It can happen to any of us. We're cruising along just fine - feeling good, moving our body regularly, eating good foods, getting some sunshine, enjoying our job and whatever else is a constant in our life. But then something hits us and kinda knocks us about a bit. You have visitors for the week, you're planning a trip somewhere and loads has to be done before you jet off, a new baby arrives, more visitors come to stay...
Whether you've got your feet planted firmly on Mother Earth or not, these types of things can often throw us outta whack for a bit, and then we seem to be good to go again. Such is life is it not? But what if it's adrenal fatigue, adrenal exhaustion, or chronic fatigue you've had; can you just as easily pick yourself back up?
This exact scenario played out for me a few weeks ago. We had visitors come stay which I love, but before anyone arrives, I often go into a bit of stress and anxiety around it. It won't matter who it is. Ontop of that was financial worries I was having as I booked flights to and from the Gold Coast, Sydney and LA. First world problem I know. Family health issues cropping up, mine included. Visitors left, new ones came, workshops were held here for 4 days straight, my sister came to crash a week before she packed up and left Cairns, then my mum came, and our house mate also came back after a trip away. It was full house and this all happened for about a month. And at the end of it all I was shattered. I was sleeping 10hrs each night and waking feeling rested, but wanted to crawl back into bed at 10am. I was aware of my eating habits spiraling out of control - lacking energy, wanting quick fixes, of course resulting in more lagging energy and no motivation to actually cook good, nourishing food (thank god for frozen bone broth!). Not drinking enough water and consuming more coffee than usual with all the eating out we were doing with visitors.... The list went on.
If you've spent a good few years healing yourself top to toe; making sure you rest, eat well, take specific supplements, enjoy the little things, drop all exercise for a period of time... to take yourself from someone who physically has trouble getting out of bed, to someone who jumps up and can't wait to get down to the beach... having a few weeks of feeling the former once more, it can be tough. I'm sure it's not dissimilar to having depression, treating and healing well, and feeling those same depressive feelings and thoughts once more at some point. I've been there too, and it's not a nice feeling.
How Can I Bounce Back?
I've two schools of thought on this one and
both are valid points of view. One side is Yes you can most certainly
pick yourself up just as fast if that's exactly what you choose and what
you want your outcome to be. And on the other hand, I've witnessed a
"not always", and things need to be put in place to help bring you up to
speed. Either way there are two ways to go about it:
1. Prevention
2. Treat when appropriate
Knowing what sets you off, gets your feathers ruffled, or grabs your energy like no other - these are all things you want and really need to be aware of. For me, it's having too many people in the house constantly. Don't get me wrong, I love a good get together or dinner party, I love having friends over every Friday night, I also love having visitors come stay. But when it's non-stop I don't deal so well, and know not to have this happen. I'm also aware of my need for my chill out time, which I have had to explain to my partner. To him, chill out time can be sitting around dinner with 8 mates. My chill out time is alone time, quiet time, solitude, internal, and hibernation pretty much. Both are cool, but communication around your needs may also need to be addressed here.
By being aware of your needs - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual -you can better equip yourself to keep you at your happy and healthy point.
But if like my last month, everything happens all too quickly and before you know it, you feel like you're reeeeeally struggling with everything, this is when you really need to step self-care up a notch and put some boundaries in place.
// Getting to bed at the same time each night with a cup of chamomile tea and a book. No excuses. And make that time about 930pm. No later than 10pm if you've had adrenal issues.
// Avoiding all alcohol and caffeine for the time being and drinking 2-3L of filtered water each day
// Loading up on fresh fruits, veggies, seeds, protein - whatever you know your body thrives off. Not over eating and definitely not under eating. Clean foods. Nothing processed. Lay off the sugar but enjoy carbohydrate foods like sweet potato and grains in small amounts if your gut tolerates them.
// Ensuring you're regularly taking any supplements you're on - and if need be, booking in to see your Nutritionist or Naturopath once more for an acute remedy
// Taking time out for YOU in whatever way you know nourishes your soul. I strongly encourage this to happen daily. If you're not taking the time out for you, making yourself feel good, happy, nurtured and so on... you're never going to get there through diet alone hunny.
// Getting fresh air, sunshine, and your bare feet on Mother Earth daily. Disconnect from the fast pace of social media pings, emails buzzes, and phone texts. Get outside and do some deep belly breathing. If only for 2 minutes in your back yard, do it!
// Saying NO to anything that doesn't serve to bring you back up to feeling like a well functioning human being again. This could be the regular Friday night gathering, the extra shift at work, helping a friend move house, or taking the neighbours dog for a walk. You're not being a bitch by saying no. You're looking after YOU. And if you struggle in saying no, I challenge you to only say no for an entire week! It;s not the end of the world and none of this is life sentence stuff. It's just for now... It's your treatment plan now that things have gone a little pear shaped. So stick to it and you'll be feeling your better self sooner rather than later.
Psst.. Haven't read my other juicy posts on adrenal fatigue yet? Jump here for more energy, or click here on how to make life easier and happier with adrenal fatigue. Coffee lover? Read this post and this one. Here's my seven tips to have you sailing through adrenal fatigue, my weird and whacky nutrition for your adrenals you're gonna love, and everything I learnt from going through it, that I didn't read in a book. And click on over here for a bunch more.
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