Is it me, or is our world moving pretty quickly these days? Work, school, kids, laundry, bills, hobbies, parents, friends, study, errands….we’re tired just thinking about the stuff we cram into a typical day! No wonder we’re keeping Gloria Jeans in business and craving sugar every afternoon. And when nighttime comes around and our bodies want to be winding down for sleep, we end up so wired that we need a glass of wine or cocktail to calm down. We’re using a “stimulate-sedate” cycle just to keep up with the pace of our lives.
In the long run this has negative effects on our health and the constant stress can cause us to go into adrenal fatigue. Some of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue are:
Inability to lose weight despite extensive effort
Digestive symptoms
Major fatigue and exhaustion
Disturbed sleep & insomnia
Difficulty concentrating or brain fog
Feelings of overwhelm
Tendency to gain weight
Cravings for salty or sweet foods
Poor immune function
PMS
Low libido or sex drive
Reduced memory and many more
If you think you could be in adrenal fatigue then you can do a saliva test to confirm this and at what stage of adrenal fatigue you are in. (See Adrenocortex Stress Profile Test on my website). Coffee, sugar and processed foods all contribute to adrenal fatigue. It takes lots of high quality fresh foods and adrenal support supplements to get back into balance. However, if the cause of the stress isn't addressed it won't be long before you go back to your fatigued state. Therefore some stress management techniques and work/life balance are vital to help you to recover or prevent it happening in the first place.
How can we engineer a much-needed break from our fast-paced world? Here are four simple steps to take you from zany to zen. Try them this week!
- Start with a list. Make a list of all the relaxing things you love to do, but rarely take time for.
Stuck for ideas? Here are some examples to get you started:
A massage
A nap
Turn your smart phone off for three hours
Read a book
Go for a facial or spend an afternoon at a spa
Spend an hour in your favorite park
Have a weekend away at a quiet cabin or by the beach
Watch two funny movies in a row
Take a yoga class
Do a guided meditation - Pick one thing you can do in the next week. Pick something easy, enjoyable and affordable from your list.
- Set aside time in your calendar. Make this an appointment that can’t be missed.
- Give yourself permission. We rarely allow ourselves to slow down, perhaps for fear that if we do we could fall apart. Give this gift to yourself, and commit to doing it regularly. Keep adding to your list so you never run out of relaxing activities.
