Adrenal Fatigure - Part 4 - Just Plain Tired

As we get to the last blog in our Adrenal Fatigue series we find ourselves at the end of a downward spiral.  You are feeling like a fallen star.  That supernova that shone so brightly for so long has finally burnt itself out. Having pushed our physical and emotional body past breaking point, our adrenal glands are no longer producing the high levels of adrenaline and cortisol that we relied upon to keep our energy and resilience up during those weeks, months or years of crazy, hectic schedules, kids, family, relationships and financial pressures.   Your adrenals are tired and are producing just enough to keep you going from day to day. You now find yourself struggling to get out of bed in the morning, your body may feel so heavy that when you are active the resultant pain and discomfort makes you wonder if it was even worth it.  Your mood is low.  Your anxiety may be flaring up.  Your libido is non-existent. Your digestive health is shot.  Your immune function is compromised.  You feel as though you just don’t have the energy to do anything.   Kids. Partner. House. Hobbies.  Career.  They now all seem like such hard work. The first thing you need to do is acknowledge how you are feeling and try not to fight it.  Your body is screaming out for rest.  This may include asking for help from your family, friends and employer. If you have not done so already, you will need to see a health care provider to get a full medical work up.  You will need reassurance that your symptoms are not as a result of any other dis-ease state.  Once you have this confirmation, you can work holistically with your care team (this may include your GP and alternative health care provider trained in recognising Adrenal Fatigue symptoms) to develop a management plan to get you feeling energised and reinvigorated once again.  Your body is a miraculous thing.  When given the right environment to thrive, it will do all it can to regain health even after years of abuse.  You will need to accept however, that this will not be a quick fix.  Recuperating from adrenal fatigue can take time and significant lifestyle changes. Areas of focus for your continued wellbeing are likely to include:

* Reassess the stress.   This has progressed into a critical aspect of your life to address.  Your body is perceiving stress as an “attack”.  When you reduce the stress you are experiencing, you will lessen the load on your adrenals.  Resting your adrenals from this constant state of “fight or flight” will be key to your improvement. Essential oils may prove valuable to assist you with managing stress. Whether diffused or applied topically to the skin many essential oils have calming and relaxing properties to both the emotions and the physical body.  Some of my personal favourites for relaxation and calming during times of overwhelm include copaiba, lavender, vetiver, sandalwood, frankincense, bergamot, Peace reassuring blend and Balance grounding blend. * Nutrition.  When life was crazy hectic, you perhaps felt too time poor to prioritise your nutritional intake.  Now that you have committed to slowing down a little bit, finding nutrition dense foods that you enjoy will be a fundamental building block to your recovery.  Anti inflammatory foods such as green leafy veg, berries, fatty fish, avocados and many others will be gentle on your digestive system.  Your body is already chronically inflamed due to low cortisol levels (as discussed in WIRED, TIRED AND INFLAMMED ) so choosing foods that don’t further aggravate this may be helpful. * Life Long Vitality supplements.  This trio of nutritional wholefood supplements compliment and support your efforts in feeding your body all the vital nutrients it needs to thrive.  Comprising of VMz (vitamins, minerals and enzymes), Alpha CRS+ (wholefood complex) and xEOmega (essential fatty acids) they aim bridge any deficiencies in your diet.  The Life Long Vitality supplements will improve general wellness and vitality, provide antioxidant and DNA protection, support efficient cellular energy metabolism, assist bone health, improve immune function and stress management, assist cardiovascular health, promote healthy hair, skin and nails, support the eyes, brain and central nervous system, as well as bolster liver function and digestive health.  

* DDR Prime.  A proprietary blend of Frankincense, Wild Orange, Litsea, Thyme, Clove, Summer Savoury, Niaouli and Lemongrass essential oils which supports healthy cellular integrity, protects the body and cells from oxidative stress and promotes overall cellular health.   This blend is brilliant for supporting a healthy inflammatory response within the body.

* Emotional self care and boundary setting.  Taking time to reconnect with yourself and your needs will be important.  Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life, when our attention is focussed on others and how we can best serve them, we forget that we need to look after ourselves too.  Spend some time working out what space you need to carve out for yourself in your day.  You may need to speak with a counsellor or trusted friend to help you clearly identify how you will achieve this. Be kind to yourself.  Your body hears everything you say to it.  If you are reinforcing what you perceive as negatives, don’t be surprised if those things remain problematic.  Consider aromatically dressing each morning with an uplifting essential oil blend.  Aromatic dressing is when you apply essential oils to your body whilst saying positive affirmations.  Consider statements such as I am strong.  I am capable.  I am enough. Thank you legs for supporting me.  Thank you belly for giving life.  Thank you butt for being bootalicious.  Thank you shoulders for helping me hold my head high.  I am well.  I am energised.   This action of using oils and words together is powerful.  Our brains are wired to remember smell as memories. When you associate a smell with positive affirmations your brain is more likely to remember those words.   When you remember those words you said about yourself, you are encouraging your unconscious self to move towards those new positives.  Incredible oils to consider using as part of your aromatic dressing may include bergamot (the oil of self love), rose (the oil of divine love), lavender (the oil of communication), spikenard (the oil of gratitude), wild orange (the oil of abundance), grapefruit (the oil of honouring the body), ginger (the oil of empowerment) or perhaps even cilantro (the oil of releasing control). * Gentle Exercise.   You may feel so physically exhausted initially that the thought of any exercise is enough to make you pull the doona back up and stay in bed for the day.  The key here is gentle exercise.  It may be some simple stretches in the sunshine, a slow walk to the park with the kids, a walk along the beach.  As your energy returns you will be able to incorporate more activity in to your exercise.  Don’t over do this.  Whilst exercise is important for our overall health, your body will perceive vigorous exercise as stress.  Go slow. Go steady.  Energising essential oils such as peppermint and wild orange may give you the mental boost you need to take the first step. * Sleep.  Restorative sleep is crucial for cellular renewal. Sleep is the time when our brain and body renews itself.  Consider lifestyle factors that impact sleep – electronic devices emit blue light that tells our brain to stay awake, caffeine can take up to 8 hours to leave our body, alcohol can cause restless sleep. Introduce a sleep routine into your life: set your alarm for the same time every morning and listening to your body’s natural cues for when it is releasing sleep hormones at night, have a warm shower or bath followed by aromatically dressing in calming essential oils like lavender, roman chamomile, sandalwood, cedarwood or vetiver, read an old fashioned paperback and put your diffuser on with more relaxing essential oils to keep you settled throughout the night.

* Energise. On waking, spend 5 minutes in sunshine – even if it’s while eating your breakfast or enjoying your morning brew. The natural sunlight helps to reset your circadian rhythm and sleep hormones.

Whilst this list may seem long, remember it is all about you and your self care. If implementing everything all at once seems unachievable, start with one change that you believe is important for you.  Spend time achieving that one change. Then move to the next and so forth until you have achieved all the lifestyle changes that you and your health care provider believe are necessary for your continued wellbeing.  If you are not currently using high quality CPtG essential oils and would like to explore what benefits they may be able to offer please feel free to reach out to me to discuss which oils may be best for you. You can find more information about essential oils here.  Sandra xo