Have you ever been in the situation where you simply do not feel good and there is no definable cause? Maybe you can’t think straight (brain fog), your memory is lacking, you feel constantly tired no matter how much sleep you get, and you are irritable. You find yourself with an increase in headaches or body aches. You have belly fat that just won’t budge, you feel overwhelmed with life, and are exhausted. You may have mentioned these symptoms to your provider and tests were done that came back completely normal, leaving you feeling even more discouraged than your symptoms do. What is happening in your body to cause these issues?
There are many ailments that could cause the various symptoms, such as a vitamin deficiency, cardiac or respiratory issues, gut problems, and mental health issues, just to name a few. So where does one start when trying to feel better? A good starting point is to evaluate your life and stressors. When we are under prolonged stress, our body can start reacting to that stress. The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and are very important glands that regulate hormones, fight or flight system, cortisol levels, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar. With chronic stress, the adrenal glands may not be functioning optimally, causing what is known as adrenal fatigue or adrenal insufficiency.
Now you may be reading this and thinking “I don’t have that much stress” or “I handle my stress just fine”. You may be of the thought process that lots of people have it much worse than I do, so my problems aren’t even worth mentioning. While yes, I believe most of us could find people worse off than we are, that does not mean that our struggles are not relevant. There is no competition on who is worthy of identifying their stress and relieving it. For those thinking your stress is managed well or you don’t have that much stress, keep in mind that stress comes in many different forms. Wonderful events in our life, such as a wedding or birth of a baby, are still stressful. Foods, that unbeknownst to us cause internal inflammation, are stress. Chronic conditions, even if controlled, are stress. Even the world we live in today, with constant influx of information, toxins in our foods and environment, busy lifestyles, and work/life imbalance, are all stressors; therefore, changing your mindset on how you view stress is important.
The first step is to make intentional changes to lower stress. This is much easier said than done and some stressors you won’t be able to quickly eliminate. However, you can take small steps to lower stress levels with meditation, deep breathing, yoga, getting into nature, and putting your phone down. Small steps over time can have big results. Of course, it is important to rule out other conditions, so if you did not have lab tests done, you need to see a provider to get that accomplished.
If said tests come back normal, it is time to start with lifestyle changes to support your system for healing. Adrenal fatigue is a real thing and is treated with a comprehensive approach that utilizes lifestyle changes, trigger food eliminations, supplements, stress reduction, caffeine limitation, and more. There is no one thing that can be done to heal, no magic pill per se. Healing from adrenal fatigue takes time, patience, and someone who understands. The road of root cause healing is not necessarily easy, but most things worth having in life aren’t. Prioritize your health and wellbeing, do it for yourself and do it for your loved ones. Your children want a fully present parent, your spouse wants a well partner, and YOU deserve to feel better.
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