed or elated (more disappointed than not) once you’ve reached a certain point in time.

I am often humbled and embarrassed when I remember the times I was so determined to make something work, only to have, what seemed at the time, the door shut in my face so fast and so hard I could have felt the physicality of it. Oh yes, anyone ever had that moment?

Continue reading “Letting Go of Form When It Comes to Expectations” →

So what does cause this hormonal dysregulation? One word: STRESS.

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